Winter storm in Tacoma-area could bring snow or rain. Here’s what forecasters say
A winter storm was headed for the Tacoma area Monday night and into Tuesday that forecasters say will bring snowfall and rain, making for potentially difficult road conditions in the South Sound.
The most significant snow is expected Tuesday before 4 p.m., but according to the National Weather Service’s Seattle office, there’s a lot of uncertainty about exactly where it will fall and how much will accumulate. A winter storm watch was in effect in Pierce County from 7 p.m. Monday to 7 p.m. Tuesday.
“Tacoma’s kind of in the tricky spot because we do expect some warm air to push northward from south to north,” forecaster Jacob DeFlitch said. “So there’s likely going to be a gradient there. It could be toward Olympia. It could be toward SeaTac, or it could be over Tacoma where we’ll see a change over to rain. ”
DeFlitch predicted that the Tacoma area could get 2-4 inches of snow, depending on how much of the precipitation ends up as rain. He said the cold temperatures the region has been experiencing will make it easy for snow to stick to roads, with the greatest impact during the day Tuesday.
Heavier snow is expected in the Cascade mountain passes, especially Stevens and Snoqualmie passes, according to the NWS. It advised that travel delays are possible Tuesday across all of the Cascade passes. Steady snow is predicted to transition to rain showers going into Wednesday.
The storm will bring colder temperatures, with lows that could dip into the teens Wednesday night. The weather service warned that vulnerable populations without adequate access to heating, such as those experiencing homelessness, might be affected. The NWS also said it will be cold enough that sensitive plants might be damaged.
The weather will warm up a bit later in the week, but temperatures are expected to remain around or below freezing in Tacoma until Friday, when the high hits 38 degrees. Looking ahead to Christmas day, the NWS predicted rain with a high temperature near 49 degrees.
This story was originally published December 19, 2022 at 11:25 AM.
