Sorry to ruin your Monday, Bellingham. Be ready for a snow-filled commute
A storm sweeping across Washington state to start the week will bring heavy snow to the mountains and lesser amounts down to sea level in Whatcom County, forecasters with the National Weather Service in Seattle said.
Cold air will funnel south from British Columbia and snow levels by early Monday morning will drop close to sea level.
“This will allow for the potential of snow or rain/snow mix into the lowlands. At this time, guidance suggests the area near Snohomish/Skagit counties as a favored area for convergence Sunday night into Monday morning, leading to perhaps light snowfall accumulations on grassy or elevated surfaces, with a similar outcome for the Cascades foothills. meteorologist Jacob DeFlitch said online.
Breezy west winds are expected late Sunday, with gusts from 40-45 mph and possibly localized power outages.
Any snow accumulation Monday morning will likely melt by afternoon as temperatures rise into the low to mid-40s.
But a similar scenario is possible Monday night into Tuesday and up to 2 inches of snow is possible in the lowlands through Tuesday, the National Weather Service said in an online briefing. There’s a small chance of 4 inches or more of snow in the lowlands.
“The threat for a rain/snow mix may exist again during this period, although (forecast) amounts are generally lighter Monday night into early Tuesday,” DeFlitch said.
This week’s cold snap is expected to last through the weekend, with daytime highs about 5 degrees colder than the normal high of 50 degrees for late February in Bellingham. Overnight lows are expected in the low 30s.
This story was originally published February 24, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
