Spring may begin on Wednesday, March 20, but that doesn't mean the weather is going to be nice.
Wind, rain and snow are in the forecast for Whatcom County for the first days of spring, according to the National Weather Service.
The snow level is forecasted to drop to 500 feet or lower early Thursday morning, and even places below 500 feet could get an inch of slushy snow, NWS meteorologist Andy Haner said, though the showery nature of the precipitation makes it difficult to predict just how much snow the area might get.
Any snow that does fall likely will melt within a few hours as the temperature warms up after sunrise.
Before the snow, Whatcom County is set to get hit by heavy rains and winds, forecasted to start Tuesday night. Some parts of Whatcom County could get as much as 2 inches of rain overnight and into Wednesday morning. While that may cause some small street flooding issues, the rivers aren't expected to flood because the low temperatures will keep mountain snow from melting, Haner said.
A wind advisory is in effect through 11 a.m. Wednesday, with a high wind watch lasting through Wednesday evening. Southeast winds from 15 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph are expected through Wednesday morning. The afternoon and evening will bring southwest and west winds from 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 60. Winds are expected to be strongest near the water, tapering off further inland, Haner said.
Winds that strong could bring down trees and cause power outages.
Reach Zoe Fraley at 360-756-2803 or zoe.fraley@bellinghamherald.com. Read her school days blog at blogs.bellinghamherald.com/schools or follow her on Twitter at @bhamschools.
