UNSEASONABLY COLD AIR WILL BEGIN MOVING INTO WESTERN WASHINGTON TUESDAY NIGHT BEHIND A VIGOROUS COLD FRONT... AND IT WILL REMAIN OVER THE AREA INTO THE WEEKEND. THE ARRIVAL OF THE COLD AIR WILL BRING UP TO 7 INCHES OF SNOW AT HIGHWAY PASS LEVELS IN THE CASCADES TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. BY THURSDAY HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE LOWLANDS OF WESTERN WASHINGTON WILL CLIMB ONLY INTO THE 40S... ABOUT TEN DEGREES BELOW NORMAL... AND OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL DROP BELOW FREEZING IN MANY AREAS.
THE INITIAL COLD FRONT WILL SWING THROUGH WESTERN WASHINGTON TUESDAY ... ASSOCIATED WITH A SURFACE LOW PRESSURE CENTER MOVING FROM THE GULF OF ALASKA ACROSS BRITISH COLUMBIA. A SECOND FRONT WILL DROP THROUGH THE AREA FROM THE NORTH ON WEDNESDAY. THE SNOW LEVEL IN THE MOUNTAINS... CURRENTLY AROUND 12000 FEET... WILL FALL QUICKLY TO AROUND 2000 FEET TUESDAY NIGHT AND TO AROUND 1000 FEET LATE WEDNESDAY. WINDY CONDITIONS WILL ACCOMPANY THESE FRONTS... ADDING TO THE EFFECT OF THE COLDER AIR. A DRY OFFSHORE FLOW WILL DEVELOP BY THURSDAY... BUT THE COLD AIR WILL REMAIN OVER THE AREA INTO THE WEEKEND.
PEOPLE DRIVING INTO THE MOUNTAINS AND VENTURING INTO THE BACKCOUNTRY SHOULD PREPARE FOR THIS DRAMATIC CHANGE TO WINTER CONDITIONS MIDWEEK.
HELL YA!!
-Eric