WeatherWatcher: Rain turns to wet snow

The driveway next to the car was clear earlier this evening on this Shoreline street.
Photo by JM

Heavy rain Sunday evening from a strong cold front turned to wet snow or rain and snow mixed in the area. Temperatures were more marginal than originally expected and except for Richmond Beach, we remained in the 30's. As of this writing Echo Lake station is right at 32.0°F, Richmond Beach is 33.8°F.  Proximity to Puget Sound and elevation matters in this event.

Our neighbors to the north in Snohomish County -- Mountlake Terrace, Edmonds, Lynnwood, and Everett -- are under a winter weather advisory in effect until 6am. Freeways are covered in snow in Snohomish County and there are some reports of accumulating wet snow of about an inch in Shoreline now.

Another trace to 2 inches of slushy wet snow is possible by 6am Monday morning. It won't last all day, as temperatures are expected to once again reach the upper 30's or low 40's. However, we have more threats of snow potential Monday night, Tuesday night, and all day Wednesday especially if you're above 400 feet in elevation.

A lot of uncertainty in the forecast still exists so it's too early for me to tell what accumulations, if any to expect Wednesday. In general, we are locked in a pretty healthy La Niña atmospheric pattern so I expect that the chance of lowland snow for Shoreline and Lake Forest Park areas to be more significant the next few weeks than normal.

Bottom line: Be prepared for the possibility of continued winter weather, and brief snow events even if they are not in the forecast. Long range models point to a much cooler and wetter period to continue through the month and in our region, it's always right on the margin if it'll be rain or accumulating snow. There are no deep freezes in the near forecast at this time, but I can't rule out another deep freeze or two before winter is over.

For current weather conditions visit www.shorelineweather.com