The National Weather Service says the cold air and snow will be with us for a bit longer as they predict 1 to 3 more inches of snow for New Years Eve. If you have plans for the evening you will need to be aware that temperatures will be in 20's overnight.
Temperatures will remain unseasonably cold through the rest of the week with highs in the upper 20s to mid 30s and lows in the 20s. With these very cold temperatures, frost bite and hypothermia will occur much faster. If outdoors, remember to dress in layers and cover exposed skin. Take precautions to protect pets and livestock from the extreme cold as well. Uncovered pipes will also be susceptible to freezing and bursting.
A weather disturbance will drop down from the north/northwest tonight and Thursday, brining another shot of lowland snow. Precipitation will spread into the area after midnight, then decrease from the northwest Thursday afternoon.
Precipitation should switch to rain pretty fast at the coast then turn to a rain/snow mix for much of the interior late Thursday morning.
New snow accumulations still look to be generally 1-3" with a small chance of as much as 3-5". The morning hours are when most of the lowland accumulations are expected. The mountains will also pick up a good shot of snow with 6-12" expected in the passes. Highs Thursday will be in the lower to mid 30s for most of the interior and upper 30s or lower 40s for the coast. Rain and snow will mostly move south of the area Thursday evening with dry north/northwest flow aloft on Friday. There will be another uptick in northeast Fraser outflow behind the Thursday system but not as strong as recent events and not enough for any headlines. Highs Friday will be mostly in the lower to mid 30s. Lows will continue in the upper teens and 20s the next few nights so any melting on roadways during the daytime hours will likely refreeze at night.
LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...A weak front front will bring spotty light precipitation on Saturday. It should start out as snow for the interior then switch over the rain/snow mix in the morning and mostly all rain by mid to late afternoon as temperatures warm to near 40. A wetter Pacific frontal system will move through the area Sunday and Monday. Temperatures will remain below normal but it looks warm enough for all rain for the lowlands. The mountains should pick up a good shot of snow. It also looks windy at the coast and north interior, especially on Sunday. A cool upper trough over the northeast Pacific will maintain showers with low snow levels on Tuesday. 16
