WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: Late-night updates; first snow sightings

(Photo by James Bratsanos)

10:07 PM: As of the top of the hour, no snow sightings in West Seattle – mostly overcast, upper 30s. But as the photos show, the clouds that have dropped snow on points north of the city were visible from here before nightfall:

(Photo by Trileigh Tucker)

Both the National Weather Service (see this tweet) and weather analyst Cliff Mass (see his update) say the convergence zone is “sliding south.” The Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect until 6 am, and we’ll be on watch through the night.

10:41 PM: Thanks for the comments, tweets, and texts – snow sightings in north West Seattle.

11:07 PM: More reports – it’s continuing to spread southward.

11:38 PM: Car tops are now frosted up here over Lincoln Park.

12:35 AM: Still very light, and no accumulation beyond the car dusting.

4 AM: Some areas got notable snow – like Alki (Robert Spears‘ photo, above, taken just before 1 am, and this one from Pelicans south of Alki Point) –

… and others did not, like here in Upper Fauntleroy, where the car-top dusting is where it stopped. We’ll be launching morning coverage soon; for starters, Seattle Public Schools has announced a 2-hour delay (school changes are here).

North delridge January 12, 2020 (10:23 pm)

Just started snowing north delridge area!

Avalon Resident January 12, 2020 (10:29 pm)

Snowing on Avalon as of 10:30pm.

Seriously? January 12, 2020 (10:34 pm)

Just started to snow at WSHS about 10 minutes ago.

Anon January 12, 2020 (10:38 pm)

Snowing between alki and california currently.

Lisa Barajas January 12, 2020 (10:43 pm)

Flurries in Arbor Heights

Stacy January 12, 2020 (10:46 pm)

Graupel starting at Cali and Charlestown.

Bradley January 12, 2020 (10:52 pm)

I drove through Mukilteo and Lynnwood at 5:30pm and it was a mess: several inches of snow that had somehow stuck to the main roads at 34 degrees. Lots of accidents and spin-outs. Only a few miles south it was 41 degrees and dry. It’s very spotty and hard to forecast. Be careful heading out this evening because it may be dry and above freezing and 1/2″ of snow, badly-snarled traffic, and below freezing an hour later.

Amanda January 12, 2020 (10:53 pm)

Snowing at Morgan Junction

Jen January 12, 2020 (11:12 pm)

Weird I’m at Morgan junction and don’t see anything

Kristina January 12, 2020 (10:56 pm)

Lightly snowing (graupel) just south of the Junction. At last!I prepped for snowpocalypse. Even a few flakes are better than nothing, but only time will tell!

JasonG January 12, 2020 (11:14 pm)

Noisy flakes/graupel in Belvidere, not heavy.

AliAlki January 12, 2020 (11:15 pm)

It’s coming in sprints at Alki Point :) no accumulation.

ET January 13, 2020 (12:02 am)

barest dusting in high point!

Calires January 13, 2020 (12:10 am)

Just took the dog out for a walk in the California/Charlestown area. It feels like pebbly rain, but the snow is accumulating on cars and plants. I salted the area in front of my townhouse complex (yes, I know, we are itinerant, etc. but some of us actually care about our neighborhood and do this every snow event…) Be safe, everyone.

CristalO January 13, 2020 (12:36 am)

Coming down pretty steadily up here at work on Capitol Hill. Has been snowing for about 2.5 hours. There’s about 3/4 inch stuck to the roads. I get off at 5:30am and need to make my way home to the west side (if the day shift person shows up) It’s starting to slow down a bit out here hopefully will turn to rain. Fingers crossed.

Pelicans January 13, 2020 (12:55 am)

Snowing steadily and straight down at south Alki Point. So nice and quiet and beautiful…

James January 13, 2020 (1:30 am)

Just went for a drive around West Seattle, it’s snowing just about everywhere, but it’s only heavy on Alki. There is probably and inch or more on the roads closest to the beach and the point there. It gets lighter the further south you go. I live in the Morgan junction and the roads are just wet with a little sticking to the cars down here.

Kat January 13, 2020 (1:31 am)

2-3” accumulated snow at Alki/61st/Admiral Way. Snow plows have come through already (thank you SDOT!) Snow continues to fall steadily.

WSB January 13, 2020 (4:45 am)

We will start a new morning weather/traffic story at 5 am.

anonyme January 13, 2020 (5:57 am)

Never saw a flake here in Arbor Heights. Kept peeking out the window last night and early this morning, waiting for it to come. Nothing. There is a light dusting on some car roofs, but that is all. This is the biggest fail in weather prediction/hype I’ve ever seen here.

ttt January 13, 2020 (6:54 am)

You haven’t lived here long then! Bad weather hype has been the norm since the snowstorm that dropped about a foot in 2009 and the city was not prepared.
Gimme snow January 13, 2020 (7:03 am)

Really? Seems this has happened many times. I remember ten years ago kids were out of school when a big snow was forecast and there was absolutely no snow, zilch – next day kids were loading the busses and the sky turned dark and it snowed heavy for almost two weeks.
- loady January 13, 2020 (12:41 pm)
  
  OH wait I thought that was a Little House on the Prairie episode
- Pelicans January 13, 2020 (12:55 pm)
  
  The forecasts have improved greatly since the 80’s. UW Professor Cliff Maas wrote the book on why it’s so difficult to forecast the weather here. Sorry, don’t have the links right now, but he also has a neat weather blog.
  - WSB January 13, 2020 (1:32 pm)
    
    We often link to specific posts. No update yet today but his basic link is:
    https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/
    - Pelicans January 13, 2020 (1:50 pm)
      
      Thanks WSB!

West Seattle Hipster January 13, 2020 (7:20 am)

So happy there was no accumulation! Snow sucks.

anonyme January 13, 2020 (8:27 am)

I’ve actually been here 35 years and have seen a wide range of weather prediction fails and extreme hype. It’s the norm here, not the exception. However, I’ve never seen a situation where the National Weather Service declared a Winter Storm Watch with predictions of 2-5″ of snow beginning Sunday afternoon, where snowplows were lined up in preparation, where multi-departmental city meetings were convened to address the coming emergency conditions, etc., etc., only to be followed by…nothing. Better off with the Farmer’s Almanac.

Pelicans January 13, 2020 (1:08 pm)

You know, with former mayor Nichols being blamed for “Snowpocalypse” during his tenure, and the city’s former unpreparedness, and lack of response, over-prep is better. The difference now is every late summer, early fall a ship anchors over in Yukon Harbor and offloads hundreds of tons of road salt to a tug and barge, for use on our roads. The City of Seattle finally realized that it needs to salt its roadways, because nothing else it was using worked.

Sorry, comment time is over.