The National Weather Service says we should receive 1-3 more inches of snow before it warms up and most likely turns to rain later Monday afternoon, Feb. 11:
“Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches expected. Precipitation will turn to rain late in the afternoon. Snowfall accumulations may be heavier in the Seattle Metro Area and extend into the evening hours if the warm air moving in from the south arrives slower than expected.”
UW Meteorologist Cliff Mass says:
“This is a very difficult forecast. In fact, one of my colleagues at the National Weather Service (Jay Albrecht, an excellent and experienced forecaster) called it the hardest forecast he has had to do in 32 years. Snow forecasting is hard. One with an active transition from snow to rain is very hard.
“And we are dealing with the achilles heel of many of our forecast models: they tend to mix out low-level cold air too quickly. So as good as the models are now, forecasters like myself need to make some manual correction for this situation.
“Keeping this model issue in mind, here is the predicted 24h snowfall ending 4 AM Tuesday. One is struck by the huge amounts in the mountains, particularly in the central and southern Cascades. Substantial amounts over NW Washington (4-8 inches) since the cold air should hold in there longest. And around a half inch to a few inches for central Puget Sound.
Also, looks like this month will go down in history as the greatest February monthly snowfall on record – 14.1 inches.
“You can tell your grandchildren about it,” Mass added.
Here’s the Weather Service’s Winter Weather Advisory:
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE…UPDATED
National Weather Service Seattle WA
912 AM PST Mon Feb 11 2019
WAZ509-511-556-558-559-120115-
/O.CON.KSEW.WW.Y.0016.190211T1900Z-190212T0200Z/
Tacoma Area-Hood Canal Area-Bellevue and Vicinity-
Seattle and Vicinity-Bremerton and Vicinity-
including Tacoma, Fife, DuPont, Puyallup, Shelton, Seabeck,
Belfair, Brinnon, Bellevue, Bothell, Kenmore, Clearview,
Kirkland, Newcastle, Redmond, Sammamish, Issaquah, Seattle,
White Center, Tukwila, Renton, Burien, Des Moines, Kent,
Federal Way, Bremerton, Poulsbo, and Indianola
912 AM PST Mon Feb 11 2019
…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM PST THIS
EVENING…
* WHAT…Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 1 to 3
inches expected. Precipitation will turn to rain late in the
afternoon. Snowfall accumulations may be heavier in the
Seattle Metro Area and extend into the evening hours if the
warm air moving in from the south arrives slower than expected.
* WHERE…Portions of northwest and west central Washington.
* WHEN…From 11 AM this morning to 6 PM PST this evening.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…Travel could be difficult.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A Winter Weather Advisory for snow means periods of snow will
cause primarily travel difficulties. Expect snow covered roads
and limited visibilities, and use caution while driving.
For the latest road conditions in Washington state, call 5 1 1.
