Frigid temperatures to hit Western Washington late week

Seattle - A few lingering showers will impact the Puget Sound area through Wednesday afternoon, while Western Washington braces for frigid days ahead.

High temperatures will make it into the low 40s today with a few isolated showers. Mountain snow showers will taper off and we could see a few sunbreaks before sunset.

Thursday will bring another round of showers, which could result in "conversational snow." That's a rain and snow mix and the kind that is fun to talk about, but doesn't impact travel around the area. An additional five to ten inches of snow could fall in the Cascades now through Thursday night.

A very cold modified arctic air mass will move south over Western Washington Thursday night, sending snow levels to the surface and dropping temperatures into the mid 20s and teens by early Friday morning. As for lowland snow, the one thing the models agree on is that it will be plenty cold enough. The big question still waiting to be answered is where the weather system will hit. The "snow bullseye" could be as far south as Oregon or as far north as Seattle. We expect the forecast models to come to closer agreement over the next 36 hours, so stay tuned.

Fraser Valley outflow winds will be brutal in the usual north sound spots starting Thursday evening. Morning wind chills could drop below zero in Western Whatcom County with gusts up to 50 mph.

There is still a lot to figure out with the snow, but be prepared for very chilly weather Friday through early next week. Temps will steadily warm through the end of next week.