It snowed in Whatcom County last Christmas. What about this year?
Chances of a white Christmas in Western Washington and lowland Whatcom County usually hover around 10% or less, according to data from the National Weather Service.
“Historically speaking, it’s pretty low,” said Dustin Guy at the National Weather Service in Seattle.
Using the U.S. climate normals data — a 30-year average — Guy said the chance of Bellingham specifically seeing a white Christmas is 4%.
But a third straight La Niña weather pattern puts an uncertain spin on the archetypal holiday, because it usually means a colder, wetter winter in Western Washington.
That’s what Whatcom County can expect for the several weeks, Guy told The Bellingham Herald.
“We’re looking at below-normal temperatures and above-normal rain for the next three to four weeks,” he said. “(But) you have to have just the right setup for actual snow.”
Whatcom County got no snow on Dec. 25, 2020, the first year of this triple-threat La Niña.
But an inch fell on Christmas Day 2021, just enough to meet the official Nation Weather Service definition of a white Christmas.
Parts of lowland Whatcom County got as much as 4 inches of snow on Christmas, according to data from the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, a nationwide group of amateur weather observers.
On the day after Christmas last year, as Whatcom County residents dreamed of post-holiday sales, a foot or more of snow dumped on the lowlands.
Holiday forecast
Christmas Day is still a long way away in terms of weather forecasting, but meteorologist at the private Accuweather service said at their website that a cold weather pattern will send temperatures plummeting, especially across lower-elevation areas.
“This will allow a little more snow to fall in major Northwest cities, such as Seattle and Portland, Oregon. If the cold lingers, there is a chance this year that some snow may still be on the ground close to Christmas in the lower elevations as well,” Accuweather’s Allison Finch said online.
The Seattle area is one part of the country that forecasters are monitoring for a higher percentage of this year, Accuweather said.
