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Whatcom County could get spring snowfall heading into weekend

ZOE FRALEY; THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
Published: March 20, 2013 at 5:02 p.m. PDT — Updated: March 20, 2013 at 5:52 p.m. PDT
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Jennifer Rienstra, of Lynden, flies a kite she and her friends bought at Rite Aid so they could enjoy the windy afternoon Wednesday, March 20, 2013, at Cornwall Park in Bellingham. (COLIN DILTZ/THE BELLINGHAM HERALD)

Spring got off to a rough start Wednesday, March 20, with gusting winds, heavy rain and possible snow showers on the horizon.

Wednesday was wet and windy, with gusts as strong as 43 mph and sustained winds in the low to mid-20s, as measured at Bellingham International Airport.

The snow level was expected to drop to 500 feet or below early Thursday morning, though snow showers were expected to be spotty throughout the county, National Weather Service meteorologist Andy Haner said.

"There are going to be plenty of places that get nothing," Haner said. "If a band of showers sits over the same place for an hour or two, you could get two inches."

If snow does fall, it likely won't stick around for too long, especially during the day Thursday and Friday, as highs in the mid-40s are expected. Lowland snow is unlikely to last into the weekend, as daytime highs are expected to be in the mid- to high 40s Saturday and Sunday.

That's still colder than normal for this time of year; normal highs are in the low to mid-50s. Bellingham could set a cold-weather record Saturday. Friday morning's low is forecast at 32 degrees, with a low of 30 degrees expected for Saturday morning. The record for Saturday is 28 degrees, Haner said.

Temperatures are expected to start creeping back up on Monday.

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