A major, and early, blast of Arctic air will move into the Pacific Northwest during the next few days.
Snow will move into the Cascades and large areas to the east. In a few locations east of the Rockies temperatures will drop into the single digits.
Let me illustrate this frigid turn of affairs by showing you the predicted surface air temperatures over the next week.
I warn you….you will be thinking about a nice cup of hot chocolate before you read very far.
The situation at 5 AM Sunday, shows really cold air (white and purple colors) up in the Arctic, where it belongs. Temperatures have been steadily cooling over northern Canada and Alaska during the past month.
But by Tuesday morning, the cold air will surge southward into British Columbia and Alberta.
And Thursday morning, Arctic air will spread over the entire Northwest, except for most of western Washington and Oregon. The chilly exception is Bellingham and its vicinity.
And that cold air will remain in place at least through Saturday morning (see below).
Northwest Washington including Bellingham and San Juan Island will be hit by this Arctic Express as cold air surges southwestward through the Fraser River Valley. Below are the forecast winds for 2 AM Wednesday. Gusts to 40-50 kts, with temperatures in the 30s! Wow. This is going to be quite the cold shock.
Temperatures in Montana and North Dakota will be particularly impressive with lows at Minot, ND dropping to around 12F and temperatures never getting above freezing. Some Montana locations will cool below 10F.
Let’s be clear, the cold hitting the region will be dangerous for homeless individuals, who will not be prepared for the temperatures. And you should never forget that cold temperatures kill far more individuals than heat waves. You won’t hear about this in the media, but it is absolutely true.
Some moisture will accompany the approaching Arctic air, with significant early snow as a result. Below is the forecast snow total through 11 AM Thursday. Plenty in the Cascades. Northern Idaho and Montana will get a light blanket of the white stuff.
In short, get ready for a substantial, if not shocking, change in the weather. The Arctic is coming to us in the Northwest.
