It’s going to get colder, and lowland snow remains a possibility in Whatcom
Snow remains in the forecast this weekend across lowland Whatcom County, likely in the form of flurries, but no major accumulations are expected around Bellingham, according to forecasts from the National Weather Service in Seattle.
There’s a greater chance of snow in the northern Whatcom County lowlands closer to the U.S.-Canada border, according to Environment Canada.
With temperatures likely to hover around freezing into next week in Western Washington, additional lowland snow remains a possibility.
But that’s still several days away, and forecasts could change, meteorologists said.
“Things turn more interesting into the weekend as an arctic air mass begins to dive southward across western Canada,” said meteorologist Trent Davis in the online forecast discussion Thursday, Dec. 15.
Unseasonably cold weather will linger into the new year, with daytime highs next week in the 30s and overnight lows in the 20s and possibly colder, according to the forecast.
Because of the cold, overnight shelters are open in Bellingham and Ferndale, and volunteers are needed at both locations. Contact Road2Home in Bellingham and Ferndale Community Services in Ferndale to help with staffing and other tasks.
“There is still some uncertainty in how far south the developing modified arctic cold front dives,” Davis said.
“The first round of precipitation will quickly dive southward ahead of the modified arctic front Sunday (Dec. 18), bringing lowland rain and mountain snow,” Davis said.
Snow levels drop below 500 feet over Whatcom and Skagit counties, but will remain between 1,000 and 1,500 feet farther south into the Seattle area.
Davis said the period to keep an eye on is Tuesday and Tuesday night, Dec. 20, and Wednesday night, Dec. 21, through Thursday night, Dec. 22, when temperatures could warm enough to allow rain or a rain-snow mix.
“This will need to be closely monitored in future forecasts,” Davis said.
There’s still good news for those who are dreaming of the archetypal white Christmas
“While it is still too early to discuss exact snowfall amounts, there is the potential for several accumulating snowfalls, totaling up to a few inches even into the Seattle-Tacoma metro by Thursday,” Davis said.
Meanwhile, Environment Canada is showing snow and flurries for Abbotsford, B.C., just north of Lynden and Sumas, from Sunday through Wednesday.
