An arctic frontal boundary pushed through Western Washington, bringing wintry precipitation in the form of snow and colder weather.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS SEW wrote it up.
An arctic frontal boundary pushed through Western Washington, bringing wintry precipitation in the form of snow and colder weather.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Seattle, WA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 19, 9:58 AM PST, 5 hours 2 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Seattle WA
958 AM PST Mon Dec 19 2022
.UPDATE...No significant changes to the forecast. Very active
weather continues to be expected over the next week. Another
round of potentially significant lowland snow late tonight into
Tuesday, followed by much colder temperatures Wednesday and
Thursday with another chance of wintery precipitation Thursday
afternoon into Friday morning. A transition to a warmer and wetter
pattern over the weekend.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 318 AM PST Mon Dec 19 2022/
.SYNOPSIS...Wintry precipitation and cold weather are expected as
additional weather systems are expected to impact the region
through the week, with additional snow expected Tuesday. It will
be cold through at least Thursday, with a warming trend expected
to begin on Friday in addition to a return to a more typical rainy
December pattern for the holidays.
.SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...Current precipitation is
scant per the latest radar imagery, with some ongoing snow in
southern Snohomish county. Showers are likely to decrease in
coverage and remain isolated throughout the day today for a
general lull in activity. Snow and wintry mixed precipitation that
fell on surfaces last night and into early this morning will have
likely remained frozen, so make sure to travel carefully. Give
yourself adequate time and space to get to your destination
safely. Temperatures today will be cold, with highs topping out in
the 30s.
Tuesday's shortwave disturbance still looks to be on track for
another round of snow both in the mountains and lowlands lingering
into Wednesday. Moisture still doesn't look particularly
impressive, but yet a 50 to 60 percent chance of at least 2 inches
remains likely for much of the lowlands through the day Tuesday.
Slightly higher snow accumulations are possible in western Whatcom
county. Decided to leave the Winter Storm Watch in the Cascades as
is for now to allow for the next shift to get the latest data and
make a decision on whether or now to upgrade from there.
As the shortwave low moves out of the area on Wednesday,
precipitation chances will decrease for another break in the
weather. The cold air lingers, with highs on Wednesday unlikely to
top out much higher than the low 30s. Untreated surfaces have the
potential to remain slippery throughout the week, therefore it is
advised to use extra caution while it remains cold and
temperatures struggle to get much above freezing.
.LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/...The trend of the cold air
lingering into Thursday is alive and well, with yet another day in
the 30s expected. As the arctic airmass progresses through the
country, the cold air does appear to pool more significantly east
of the Cascades. Bitterly cold temperatures are possible there. To
account for this, temperatures along the Cascade crest were
reduced for better consistency in the forecast looking west to
east across the state.
Moisture returns Thursday night into Friday. That said,
precipitation timing and typing is difficult to narrow down at
this point. If the cold air doesn't budge much at the onset of the
precipitation, it could very well start off as snow. If the cold
air is ushered out sooner, during the transition to a relatively
warmer airmass, mixed phased precipitation is certainly possible.
Right now, easterly wind is in the forecast for the Thursday night
into Friday morning timeframe, but right now doesn't appear to be
a solid case for freezing rain, particularly over the Cascades.
Temperatures over the lowlands warm up to nearly 40 degrees by
Friday, making the case for rain, increasing to the upper 40s by
the holiday weekend.
Kristell
&&
.AVIATION...Upper level trough northeast of the area with
northwesterly flow aloft. Strong surface high pressure over
British Columbia with northeast Fraser river outflow winds over
the northern portion of the area.
Scattered to broken layer near 2000 feet with overcast layer
4000-5000 feet. Light snow showers Seattle northward in the
morning reducing visibility to 3-5sm. lower layer becoming more
scattered this afternoon into the evening hours.
KSEA...Scattered to broken layer near 2000 feet with overcast layer
4000-5000 feet. Chance of light snow showers 15z-19z reducing
visibility to 3-5sm with no accumulation. North wind 4 to 8 knots.
Felton
&&
.MARINE...Strong surface high pressure over British Columbia with
lower pressure over the waters through tonight. A frontal system
will move through the area Tuesday. Weak Fraser river outflow
winds Wednesday and Wednesday night. Another frontal system will
arrive Friday.
Small craft advisory winds continuing over the Northern Inland
waters as well as the West Entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca
and the northern portion of the Inner Coastal Waters through at
least Tuesday. Small craft advisory northerly winds ending over
the East Entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca this afternoon
with small craft advisory northeast winds in the Central Strait
until Tuesday afternoon.
