Well, we talked about things getting interesting and sure enough they are. It was chilly early Wednesday morning with freezing in the outlying areas and 33 to 34 degrees along the Columbia River. We saw some welcome sunshine Wednesday but it was chilly with afternoon temperatures running in the low 40s. I had a few reports of a rain/snow mix in the foothills and some ice-pellet showers late afternoon.
The overnight lows were about average but the high of 45 degrees Wednesday was nearly 10 degrees below average; imagine if you can our high struggling to make 40 degrees on Friday. Yes, it is still winter so no surprise there, but we can complain about it anyway. We continue a chance of showers of rain or snow or a mix through Friday night. Some areas could see a brief whitening of the ground Friday as a compact low-pressure system slides down the British Columbia coast.
Snow levels will remain low through the end of the month, which means any precipitation in the ski areas will be really nice powder. There is a good chance the southern coast and southwest interior Washington get accumulation snow early Friday.
Wednesday there were some heavy showers along the southern Washington Coast that contained wet snow and ice pellets, otherwise a nice sunny afternoon there. A special weather statement was issued Wednesday by the National Weather Service for colder weather and low snow levels. So factor that in your plans if you have intentions of traveling over 1,000 feet. You will encounter snow- or ice-covered roadways at times.
