WA mountains brace for Blizzard Warning, heavy snow, avalanche danger

WA mountains brace for blizzard conditions, avalanche danger

It's a Weather Alert Day for the Puget Sound region as lowland rain and gusty winds pick up in the lowlands, and blizzard conditions and avalanche danger hit the Washington Cascades.

A Blizzard Warning is going into effect for Washington's Cascades from Wednesday evening into Thursday morning, and avalanche danger is high for areas in the backcountry. 

In addition to severe weather in the higher elevations of western Washington, a strong cold front will bring rain and gusty winds to the lowlands Wednesday.

Blizzard warning in effect for WA mountains

Gusty winds will create near whiteout conditions for the mountains Wednesday night.  (FOX 13 Seattle)

Timeline:

A Blizzard Warning will remain in effect for the Washington Cascades from 6 p.m. Wednesday through 5 a.m. Thursday. According to Chief Meteorologist Brian MacMillan, the best chance for blizzard-like or whiteout conditions will be after 10 or 11 p.m. Wednesday. Forecasts say higher elevations will likely see between 10 to 20 inches of new snow with wind gusts up to 45 mph.

High avalanche danger in WA mountains

What they're saying:

"Normally, when we're talking about the avalanche threat, we're really pinpointing what's going down in the backcountry, so not necessarily WSDOT roads or the ski resorts – which have their own avalanche mitigation teams – but we are talking about skiers and snowboarders in the backcountry," said Meteorologist Abby Acone. 

According to the Northwest Avalanche Center, areas on the west side of the Washington Cascades are under an avalanche risk of four out of five – meaning it is dangerous and even life-threatening to be spending time in the backcountry. The eastern slopes of the Cascades are one level lower, meaning "considerable" avalanche danger.

Heavy mountain snow expected for WA ski resorts

"Really intense mountain snow is expected, especially early Thursday morning through Friday," said Acone. "During the day [Wednesday], we're going to be switching up to rain at some point over the passes. We do have weather alerts in effect for the mountains all the way through the end of the workweek."

Saturday and Sunday are expected to be spectacular days for skiers and snowboarders in the Cascades. However, the excellent conditions won't last long. On Monday and Tuesday, a sudden increase in temperature is likely to turn precipitation from snow to rain. 

Tracking WA mountain passes during blizzard conditions

Snow is coming down in the Washington Cascades, and will likely keep falling through the weekend. FOX 13's Shawn Chitnis is live at Snoqualmie Pass where roads are slick, and the skiers are shredding the fresh snow.

A look at WA's current snowpack

"We really need to play catch up, because we are desperate for snow," said Acone. "We took a look at our mountain snowpack compared to normal, and we are in the 30th and 40th percentile of normal." 

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