The Weather Peeps originally had the advisory ending at 9 p.m. but have extended it to midnight. They say we can expect gusts up to 45MPH, and to expect some trees and branches to come down, possibly knocking power out.

So get all your email, blog commenting and Facebook stuff done quickly folks!

Here’s the full advisory:

…WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT PST TONIGHT…

* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS…SEATTLE…TACOMA…AND BREMERTON.

* TIMING…GUSTY WINDS THIS EVENING WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH AFTER MIDNIGHT.

* WIND…SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WIND 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH.

* IMPACTS…LOCAL DAMAGE TO TREES AND POWER LINES…WITH SMALL TREES POSSIBLY BEING TOPPLED DUE TO SATURATED SOILS OR RECENT ICE DAMAGE. LOCAL POWER OUTAGES ARE POSSIBLE. FALLING TREES AND TREE LIMBS COULD CAUSE INJURY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WIND ADVISORY IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS OF 30 TO 39 MPH OR GUSTS OF 45 TO 57 MPH ARE LIKELY.

Here’s the 7-day forecast:

Overnight: Showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. Southwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Wednesday: Showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 46. Southwest wind between 11 and 16 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Wednesday Night: Rain. Low around 40. South southwest wind between 7 and 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Thursday: Showers. High near 41. South wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Thursday Night: Patchy fog after 4am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 30. Calm wind.

Friday: Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 41.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 33.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 40.

Saturday Night: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 36.

Sunday: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 46.

Sunday Night: A chance of rain. Cloudy, with a low around 39.

Monday: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 45.

Monday Night: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a low around 37.

Tuesday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 44.

Here’s the latest advisory, issued at 8:55 p.m. Friday night (Jan. 20):

…WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 10 AM PST SATURDAY…

* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS…EVERETT…SEATTLE…TACOMA…OLYMPIA.

* TIMING…SOUTH WINDS WILL INCREASE LATE TONIGHT AS A STRONG TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE MOVES ACROSS THE AREA.

* WIND…SOUTH WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH.

* IMPACTS…GUSTY WINDS MAY SNAP TREE BRANCHES AND CAUSE LOCAL POWER OUTAGES. AREAS WITH TREE AND LIMB DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE ICE STORM MAY SEE NUMEROUS ADDITIONAL FALLING LIMBS. BEWARE SNAGS WHICH ARE LIKELY TO FALL WHEN THE WIND INCREASES OVERNIGHT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WIND ADVISORY IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS OF 30 TO 39 MPH OR GUSTS OF 45 TO 57 MPH ARE LIKELY.

Oh, and did we forget to mention that they also issued a ‘Flood Advisory,’ in effect until Saturday afternoon:

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SEATTLE HAS ISSUED AN URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORY FOR RAIN AND MELTING SNOW IN…

CLALLAM COUNTY…
ISLAND COUNTY…
JEFFERSON COUNTY…
SAN JUAN COUNTY…
SKAGIT COUNTY…
WHATCOM COUNTY…
KING COUNTY…
KITSAP COUNTY…
LEWIS COUNTY…
MASON COUNTY…
PIERCE COUNTY…
SNOHOMISH COUNTY…
THURSTON COUNTY…
GRAYS HARBOR COUNTY…

* UNTIL 330 PM PST SATURDAY.

* AT 331 PM PST RAIN GAGE REPORTS AND NWS DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED MODERATE RAIN OVER MOST OF THE ADVISORY AREA. AMOUNTS RANGE FROM OVER AN INCH IN THE SOUTHWEST WHERE THE RAIN BEGAN SEVERAL HOURS AGO TO A FEW HUNDREDTHS OR ZERO TO THE NORTH WHERE THE RAIN IS JUST GETTING STARTED.

LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN WITH OCCASIONALLY HEAVY RAIN WILL OVERSPREAD THE ENTIRE AREA TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY. TOGETHER WITH MELTING SNOW OVER THE LOWLANDS…EXPECT PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS AND IN NEIGHBORHOODS. STORMWATER WILL POOL IN THE SNOW COVER BEFORE EVENTUALLY MELTING AND RUNNING OFF. IN ADDITION…THE SNOW COVER AND ICE COULD BE BLOCKING STORM DRAINS AND/OR CULVERTS WHICH COULD ALSO RESULT IN EXCESSIVE PONDING OF WATER OR CAUSE SMALL STREAM TO OVERFLOW THEIR BANKS.

RUNOFF FROM THE RAIN AND MELTING SNOW WILL INCREASE THE POSSIBILITY OF LANDSLIDES AND DEBRIS FLOWS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

CLEARING NEARBY STORM DRAINS COULD HELP LESSEN THE PONDING OF WATER.

DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF FLOOD WATERS. ONLY A FEW INCHES OF RAPIDLY FLOWING WATER CAN QUICKLY CARRY AWAY YOUR VEHICLE.

And here’s the latest 7-day forecast:

Overnight: Rain. Temperature rising to around 40 by 5am. South wind between 16 and 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

Saturday: Showers likely, mainly after 4pm. Cloudy, with a high near 46. Windy, with a southwest wind between 22 and 30 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Saturday Night: Showers likely, mainly before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. Southwest wind around 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Sunday: Rain. High near 44. Southeast wind between 6 and 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Sunday Night: Rain. Low around 38. South southeast wind around 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Monday: Showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 43. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Monday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 37.

Tuesday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 47.

Tuesday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 37.

Wednesday: Rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 51.

Wednesday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 37.

Thursday: Showers. Cloudy, with a high near 48.

Thursday Night: Showers likely. Cloudy, with a low around 35.

Friday: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 46.

It’s likely that local private schools will follow suit, so be sure to check with them to see if Thursday will be another snow day.

The National Weather Service says that there is a chance of a bit more snow tonight, but that it should turn to rain Thursday and Friday, with another storm moving in that will dump a lot more rain on us, causing concern for flooding in local rivers.

We suggest to our Readers that now would be a good time to clear around your local storm drains as the snow melts and the rains come.

Here’s the most recent weather advisory, issued at 3:57 p.m.:

HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA 357 PM PST WED JAN 18 2012

…CORRECTED TO ADD SPECIFIC MENTION OF RIVERS…

…FLOOD POTENTIAL THIS WEEKEND FOR SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON…

A WET AND ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN IS IN PLACE FOR WESTERN WASHINGTON FOR THE NEXT WEEK. AS WE WIND UP THIS SNOW STORM…WE WILL BE EVALUATING THE AMOUNT OF WATER EQUIVALENT THAT IS LYING ON THE GROUND WAITING TO MELT AND RUNOFF IN TO AREA RIVERS.

MEANWHILE…A PACIFIC STORM IS HEADING FOR WESTERN WASHINGTON FOR FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY THAT WILL BRING RAIN OF ONE HALF TO TWO AND ONE HALF INCHES BELOW 4000-5000 FEET ELEVATION. MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE MID FORTIES AND TOGETHER WITH THE WIND AND RAIN…WILL MELT THE LOWLAND SNOW. THIS AMOUNT OF RUNOFF COULD DRIVE RIVERS IN LOW ELEVATION BASINS ABOVE FLOOD STAGE. THIS INCLUDES THE CHEHALIS AND SKOKOMISH RIVERS. ANY FLOODING THAT DOES OCCUR IS EXPECTED TO BE MINOR. IN ADDITION…THIS COULD PRODUCE URBAN AND SMALL STREAM
PONDING OR FLOODING FROM SNOW AND ICE CLOGGED DRAINS AND CULVERTS JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE IN THE LOWLANDS OF WESTERN WASHINGTON.

THIS WILL BE A TRICKY SITUATION TO FORECAST AND UNCERTAINTY THAT THERE WILL OR WILL NOT BE FLOODING IS QUITE HIGH. RAINFALL INTENSITIES AND THE AMOUNT AND RATE OF LOWLAND SNOW MELT WILL DETERMINE HOW HIGH THE RIVERS RISE. THERE IS A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY IN HOW MUCH SNOW WATER THERE IS AND HOW FAST THAT SNOW WILL MELT.

RIVER MODELS DO NOT ALWAYS HANDLE THESE SITUATIONS VERY WELL SO SPECIFIC RIVER FORECASTS MAY NOT FULLY INDICATE THE EXISTING FLOOD RISK.

BEYOND THIS WEEKEND…WE WILL CONTINUE TO GET STORMS THAT WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD RISES ON AREA RIVERS INTO NEXT WEEK FOR ADDITIONAL PERIODS WHEN THERE MAY BE THE RISK OF FLOODING.

STAY TUNE TO THE LATEST WEATHER AND RIVER FORECASTS AND BULLETINS.

Here’s the latest 7-day :

Tonight: A chance of snow before 10pm, then a chance of rain and snow. Snow level 200 feet. Cloudy, with a low around 30. North northeast wind between 5 and 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Thursday: A chance of rain and snow. Snow level 100 feet. Cloudy, with a high near 37. North northeast wind between 7 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Thursday Night: A chance of rain and snow. Snow level 200 feet. Cloudy, with a steady temperature around 34. North northeast wind between 7 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Friday: Rain. High near 44. South southeast wind between 5 and 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Friday Night: Rain. Low around 40. South southeast wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

Saturday: Rain. High near 46. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Saturday Night: Rain. Low around 37. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Sunday: Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43.

