Another stretch of wintry weather part of a freaky mid-March forecast for Bellingham
Bellingham and parts of western Whatcom County got a taste of winter Thursday afternoon — barely a week before spring arrives.
A thunderstorm breezed through from the southwest about 4 p.m., sending flashes of lightning and the boom of thunder across skies that darkened like early evening.
Thunder was followed by intense pea-sized hail and large, fluffy snowflakes in Sudden Valley, with an elevation of about 500 feet. Hail was also reported in Bellingham and Ferndale.
A half-hour later, a patch of blue sky sent sunlight shining down as temperatures hovered around 40 degrees.
Forecasters at the National Weather Service in Seattle said that the weather could provide a freaky Friday, with a chance of rain and snow before 11 a.m., clearing to a partly sunny afternoon with a high near 50.
“The main concerns continue to be brief heavy downpours, small hail and isolated lightning. These showers will continue into Thursday evening then gradually taper off through Friday morning. Snow levels overnight will fall to 1,000 to 1,500 feet, which could result in an occasional rain-snow mix on some of the higher hills,” the National Weather Service said.
Little or no snow accumulation is expected.
This story was originally published March 13, 2025 at 5:01 PM.
