Will Tacoma and Olympia get snow next week? One meteorologist thinks there’s a chance
It’s been a quiet winter for western Washington on the snow front, with not even a tenth of an inch falling in Puget Sound’s lowland areas so far this season.
But there’s a glimmer of hope on the horizon for snow lovers, with some weather models hinting at the chance of snow late next week.
But it’s an extremely slim chance — about 10%, according to Harrison Rademacher, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle.
“So it’s something we’re monitoring right now; we don’t have a good idea yet for any potential for wintry mix in the lowland area,” Rademacher told McClatchy. “So it looks like it’s a low chance right now. But most likely, it would be rain for our region.”
If snow were to fall in the Tacoma or Olympia areas, it would start next Wednesday and continue into Thursday. The Weather Service typically only forecasts up to a week out, meaning a clearer picture of the weather event will be available as we get closer.
How cold will the south Puget Sound get?
Rademacher is sure of one thing: temperatures in south Puget Sound will continue to drop through the weekend and into next week.
A first weather system will move through the area this weekend, but with low temperatures in the mid-30s, any precipitation will fall as rain. Rademacher said the Weather Service expects about half an inch of rain to fall this weekend, primarily on Friday night into Saturday.
Temperatures will continue to drop, and by late next week, the low temperatures will likely be around or just below freezing, according to Rademacher. Below-freezing temperatures will allow precipitation to fall as snow, but the main concern for Washingtonians should be a wintry mix and slick roads.
“If we have something that’s borderline freezing, we could see a little bit of wintry mix, but it’s too early to tell at this point,” Rademacher said. “It’s going to probably take a little bit more time just to narrow in on the temperatures we’re expecting as well as the precipitation, but (slick roads) could be another factor to consider.”
If snow won’t fall in the lowlands, it certainly will in the mountains. Washington’s mountain ranges have also endured a below-average winter, with the Cascades and Olympic Mountains ranging from only 20% to 71% of their average snowfall by Jan. 1.
But with the two systems moving through western Washington this week, Rademacher said about 8-12 inches will fall in the Olympics and 6-8 inches in the Cascades.
This story was originally published January 4, 2024 at 11:12 AM.
