WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. — Forecasters from Environment Canada and the National Weather Service Seattle office are saying to expect strong southerly winds beginning late Tuesday and through Wednesday.
Environment Canada forecasters issued an alert for the lower BC mainland and Vancouver Island warning of “strong, gusty southeasterly winds switching to southwest on Wednesday.” They explain that “an unseasonably strong low-pressure system will make landfall on Vancouver Island Tuesday night bringing strong southeasterly winds and heavy precipitation to much of the south coast. The storm will be accompanied by freezing levels of 1100 to 1500 m (3,600 to 5,000 feet) which means precipitation will fall as heavy snow in the mountains. As the cold front passes, winds will shift to strong and gusty westerlies or southwesterlies Wednesday morning.”
Forecasters with the National Weather Service, while discussing the forecast for all of western Washington, note “wind gusts exceeding 45 mph for portions of Whatcom County and the North Coast” were possible according to at least one computer forecast model. Regarding the expected precipitation, “Current forecast has snow levels generally between 4000-4500 feet on Wednesday, dropping to around 3000 feet by Thursday morning. Latest forecast calls for 12-18 inches of new snow possible at Mount Baker by Thursday morning.”
Temperatures across Whatcom County can be expected to drop into the 30s by early Friday during a relatively cloudless night. Temperatures in the low-30s in the foothills to high-30s closer to the water are currently forecast. Warming is expected to replace these low temperatures by more seasonal temperatures later in the morning.
Whatcom News readers are encouraged to stay up to date with the current weather forecast for their specific locations via the Whatcom News Weather page.
THANK YOU for the warning. Didn’t see this on AM news from Seattle. The ground is wet enough already with recent rains but I mowed just now anyway otherwise, by the next time it dries after this next storm, the grass will be even taller – as usual with spring growth.