Possible small craft advisory winds over the Coastal Waters with
the front late in the week. Felton
&&
.HYDROLOGY...River flooding is not expected through much of the
week ahead. However, a warm up is expected to begin around
Thursday or Friday and into the weekend. This, along with a few
rounds of heavier rain and rising snow levels, may lead to rises
on many rivers over the weekend. . Temperatures begin to warm
Thursday onward. In addition, several rounds of heavier rain are
possible late next week into next weekend. River will need to be
monitored during this time period.
&&
.SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WA...Winter Storm Watch from 7 PM PST this evening through Tuesday
evening for Admiralty Inlet Area-Bellevue and Vicinity-
Bremerton and Vicinity-East Puget Sound Lowlands-Eastern
Strait of Juan de Fuca-Everett and Vicinity-Hood Canal Area-
North Coast-San Juan County-Seattle and Vicinity-Tacoma
Area-Western Skagit County-Western Strait of Juan De Fuca-
Western Whatcom County.
Wind Chill Advisory until 10 AM PST this morning for Western
Whatcom County.
Winter Storm Watch from this evening through late Tuesday night
for Olympics-West Slopes North Central Cascades and Passes-
West Slopes South Central Cascades and Passes.
PZ...Small Craft Advisory until 6 PM PST Tuesday for Coastal Waters
From Cape Flattery To James Island Out 10 Nm-West Entrance
U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca.
Small Craft Advisory until 1 PM PST Tuesday for Central U.S.
Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca.
Small Craft Advisory until 1 PM PST this afternoon for East
Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca.
Small Craft Advisory until 5 AM PST Wednesday for Northern
Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands.
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
13 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Multiple CoCoRaHS reports around Bellingham have reports of 9 to 11 inches of snowfall ending late morning of the 20th.
A twitter report has near 12 inches of snowfall South of Lake Whatcom. Another twitter report has 15 inches of snow in Semiahmoo. A spotter report (Snohomish 95) reported 10.75 inches of snow in Lynden, while Whatcom 139 spotter reported 12 inches in Bellingham. Further east near Glacier, a social media plus a spotter report confirmed 14 inches of snow.
CoCORaHS reports 3 inches of snow 2 miles north of Everett and 6 inches 6 miles south of Everett, with 4.7 of snow 2 miles NW of Arlington.
A user on twitter reported 5 inches of snow in Stanwood and Lynnwood. A user also reported 4 inches in Martha Lake and 3 inches in Marysville. Another report details 4.75 inches in Monroe.
Reports from CoCoRaHS report 2 inches of snow 2.1 miles ESE of Seattle. 0.8 inches was also reported on Mercer Island, with 2.4 inches in Redmond.
Going further east, CoCoRaHS in North Bend reported 4 inches of snow and 5.4 miles ESE of North bed, 7 inches was reported.
Twitter reports 3-4 inches of snow in Bothell, 3 inches in Kenmore, 1 inch in Bellevue, 1.5 inches in Wallingford, 1 inch in West Seattle, 1.75 inches in Golden Gardens, 1.5 inches in Woodinville, and 2.25 inches in Bitter Lake.
CoCoRaHS reports 10.5 inches of snow 3 mils North of Anacortes. Another report from CoCORaHS lists 6.3 inches of snow 3.4 miles W of Mount Vernon, and 6.7 inches of snow 8 miles north of Burlington. Another report indicates 9.5 inches of snow 5.4 miles W of Bow.
A facebook report lists 8 to 9 inches of snow in Sedro-Wooley.
CoCoRaHS reports 10 to 11 inches in Port Angeles. Further east around Seqium, 4 to 6 inches were reported.
Facebook report in Clallam Bay of around 9 inches. Another facebook report in Joyce reported about 12 inches. A spotter (Clallam 2) east of Neah Bay reported 12.5 inches of snow, while a twitter report in the Port Angeles foothills reported 9 inches.
A facebook report in Hansville reported 3 inches while another report in Poulsbo reported 4 inches on the morning of the 20th.
CoCoRaHS reports 4.8 inches of snowfall in Indianola, with 3.9 inches just south of Indianola. About 2.5 inches of snow was reported 2.8 miles east of Bremerton. A report of 5.9 inches was received 0.9 miles South of Seabeck - while another spotter report of 7.5 inches was reported in Seabeck. At 11am, spotter (kitsap 58) reported 9.6 inches of snow has fallen since midnight.
Multiple CoCoRaHS observers in the San Juans reported 11 inches of snowfall on Lopez Island, with a report of 11 inches also on Orcas Island. A report on Friday Harbor ranging from 9 to 11 inches. Wintry weather mainly ended later on the morning of the 20th.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, December 2022
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1075843, 1075844, 1075863, 1075864, 1075909, 1075910, 1075847, 1075848, 1075871, 1075875, 1075903, 1075904, 1075742.