Washington’s winter weather used to be a somewhat gloomy, but acceptable, with a few months of rain and clouds. These days, a better motto for our weather is “expect the unexpected”, that’s certainly what happened this past weekend and what we have in store for this week. Here’s a look at Washington’s big weather events of the weekend and what Seattleites can expect in the forecast this week.
Unprecedented levels of snow seem to be the new norm. The nation’s ultimate Christmas town, Leavenworth, declared a state of emergency due to unmanageable levels of snow this past weekend. In a news release distributed on January 7th, the town recorded “36” of snow in under 24 hours on January 6th, 2022” with some microclimate pockets receiving up to 48” within 48 hours.
Dashing through the snow…well, sort of! 🦌
Phil Shinnick captured these deer trying to make their way through the antler-high snow today in Leavenworth. #WAwx pic.twitter.com/hto5oIgrkZ
— Shannon O’Donnell (@ShannonODKOMO) January 10, 2022
It’s enough snow that the town has requested aid from the National Guard for assistance with “citizen welfare checks, food delivery, general snow cleanup, and private driveway snow removal.”
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In theory, these high levels of snow may seem enticing, but don’t plan any mountain trips soon because Steven’s Pass still remains closed due to large amounts of snow and ice. That being said, Snoqualmie and Blewett passes are open for now and the DOT is asking drivers to exercise extreme caution.
An example of what we’re dealing with on Stevens Pass today. We continue to be without power or cell service, and have a slab of ice 4 inches thick on the cleared lanes. We’ll need to bring in the sno cat to knock down these slides before the blower can start clearing the rest… pic.twitter.com/qSEFXfGLYh
— WSDOT East (@WSDOT_East) January 9, 2022
Snoqualmie and Blewett passes are now open. White Pass is on track to reopen Monday afternoon. Stevens Pass will likely not open before Wednesday. Please. …PLEASE. …please, oh please. Did I say please? Please be safe and cautious. https://t.co/OZo2HsZpuu
— Washington State DOT (@wsdot) January 10, 2022
While Seattle saw plenty of sun on Sunday, the first week of January was pretty wet. Wet enough to record one of the wettest first weeks of January in 78 years.
Top 5 wettest first week of January in 78 years of records in Seattle.
1. 5.07″ (2007)
2. 4.95″ (2009)
3. 4.75″ (1956)
4. 4.32″ (1983)
5. 4.21″ (2022)**The 4.21″ is 11% of the yearly normal of 39.34″. #wawx
— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) January 8, 2022
What did that do in the city? It actually caused a few landslides, most notably taking out a larger home on Magnolia’s Perkins Lane.
Visit the Fireline Blog for an update on today’s landslide and partial home collapse in the Magnolia neighborhood: https://t.co/qoYoUcUHyQ
We appreciate our partners at @seattlePD, @seacitylight, @seattleSPU and @seattleSDCI for our collaborative incident response. pic.twitter.com/snzj6KkXds
— Seattle Fire Dept. (@SeattleFire) January 8, 2022
Here’s another one near Sea-Tac.
Wicked landslide near 3 tree point, west of SeaTac, WA #wawx #landslide pic.twitter.com/SLXGJhF1af
— Michael Snyder (@SeattleWXGuy) January 8, 2022
NWS’s 5 day forecast for Western Washington doesn’t look much more promising. The forecast is relatively normal other than heavy levels of rain on Tuesday & Wednesday. Psst all that rain does include more landslide risks as well as flooding.
Well today was nice. A front will move through tomorrow. But the big weather maker of the week will be Tue-Wed. Heavy rainfall is expected. Rivers will rise & some are expected to flood. Landslide risk will once again increase. Make sure to stay up to date on the forecast.#wawx pic.twitter.com/YBjepSJdXI
— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) January 10, 2022
The third week of January is trending toward above average temperatures and below normal precipitation…
🧐 🤯#wawx pic.twitter.com/3qgSCz1dpJ
— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) January 8, 2022
Now we don’t want to leave you with a negative outlook on a Monday, so rejoice knowing that Friday is supposed to be pretty dry. Not only that, but the longer term forecast looks warmer and drier than usual. Have a great week, and if you capture any unusual weather pics be sure to tag us in them!
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