West Seattle Weather Watch: Snow threat lessening

This is what we’d been waiting for before another Snow Scare ’08 post: The local National Weather Service forecasters just posted their latest 4-times-daily “forecast discussion” moments ago. Read it here; the fact the phrase “explosively developing low pressure” appears in the first line, sounds like a sign of Trouble On The Way, but the “discussion” seems to be downgrading the snow likelihood around here (and the “winter storm warning” will be canceled for points south of Everett:

IN THE LOWLANDS [tonight] WE COULD STILL SEE SLUSHY ACCUMULATIONS ON HIGHER HILLS AWAY FROM WATER WITH SNOW LEVELS DOWN TO NEAR 500 FEET AT TIMES. ANY SNOW THAT DOES ACCUMULATE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WIDESPREAD AND SIGNIFICANT THROUGH EARLY SAT MORNING.

Snow or no, low temps are still on the way, they say:

HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL STRUGGLE TO GET ABOVE FREEZING OVER THE UPCOMING WEEK.

Disclaimer: If you’ve lived around here more than five minutes, you know the forecast and 4 bucks will get you a cup of coffee. ADDED 11:30 AM: Just in case – one of the neighborhood mailing lists we monitor has just received a helpful copy of the city’s snowplow-route map; you can get it online here.

15 Replies to "West Seattle Weather Watch: Snow threat lessening"

  • OP December 12, 2008 (10:43 am)

    Even if there is no snow, which would be kind of a bummer, there’s still all this rain or slushy rain that won’t dry out before the cold temps hit and turn the roads into a nice, icy glaze.

  • MrJT December 12, 2008 (11:00 am)

    Does this mean that Danger Jim is going to put his new Esikmo coat away ?

  • WSB December 12, 2008 (11:05 am)

    OP – That’s what I was thinking. Remember the days of ice two years ago – this post included a photo of Thistle not far from WSB HQ (picture taken around the crest between California and 39th):
    https://westseattleblog.com/blog/?p=961

  • Burton December 12, 2008 (11:12 am)

    The national weather service in this area is a joke. An hour ago it was the “Coldest weather here since December 1990.” and now just rain. And why does WSB continue to report this garbage?

  • changingtimes December 12, 2008 (11:13 am)

    that stinks!!! i was waiting at my door with my sled….

  • Yg December 12, 2008 (11:18 am)

    I can’t remember the last time that they forecast snow this far in advance, that it actually happened.. As usual, they got our hopes up, only to have the air let out of our sail.. Now comes the reasons why they have suck a hard time forecasting..

  • OP December 12, 2008 (11:34 am)

    WSB: I remember that well! (Brrr, that wind made it so cold that morning! Power was out too as I recall.)

    I have to pat myself on the back. This morning, after dropping off my son at daycare, I stopped off at T-Way and got 2 bundles of wood….just in case we get a repeat of Dec. ’06. ;-)

  • sw December 12, 2008 (11:57 am)

    Uh oh. When they call off the weather dogs, that’s usually when we get hit the hardest. Don’t count out Parka Boy just yet… :-)

  • JayDee December 12, 2008 (12:12 pm)

    I’d say cut the NWS (and WSB)some slack — They didn’t blow the forecast — There is a storm today, and there will be snow in the next week. They called this storm 5 days out, and the timing was very accurate. It is very difficult to predict the track of these storms that develop over 12 hours from nothing–it didn’t exist last night at 8 PM.

    If the low wobbles south, it may snow today, but we may see snow Sunday and we’ll be plenty cold next week.

  • HunterG December 12, 2008 (12:15 pm)

    Working at a grocery store, you get to see how crazy people go when there are reports of snow (especially with a full moon hangover). In a way it’s kinda funny – it’s not like we live in Minnesota.

    What’s the most we’ll get this early in the season, an inch or so?

  • WSB December 12, 2008 (12:23 pm)

    The famous winter of ’96-’97 it was several inches at a couple points – my then-83-year-old father-in-law was visiting, and he and Patrick and our son, a baby at the time, got stuck trying to get back up a hill from the grocery store (I was at work, I think, downtown) and had to hike the rest of the way home (we have to handle a hill to get to a store – either it’s the northbound hill to Thriftway or the eastbound hill to QFC). That was between Christmas and New Year’s, I believe.

  • Cami December 12, 2008 (12:50 pm)

    Dec 1990 – We got at least a foot, cars were abandoned by the hundreds on I5. It took some folks 8 hours to get home to West Seattle. The next day it was 17 below. I think the initial forecast was for 1-2 inches.

  • changingtimes December 12, 2008 (1:21 pm)

    come on everybody!!! meet me outside for a snow dance!!!!

  • Gina December 12, 2008 (1:40 pm)

    Dec 1990–The upper bridge was closed because of the wind, and the new lower bridge was being built, West Seattle buses were rerouted to the 1st ave S bridge, and the abandoned cars and spun out cars couldn’t make it UP any of the hills. All the buses unloaded when they made it to Spokane near the steel mill.

    Power was out throughout most of West Seattle. And most phone service was lost, too.

    Except for Admiral area, where my parents lived. And that was waaaay before the Mayor lived in North Admiral.

    So if such an event ever happens again, and the bus driver says that the upper level bridge is closed to vehicle traffic, get the heck off the bus and walk over the upper bridge. Lesson learned.

  • Burton December 12, 2008 (3:20 pm)

    Here’s the report I’d like to see from WSB.

    “National Weather Service predicts snow” however with their track record it will most likely be rain. Who holds their feet to the fire? The NWS should build some credibility and then predict.

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