Change in the weather: Widespread lowland rain this week with heavy mountain snow

We are in for a big change this week starting Tuesday.

A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for the Cascade passes and Olympics from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon.

• Expect heavy snow, up to 15 inches possible for the Cascades.
  
• Up to 11 inches for the Olympics.
  
• 1 to 6 inches below 3,000 feet.
  
• Heavy rain in the lowlands is expected at times.
  

Travel could be difficult over mountain passes and high-elevation roadways. Take your time and be extra cautious if you’re heading through these areas.

Monday’s high temp: 57 degrees.

Overnight lows will range anywhere between the mid-40s to near 50 degrees.

Snow levels look to drop to around 3,000 feet Monday night. This is just the beginning of the winter weather event we’ll be experiencing Tuesday and Wednesday. Snow levels are expected to be anywhere between 2,500 to 3000 feet during the day on Tuesday and falling to as low as 1,500 feet (near the Mt Baker ski area).

The widespread lowland rain along with mountain snow is the reason for a Winter Storm Watch that will go into effect for locations above 3,000 feet Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday afternoon.

The Seattle area can see up to .75 inch of rain and some areas like Bellingham can see a little over 1.50 inches.

The cloudy/rainy weather will continue this week, we’ll start to dry out by Friday with a better chance of some sun breaks throughout the day and into the weekend. The overnight lows will drop into the mid to upper 30s Wednesday and that trend will continue into the weekend. The area’s first freeze is possible on Sunday.

Hope you’re bundled up!

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