Seattle weather: Gusty wind, heavy rain, and mountain snow Tuesday night

SEATTLE - Tuesday and Wednesday will bring rising rivers, gusty winds, and significant mountain snow to Washington state.

The first half of Tuesday will be showery at times and mild. High temperatures will reach the mid 50s. A much stronger system arrives tonight.

Here is a look at the threats over the next few days:

Big picture view:

Gusty winds in western Washington

The storm moving in will push strong wind gusts into western Washington. Southerly winds will start ramping up on Tuesday afternoon in the Puget Sound area and along the Washington Coast. It will become more widespread after sunset. Peak wind gusts will hit after 10:00 p.m. Tuesday to around 6:00 a.m. Wednesday morning. After that, winds will be breezy, but not damaging.

Wind gusts of 45 to 50 mph are possible across the greater Seattle area late Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

Stronger gusts of up to 60 mph are forecast along the coast, Hood Canal, south of Seattle and north of Everett. The ground is very saturated, and it will be easier for trees to fall. 

Charge up your devices before bed and prepare for potential power outages.

River flooding in the Puget Sound area

Local perspective:

Rivers will continue to rise as more heavy rain hits the area today and tonight. Several rivers will hit flood stage and will crest Wednesday and Thursday at moderate to major flood stage. Eight rivers are currently under a flood warning. The Skagit River is the only one expected to crest at major flood stage over the coming days.

The following rivers are currently under a flood warning:

• Skykomish
• Skagit
• White
• Green
• Cedar
• Cowlitz
• Skokomish
• Stehekin

The Snohomish River is also expected to reach moderate flood stage, but it is not currently under a warning.

Mountain snow in the Cascades

Heavy snow will impact the mountains late Tuesday night into Wednesday as snow levels drop quickly. 10+ inches of snow is expected at Snoqualmie Pass by Wednesday afternoon. 18 to 24 inches of snow is possible at Stevens Pass and White Pass. Travel will be very difficult over the mountains, so use extra caution.

Looking ahead

What's next:

Friday and Saturday, we should get a good break from the rain, with only a few isolated showers expected on Saturday. More lowland rain and mountain snow is expected heading into next week with cooler temperatures.

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