With much of the Seattle area already seeing some snow, it appears Mother Nature is honoring the calendar with wintry conditions — just in time for the solstice.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch for up to 7 inches of snow from 7 p.m. Monday to Tuesday evening across the lowlands of Western Washington, including King, Pierce and Snohomish counties.
“It’s still a difficult forecast,” said Kayla Mazurkiewicz, a meteorologist with the weather service, “but it looks like north of Seattle, up in the higher hills, will probably get to the top of that range.”
For the Seattle metro area and most of King County, at least 2 inches of snow are expected, with models showing that up to 4 inches total is likely, according to the weather service.
⚠️❄️🌨️ SNOW FORECAST
Snowfall probabilities have increased across the region for Tonight through Tuesday Night time frame. Light flurries through tonight, following by increasing snowfall rates Tuesday morning. Some areas may transition to rain or a rain-snow mix Tuesday. #wawx pic.twitter.com/a2lajychOA— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) December 19, 2022
Flurries overnight Sunday into Monday sprinkled lowland areas in King and Snohomish counties with at least half an inch of snow, and some areas received upward of 2 inches, according to the weather service.
Most of the moisture in the atmosphere lifted Monday morning, leaving cold, cloudy and dry conditions.
Meteorologist Dana Felton said on Monday we were “kind of in between the action.”
Nearly 7,000 Seattle City Light customers lost power Monday afternoon, primarily in the north Capitol Hill and Eastlake areas, Seattle City Light tweeted.
Temperatures were expected to drop again Monday evening. Cold air was expected to rendezvous with a weather system arriving Monday night, delivering the next chance of widespread lowland snow to the region, according to the NWS.
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Alaska Airlines thinned its flight schedule Monday, which will affect about 100 flights Tuesday. Affected travelers will be contacted and accommodated on other flights, the airline said.
State crews kept the express lanes of Interstate 5 pointing southbound all day Monday, and planned to keep them open that direction until at least 11 a.m. Tuesday. Typically, they are changed midday to point northbound between 11:15 a.m. until 11 p.m.
That decision was made because in the past, mechanisms within the gates were damaged by raising and lowering during freezing weather, said the Washington State Department of Transportation.
WSDOT is keeping the lanes open, rather than close them overnight, because all-night traffic can help prevent or melt snow accumulations on the pavement.
Sound Transit did not announce service changes as of Monday evening. The light-rail 1 Line typically operates well in snow, aided by overnight crews who run empty trains that knock ice from the overhead wires.
If you’re traveling through the Cascades, expect 6 to 8 inches of fresh powder through Tuesday, according to NWS. The weather service issued a winter storm watch from late Monday night to Tuesday night for the Cascade passes. Make sure to check travel requirement updates at wsdot.com.
Temperatures in the Seattle area will remain chilly all week, with highs hovering around freezing and lows in the teens and 20s, according to the weather service.
Temperatures: Very cold temperatures will be in place across W WA through much of the week. Expect highs generally near freezing, with lows in the teens and 20s. Below are the most likely highs & lows thru Thursday for SEA, BLI, & OLM. 4/5 #wawx pic.twitter.com/P28c2hV2VD
— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) December 19, 2022
Water on untreated surfaces will freeze and likely remain frozen through Wednesday, according to the weather service, and WSDOT crews are treating roads in to prevent black ice.
A list of King County cold weather shelter locations can be viewed on the King County Regional Homelessness Authority website, st.news/kingshelter. A list of Snohomish County cold weather shelters is at st.news/snoshelter .
Thursday brings another chance of snow before temperatures warm up over Christmas weekend, according to NWS.
“On Christmas Day, we’re just looking at rain and a high near 50,” Felton said.
Seattle Times staff reporter Mike Lindblom contributed to this report.
View more on Youtube Wet and freezing weather returns this week | FOX 13 Seattle
We’ve had spots of freezing temperatures, and spots of rainfall — now we’re getting a week of both! FOX 13 Meteorologist Abby Acone has the details.
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