Rain, Winds, Mountain Snow Incoming: Washington Weather Outlook

SEATTLE — Tuesday's forecast is looking relatively calm after an exciting start to the week, and you'll want to appreciate that calm, because after Tuesday it's time for another bout of blustery winter weather.

Monday started the week off on weird footing: forecasters had predicted that a mix of rain and snow would be possible, but northwestern Washington actually got a solid chunk of snow, more than 3 inches in some parts of Whatcom County.

Snow on I-5 even had forecasters warning drivers to take it slow from Bellingham to Blaine.

Here in Puget Sound, however, weather was relatively normal, with a smattering of scattered showers. The same will be true for Tuesday, which is expected to bring little-to-no weather activity during the day, the National Weather Service said.

However, Tuesday night another stronger, cooler system is expected to move in, and that'll shake things up significantly. Firstly, forecasters say it'll bring breezy southwesterly winds starting late Tuesday and continuing into Wednesday morning. Those winds will include gusts of up to 30 mph in Puget Sound, growing even stronger to 35 mph along the coast. Forecasters say that's strong enough that residents should prepare for the possibility of power outages and falling tree limbs.

Wednesday will bring rain to the lowlands, but a significant amount of snowfall: meteorologists say anything above 1000-2000 feet is fair game for snow Wednesday afternoon, with Stevens and Snoqualmie Pass potentially receiving between 10 and 18 inches of snow. At the ground level, that rain means there's a chance the Salish Sea could rise, causing minor tidal overflow.

Thursday should be relatively uneventful but Friday will mark another system moving into the area, which should bring very heavy precipitation and the potential for even stronger winds.

"While there remains some discrepancies regarding Low track and timing as of this afternoon, once can expect a wet and active weekend ahead weatherwise," the weather service warns.

Fortunately, unlike recent weather systems, experts say there's very little chance that the heavy rains will cause flooding— but the rains and wind will likely stick around through the start of the next work week.

Here's the five-day weather outlook for the Seattle area:

• Tuesday: 47°/43° (Rain likely)
• Wednesday: 46°/38° (Rain)
• Thursday: 43°/37° (Rain)
• Friday: 44°/42° (Rain likely)
• Saturday: 46°/39° (Rain)