Pinpoint Alert Day: Powerful storm Tuesday could bring damaging wind to parts of Western Washington 

SEATTLE — The snow will continue at times into Sunday night in the Cascades with a Winter Storm Warning issued through 10 a.m. Monday. Another 6-12 inches of snow is likely with the lowest amounts near Snoqualmie Pass and higher amounts likely near Stevens Pass.

However, the snow totals are going to be maximized in west-east bands of snow so the highest amounts will be under where those bands set up for a while.

Travelers need to be prepared to head into the passes.

Gusty winds overnight Saturday subsided, but some passing downpours will remain in the forecast through Sunday night in the lowlands. There is also the possibility of an isolated thunderstorm this Sunday and evening, especially near the coast and Olympic Peninsula.

Monday, we get a bit of a break from the rain chances though some spotty showers will remain out there of rain in the lowlands and snow in the mountains. This will go for Monday night and Tuesday morning as well.

Snow levels could get as low as 1,000 feet on Monday night and Tuesday morning so there could be some snow mixed with rain in any showers in the foothills. Significant accumulation is not expected.

TUESDAY WIND EVENT: A very powerful low-pressure area will be well offshore Western Washington on Tuesday. While the strongest winds (80-90mph+) will remain off our coast, a great pressure difference between high pressure onshore and the very low pressure offshore will induce some powerful winds blowing west out of the Cascades, starting late Tuesday morning and accelerating through the afternoon into early evening hours.

These Cascade gap winds affect areas near the Cascade passes most and locations downwind. Places like North Bend, Enumclaw, Buckley, Black Diamond, and Monroe and Sultan are particularly susceptible to these strong winds.

Wind gusts in these Cascade foothill locations could be in the 50-65 mph range Tuesday afternoon and Tuesday night. These wind values are high enough to produce substantial tree damage and power outages throughout the affected areas.

High winds will also be expected on the Pacific coast with winds in the 50-60mph range along the beaches and nearby areas.

Elsewhere, there will be pockets of wind where gusts will exceed 40mph late Tuesday afternoon or Tuesday evening at the peak of the wind event. These winds will be most likely in spots like South King County from Newcastle to Seatac, portions of Thurston and inland Pierce County, and along US-2 to Everett. There could be some minor damage and power outages in these areas. For the rest of the area, it will be breezy in spots.

More will follow as the event approaches. But given the high likelihood for strong, damaging winds in parts of Western Washington on Tuesday, a Pinpoint Alert Day has been called for Tuesday.

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