According to this morning’s National Weather Service (NWS) Seattle office forecast discussion, northwestern Whatcom County is the exception as heavy rains fall across the rest of western Washington. It stated at 3:30am, “One important exception is a small pocket in the northwest part of western Whatcom County, where cold Fraser outflow winds are keeping the temperatures at or just below freezing and producing freezing rain.”
Neighbors woke up to temperatures near or at freezing. Thick ice coated and icicles dangled from every outside surface, including roads and power lines.
While NWS forecasters remain confident air temperatures will rise during the morning hours and freezing rain will transition to simply rain, they extended the Winter Storm Warning to 10am. This was due to the “occasional freezing rain likely during the morning commute.”
According to the Winter Storm Warning, “Local freezing rain will continue this morning with additional ice accumulations up to a tenth inch possible.”
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Click for more informationOnce warmer temperatures arrive, thawed frozen precipitation will create a new hazard. Surface and local creek flooding is being forecast in an Areal Flood Warning. This warning is more pessimistic about when the warming will occur, point to the afternoon. “Temperatures will warm up rapidly this afternoon into the evening hours. This combined with up to an inch of rain and the significant snow on the ground will cause some flooding.”
The video above was taken about 6:45am. Caption read, “Slater Rd Eastbound to Silver Reef Casino and left on Imhoff Rd. Icy! Drifts are still here.”
Click here for list of Ferndale school and business closures due to weather and road conditions.