More frigid temperatures, snow on the way for Western Washington

The cold temperatures Western Washington experienced over the weekend are expected to linger for the next few days, and more lowland snow is possible through the end of the week.

“Unseasonably cold temperatures will continue this week with a threat of lowland snow at times,” the National Weather Service in Seattle said in its Monday forecast discussion. “The best chance for area-wide snow accumulations looks to be on Thursday. The lowland snow threat should finally end on Sunday as a somewhat warmer pacific frontal system arrives.”

Meteorologists expect Monday to be the coldest day of the week, with daytime temperatures in the mid-to-low 20s and overnight temperatures in the teens. It will warm up as the week goes on, but not by much.

Temperatures will jump to the low 30s Tuesday, then back down to the high 20s on Wednesday. Thursday will be the warmest day of the week, with daytime temperatures in the 40s. But that will be short-lived, as temperatures are expected to drop back into the 30s Friday.

The unseasonably cold weather is due to a low pressure system and upper level trough moving into the region from Canada. Record low temperatures for the day were recorded Sunday.

Seattle saw a low of 20 degrees, breaking the 1948 record of 22 degrees. In Bellingham, it was 9 degrees, breaking the 1971 record of 12 degrees. It was 19 degrees in Quillayute in Clallam County, where the previous record was set in 1978 at 23 degrees. Hoquiam saw a low of 25 degrees, breaking the 1954 record of 26 degrees.

The weather service expects light snow flurries early in the week, but the agency says it likely won’t build up the ground. However, more snow and accumulation are possible on Thursday and Friday, when another cold weather system moves into the region.

Western Washington was blanketed in snow by Monday morning. Parts of Seattle saw more than 6 inches. To the south, Federal Way saw close to 10 inches. To the north, parts of Whatcom County saw as much as 20 inches.

The weather service said communities along the coast and Southwest Interior might see an inch of snow through Wednesday, with little to no accumulation expected for the interior north of Tacoma. However, much of the area could see between 1 and 3 inches of snow with accumulation possible beginning Thursday and ending early Friday.

The nasty cold spell is expected to end Sunday, when a warmer Pacific frontal system arrives. The weather service expects snow to start to clear up then, and temperatures to climb back into the normal range for this time of year.