It’s wanting more and more possible {that a} important freezing rain occasion will happen through the subsequent day.
Freezing rain could make driving harmful and end in intensive energy outages.
As described in my earlier weblog, freezing rain happens when temperatures heat above freezing aloft however sub-freezing air stays close to the floor. Raindrops fall into the sub-freezing air and might supercool to below-freezing, but stay liquid. Such droplets can freeze on contact on a chilly floor.
The Present Scenario
Temperatures are nicely beneath freezing all through the area, as proven by the map beneath of two PM temperatures.
A heat entrance is approaching the coast, accompanied by precipitation, as picked up by the Langley Hill Radar close to the coast (see radar picture). Clouds from the approaching system have already began to unfold over the western aspect of the area and precipitation has now reached the WA southwest coast.
Precipitation will begin as snow, then sleet, then freezing rain, and at last rain.
Let me present you some forecast graphics of the occasion (simply produced by meteorologist Dave Ovens) from the UW high-resolution modeling system.
First, western Washington.
At 10 PM tonight, a lot of the inland space will see snow (blue), however freezing rain (yellow) can be shifting into the coast.
By 4 AM, freezing rain will cowl a lot of the western Washington lowlands, whereas snow can be occurring over the Cascades and japanese Washington.
And by 7 AM tomorrow, the freezing rain can be ending, with rain shifting into the area.
Even larger potential for freezing rain exists within the Columbia Gorge and to ots west over the northern Willamette Valley. Why? As a result of there can be a bountiful provide of subfreezing air shifting westward within the Gorge.
Beneath is the forecast of amassed freezing rain by the NOAA HRRR modeling system by means of 8 AM tomorrow. A number of freezing rain in Seattle south and within the Willamette Valley.
However whereas the freezing rain is over for western WA by tomorrow morning, it continues within the Columbia Gorge and Willamette Valley, with large quantities of icing. And freezing rain will proceed within the WA Cascades. Not good.
By Saturday heat, moist air will flood the area, and this chilly/icy/snowy episode can be over the western aspect of the area.
