Seattle weather: Rain and snow mix possible Wednesday night

Seattle weather: Dry conditions before rain returns Valentine's Day

Seattle weather: Dry conditions before rain returns on Valentine's Day.

After a stretch of relatively quiet weather, we're forecasting a rain/snow mix in the lowlands of Western Washington late Wednesday night to Thursday morning.

Morning clouds today will give way to plentiful, glorious afternoon sunshine. Highs will reach the upper 40s to low 50s. You can skip the rain jacket. We're not expecting any precipitation today.

Tomorrow morning will be cloudy with super isolated pockets of fog. Rain returns to Western Washington Wednesday afternoon. By tomorrow night (possibly as many are out-and-about for Valentine's Day), a rain/snow mix could develop in the lowlands across Puget Sound.

There are still question marks about how this event could play out. In order for us to see lowland snow, we need all the right ingredients to come together, namely the combo of cold temperatures and sufficient moisture.

Based on the data right now, it seems most likely that the western side of the Kistap Peninsula, the Hood Canal and Mason County have the best potential for light snow accumulations Thursday morning. It'll be much less likely for snow to stick elsewhere. In order for snow to accumulate in a more widespread fashion, the cold air would need to be much stronger and long-lasting than what most of the forecast models are predicting right now.

While this particular event doesn't look like a big deal for most, lowland snow patterns in general are fluid and subject to change. Stick with us as we track the latest for you.

Let's talk about the winds: it'll be breezy for most backyards Wednesday, but especially for communities in Western Whatcom County, the Cascade foothills and the coast. Winds don't look strong enough for any official wind alerts, but the northerly winds near Canada tonight through Thursday will help to usher in cooler air (a weather set-up that's called the "Fraser outflow").

Over Stevens and Snoqualmie Passes, minor snow will fall by Thursday morning, but heavier totals are expected over the Southern Cascades, including White Pass.

Any lowland snow should transition to snow by midday Thursday (if not earlier). Throughout the remainder of the seven day forecast, we'll have several afternoons with highs in the 50s. Lows will range in the upper 30s to low 40s. Each day will have a chance for light passing showers.