Wet, windy, mountain snow for Western WA

Name: Seattle weather: Storm to bring lowland rain, mountain snow on Wednesday
Uploaded: 2026-03-11T16:14:20-07:00
Description: A strong front will arrive on Wednesday with lowland rain and mountain snow picking up throughout the day and into the evening.

Seattle weather: Storm to bring lowland rain, mountain snow on Wednesday

A strong front will arrive on Wednesday with lowland rain and mountain snow picking up throughout the day and into the evening.

SEATTLE - Western Washington is heading into a very active stretch of weather over the next several days.

A strong cold front arrives this afternoon bringing rain and gusty winds to the Western Washington lowlands, while the Cascades deal with blizzard conditions in areas tonight.

A map showing the forecast overnight lows in Western Washington Thursday morning.

It will be wet and windy Wednesday night in Western Washington. (FOX 13 Seattle)

Blizzard conditions in the Cascades

Big picture view:

As the front slams into the mountains this evening, conditions will deteriorate quickly in the Cascades. Snow levels will briefly rise during the day, but crash back below pass level late tonight as colder air moves in behind the front. The combination of heavy snow and strong winds will create blizzard conditions, especially overnight.

A blizzard warning remains in effect until 5:00 a.m. Thursday, and travel over the passes could become extremely difficult.

A blizzard warning will go into effect on Wednesday evening.

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

Gusty wind in the lowlands

Local perspective:

As the front approaches this afternoon, winds will begin to ramp up quickly across the region. Along the coast, gusts could reach 45 to 55 mph by late afternoon. Inland areas of Puget Sound will also get pretty breezy, with southwest wind gusts around 35–45 mph possible. The strongest winds will likely occur along the coast and across the northern interior, including areas like Whidbey Island, where gusts could occasionally approach 50 mph.

For most areas, the gusty conditions will peak between 5:00 to 10:00 p.m., then gradually ease after midnight as the front pushes east of the Cascades.

Even though this will not be a major windstorm, gusts in the 40–50 mph range can still bring down small branches and cause isolated power outages, so it’s a good idea to secure loose outdoor items and charge your devices before the winds pick up later today.

A map showing the areas of a Wind Advisory in Western Washington.

A Wind Advisory is in effect for the Western Washington lowlands tonight through Thursday morning. (FOX 13 Seattle)

Wet and windy to close out the week

What's next:

Thursday morning should bring a temporary break with lighter showers and decreasing winds, but another system will be knocking on the door. A weak atmospheric river moves into Western Washington later Thursday as the jet stream remains aimed at the region. That will bring rain in the lowlands and continued snow in the Cascades. High temperatures Thursday will be cooler, in the mid-40s.

The atmospheric river lingers through Friday. That means steady rain for the lowlands and significant snow in the mountains. A winter storm warning is now in effect for the Cascades through early Saturday morning.

1 to 3 feet of new snow is expected during this time. Snow levels will remain below pass level, making mountain travel very difficult.

Weekend outlook

The pattern begins to shift Friday night as an upper-level ridge starts building offshore. That should push the atmospheric river south and allow conditions to gradually improve around the Puget Sound area. Saturday will still feature a few showers, mainly in the mountains, but it looks more dry than wet for the rest of us.

Looking ahead to Sunday and early next week, the forecast turns mild. Another round of widespread rain will move into the region Sunday night into Monday, but this time the air mass will be much warmer. Snow levels could climb dramatically, to 8000 feet, which would mean rain at the passes. Temperatures in the lowlands could climb into the upper 50s to the low 60s by Tuesday.