Seattle snow to begin melting as temperatures warm up this weekend

The snow will start to melt in Western Washington as temperatures climb into the 40s by Sunday.

SEATTLE - Western Washington is kicking off 2022 with plunging overnight temps -- and yet another chance for lowland and mountain snow on the horizon.

Happy New Year! Hope you have a fun and safe holiday. Watch for ice on bridges, overpasses and sidewalks overnight. Lows will plummet to the teens and low 20s. There may be isolated patches of freezing fog early Saturday -- especially for fog-prone valleys and the South Sound.

Partly sunny to mostly cloudy skies are on tap for New Year's Day. Once the freezing fog clears, you can expect highs only reaching the mid to upper 30s.

Winds increase late Saturday to Sunday. In fact, the National Weather Service has posted a High Wind Watch late Saturday to Sunday for the Central and North Coast, Port Townsend, the San Juans, Island County and Western Skagit and Whatcom Counties. Gusts to 55 mph could cause damages and power outages.

Sunday and Monday, mountain snow ramps up in a major way. Between one to two feet of snow could fall over the passes. Up to 30 inches of snow could stack up over the highest peaks and volcanoes. Gusts to 40-50 mph could lower visibility with heavy, blowing snow. Please check WSDOT conditions and the forecast before you travel.

By Monday morning, there could be brief but accumulating lowland snow. Any snow should melt fairly quickly. Highs Monday should reach the upper 30s and low 40s. Make sure to check our forecast throughout the weekend. There's still time for the forecast models to flip flop on what to expect. We'll watch the latest data and let you know what to expect.