Here’s the holiday forecast for Bellingham and the mountain passes

What’s been a mostly mild November is about to show its nasty side, just in time for Thanksgiving Day.

Rain and wind are forecast for the lowlands of Whatcom County, and snow is likely in the Cascades passes, said Jeff Michalski, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Seattle.

“If you’re going to use Highway 2 or Stevens Pass, there’s a problem there,” Michalski said. “For Highway 20, there probably isn’t enough snowpack there to cause concern. But for snow levels this low, we’re talking about all the passes.”

Michalski said the first in a series of storm systems arrives Wednesday and wet weather continues into next week.

A slight break is expected Saturday, with partly sunny skies and only a chance of rain.

He said the storm’s intensity is difficult to predict more than a few days ahead, so travelers should keep an eye on the forecast.

Snow levels will drop to about 3,500 to 3,000 feet.

“It’s not looking too heavy, but we could have some with an advisory, which means 6 to 11 inches,” he said. “These systems are moving pretty fast.”

In the lowlands of Whatcom County, the greatest concern could be wind, Michalski said.

Even though rain dominates the forecast, he said, it’s unlikely to cause any flooding along the Nooksack River.

But winds could reach 20-30 mph with higher gusts on Wednesday and Thursday — enough to cause scattered power outages, he said.

Michalski advised travelers heading over the passes to carry extra warm clothing, blankets or sleeping bags, food and water.

Weather, travel information

▪ Check the current Bellingham weather forecast.

▪ Check road conditions in the mountain passes.

▪ Check general traffic conditions.

▪ Make ferry reservations, which are recommended.

▪ Check status of flights at Bellingham International Airport.

▪ Check status of SEA-TAC flights or use the SEA-TAC smartphone app.

This story was originally published November 21, 2018 at 5:00 AM.