As expected, a heavy downpour of freezing rain hit western Washington. In fact, this is probably the heaviest freezing rain in western Washington since December 1996.
With a thin layer of ice, even walking is a challenge, the roads are dangerous, the SeaTac runway is closed, bus service in the area is canceled and some major highway sections are closed. gates (such as I-90 west of 405). Good advice: stay home until 1pm.
Courtesy of WSDOT
Courtesy of KOMO TV.
The main front strip is currently moving outward, but there are showers behind it, as evident on the latest radar image. That means some sporadic freezing rain over the next few hours, as low temperatures remain below freezing for most areas except the coast.
When will we thaw? Noon to 4pm today for most lowland residents, so there’s still a few hours left of this frosty mess….so please don’t travel if you can avoid it. Okay.
Below are surface air temperature projections from the latest NOAA HRRR model predictions (pink and red below freezing, with white near freezing)
10am: Still problematic for most people, but improving on the coast and North West of Western Australia.
Transition at 1pm, excluding passes and east WA. It’s still cold and icy in the Columbia Gorge and the Willamette Valley north.
By 4 p.m., the west coast had thawed except near Columbia Gorge
The event will take place throughout the day near and downstream of the Columbia Gorge as it provides a conduit for cold air from the est.
