New Year's Eve will be cold and sunny with warmer temps ahead

Temps stay chilly; highs to the upper 20s, low 30s

Temps stay super chilly. Highs will only lift to the upper 20s and low 30s. Even though it'll be cold, it'll be beautiful with mostly sunny skies.

Seattle - 2021 will end with lots of sunshine and cool high temperatures in Western Washington. The first week of 2022 will bring some thawing weather as cool rain returns.

The sun is out for New Year's Eve, but it will stay cool today with highs close to freezing in the Puget Sound area. Areas in direct sunlight will see some melting, especially on the roads.

If you're heading out to celebrate New Year's tonight, it will be very chilly by midnight with mainly clear skies and temps dropping into the 20s. Areas that are still wet could ice over, so be careful on your drive home.

Temps will slowly warm tomorrow as a very weak system approaches the Washington Coast. If you're on the coast or the Olympic Peninsula, you may see some rain/snow showers tomorrow, but most spots around the Puget Sound will stay dry. Highs will make it above freezing, into the mid to upper 30s. The exception will be Whatcom County, where the cold air could hang on. Temps there will top out close to freezing.

Temps will continue to warm as our next wet system sweeps through the area on Sunday. Highs will be back into the 40s for the first time since Christmas Eve. Winds could be strong at times in the lowlands and snow will be heavy in the mountains.

Heading into next week, temps will stay cooler than average, but right on the borderline for wintry precipitation, especially in the early morning hours. A chance for a rain/snow mix in the morning or a quick blast of wet snow is not out of the question, but most of next week should just bring cold rain showers.

Now that the snow is over for most of us (for now), here's a look at some of the numbers:

This was only the second time in Seattle’s (SeaTac) recorded history with five consecutive days of measurable snowfall in December.
9.2" is the most snow in the month of December since 2008.

One last thing… Karen in Coupeville sent us these great photos. These are called "snow rollers." If the snow is wet enough and the wind is strong enough, it can create these snow ball looking cylinders that are hollow on the inside. They almost look like bales of hay. We love seeing your weather photos, so keep them coming!