Unusual train of winter storms to keep targeting Seattle this week
Motorists in the Seattle, Washington area were hit with brutal driving conditions as a snowstorm hammered the area. Traffic was backed up due to the conditions in downtown Seattle and in Port Angeles. Drivers in Issaquah needed a push to get up the snowy hills.
After Seattle recorded its snowiest February on record during the first 10 days of the month, the unusual train of winter storms will continue this week.
The biggest snowstorm since February 2017 brought 6-10 inches to the area last Friday afternoon to Saturday morning.
With a total of 20.2 inches, this month is now the Seattle's snowiest February on record and the snowiest month overall in 50 years.
A storm on Sunday night dropped another 2 inches of snow around the city, while another 6 inches accumulated on Monday.
An elderly man was seriously injured when he was trapped under an awning that collapsed at his home near Sequim, Washington Monday morning.
A city snowplow makes its way up a residential street early in a snowstorm Friday, Feb. 8, 2019, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
A surge of slightly milder air allowed snow to change to rain in Seattle on Monday night. A rain and snow mix is likely to continue in the city through Tuesday. Over the hill tops around the city, up to a few inches of wet snow can accumulate.
Despite the heaviest snow having ended around the Seattle metro area, residents will be faced with more major disruptions to travel and daily routines as crews work to clear the snow from roads and sidewalks.
Snow will continue to target Pendleton, Oregon, and Yakima and Spokane, Washington, into Tuesday night.
Mostly rain is in store for Portland, Oregon, for Tuesday. However, in the the hilly areas around the city, and on occasion in town, snow will mix in at times.
Download the free AccuWeather app to know the forecast for your community.
I-90’s Snoqualmie Pass in Washington remains closed due to the onslaught of snow.
Western Washington and northwestern Oregon will catch a break from the onslaught of winter storms at midweek.
However, there can be yet another snow or wintry mix event for the Seattle area if the cold remains in place when another storm arrives later this week.
A major storm will affect California from late Tuesday to Thursday. Travel may become difficult over Siskiyou Summit, Oregon, as well as Donner Summit, California.
It is not rare for snow to fall in Seattle during the winter months, but it is rare to have multiple storms bring high amounts of snow over a short period of time.
"The snowstorm spanning Friday night to Saturday morning was the second of this month in Seattle," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson. The first week of February started with 3-8 inches of snow in the Seattle area.
The city experienced their third storm on Sunday night and fourth on Monday.
"I do not remember a pattern like this," Anderson stated.
Typically, Seattle receives two to three snow events a year, or about 7 inches of snow annually. However, this can vary from little or no snow in some years to more than a foot in snowier winters.
Few things reflect the power of nature and weather like avalanches. This week host, Regina Miller talks to Mark Staples, director of the Utah Avalanche Center, and Dan Burnett, Group Mission coordinator for the Summit County Rescue Group in Breckenridge, Colorado. They discuss recent deaths on the slopes, the weather situations that can contribute to an avalanche, the dangers of human interaction, and how best to survive.
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