A white Christmas might be in Santa’s bag. First the Grinch will bring stormy weather
Santa is bringing more than just presents from the North Pole on Friday night. It’s looking good for a white Christmas in Puget Sound.
First, we’ll have to deal with wind, rain and possible flooding beginning Wednesday.
The warm atmospheric river from Hawaii has been turned off and in its place is a whole lot of winter coming from Arctic regions. And it’s just going to keep getting chillier well into next week, the National Weather Service said Tuesday.
The NWS is forecasting an 85 percent chance that more than one inch of snow will fall in Olympia and Tacoma beginning Friday night. Lows will drop to the upper 20s by Sunday morning, said NWS meteorologist Logan Johnson.
Dec. 21 is the shortest day of the year and winter was wasting no time in arriving early. Snow fell in relatively low areas Monday, including along state Route 8 west of Olympia.
Mountain snow is a given through the rest of the week. Cascade passes could see up to a foot of snow by Thursday morning. Drivers should pay attention to road conditions and carry chains.
Lowland snow could last through Monday. Wind could decrease visibility and increase driving hazards.
The windy conditions will begin Tuesday night with gusts up to 35 miles per hour at Westport and up to 25 miles per hour in Tacoma and Olympia into Wednesday.
Flooding is possible along rivers and coastlines, including Puget Sound. High tides mixed with winds will combine to raise sea levels along harbors and river mouths.
Lowland residents should prepare for much colder than normal temperatures next week. Bitterly cold weather from Siberia is first hitting British Columbia before crossing the border into Washington, according to Accuweather. Lows could be 15-30 degrees below normal.
“You’re going to see highs in the low 30s,” Johnson said. “Lows will be in the mid 20s and teens in outer lying areas.“
Cold temperatures could adversely affect people living outdoors, pets and sensitive plants. Homeowners should turn off any unused outdoor or exposed plumbing or prepare it for prolonged freezing temperatures.
This story was originally published December 21, 2021 at 12:20 PM.
