Several Chances For Lowland Snow Headed For The Seattle Area: Forecast

SEATTLE — A push of arctic air could grace the Seattle region with snow more than once in the days ahead, with the first chance likely to arrive Sunday evening. As with earlier forecasts, specifics on snow totals are still elusive and will depend heavily on the timing of precipitation and how fast the cold front moves through the area.

According to the National Weather Service, colder air will begin filtering into Puget Sound on Sunday, and forecasters expect a rain/snow mix will transition to snow showers Sunday night. There may also be a small preview late Saturday.

The coldest temperatures are likely to be in place Monday through Wednesday, which may coincide with multiple weather systems that pack a threat of more lowland snow. A good shot for meaningful snow around Seattle could arrive on Monday night, when the latest forecasts show 1 to 2 inches possible.

More chances may follow, and some models show several inches for Seattle and Tacoma on Tuesday.

"The latest trends continue to highlight the uncertainty in the long term forecast, especially Tuesday into Thursday," NWS Seattle wrote Friday. "Compared to previous model runs, this disturbance Tuesday seems to be tracking faster, which can definitely help with lowland snow potential. Precipitation guidance has shifted away with a 50-50 split in snow vs. rain, and has trended more towards a 70-30 split throughout the interior, favoring the precipitation type more as snow than rain."

Forecasters are also keeping an eye on a potential warming trend late in the week, which could mean heavy rain falling on earlier snow, which may present flood concerns.