Sunday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 38.

Monday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 43.

Monday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 37.

Tuesday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 47.

Tuesday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 37.

Wednesday: Rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 47.

Noted UW Meteorologist Cliff Mass says we need to “scale back” the prediction on his blog, from a frightening “up to 14 inches” down to “2-5 inches”:

Folks this is a very difficult forecast.  Everything depends on getting the track of the low exactly right…first to decide where the rain/snow changeover will be and secondly to get the amount of precipitation right.

The most recent warning, updated at 5 a.m. Tuesday morning, says:

…WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO MIDNIGHT PST WEDNESDAY NIGHT…

* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS…SEATTLE…TACOMA…BREMERTON… SHELTON.

* TIMING…TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS…ANOTHER 1 TO 2 INCHES IS POSSIBLE TODAY IN SHOWERS. SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED LATE TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING WITH ANOTHER 5 TO 10 INCHES OF NEW SNOW POSSIBLE BY WEDNESDAY EVENING.

* MAIN IMPACT…EXPECT EXTREME TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES TO DEVELOP ON WEDNESDAY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

IF YOU MUST TRAVEL IN THE AREA…CARRY AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT… FOOD…WATER…AND BLANKETS IN CASE OF EMERGENCY.

And the most recent forecast, issued at 10:39 a.m., says:

This Afternoon: Showers. High near 35. West southwest wind around 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Tonight: Rain before 10pm, then snow. Low around 29. Northeast wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Wednesday: Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. High near 32. North northeast wind around 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 5 to 9 inches possible.

Wednesday Night: Snow before 4am, then rain and snow. Low around 32. North northeast wind between 8 and 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

Thursday: Rain and snow, becoming all rain after 10am. Snow level 100 feet rising to 1600 feet. High near 38. North wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Thursday Night: Rain. Low around 33. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Friday: Rain. High near 44. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Friday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 40.

Saturday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 44.

Saturday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 35.

Sunday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 42.

Sunday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 38.

Monday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 45.

Lake Burien in the snow. Photo by Kay Storhoff.

UPDATE 3:40 p.m., 1/16/12: The National Weather Service issued a revised ‘Winter Storm Watch‘ Monday afternoon, calling for two more rounds of snow – up to 3 inches through Tuesday, and up to 14 inches through Wednesday.

Also, noted UW Meteorologist Cliff Mass warned on his blog Monday afternoon that this could be “the biggest snowstorm in years”:

“The bottom line is that there is a serious threat on Wednesday of 8-15 inches of snow over the region, with a minimal turn over to rain. The biggest snowstorm in years. Anyway, before anyone goes out and buys a snowblower, lets see what tonight’s runs show. If they continue this trend then Slushmageddon might be replaced by Snowmageddon. In almost any conceivable case, Wednesday morning is going to be very problematic for travel…I suspect there will be a lot of school cancellations and the like.

The main roads around Seattle are in very good shape now, but the Wednesday event could dwarf the weekend snow.”

As always, we encourage our Readers to stock up and be prepared to hunker down to ride this system out. Oh, and don’t forget to actually enjoy the snow!

We’ll keep updating the blog as we learn of any changes from the weather peeps; here’s the latest warning:

…WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT PST TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON… …WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING…

* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS…SEATTLE…TACOMA…BREMERTON… SHELTON.

* TIMING…SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY AS COOLER UNSTABLE AIR CONTINUES OVER THE AREA. LOCAL ACCUMULATIONS UP TO 3 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE. A MUCH MORE SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM IS LIKELY LATE TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY OR WEDNESDAY NIGHT. SNOW WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL BE WIDESPREAD AND HEAVY.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS…AT THIS TIME UP TO 3 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE ON TUESDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN STEADY OR GRADUALLY FALL DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS…SO ROADWAYS MAY FREEZE. A MUCH MORE SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM IS LIKELY LATE TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING. WEDNESDAYS STORM MAY BRING 6 TO 14 INCHES OF SNOW.

* MAIN IMPACT…EXTREME TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES ARE POSSIBLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE WINTER WEATHER. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL IN THE WATCH AREA…CARRY AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT…FOOD…WATER…AND BLANKETS IN CASE OF EMERGENCY.

Here’s this week’s forecast:

M.L.King Day: Scattered snow showers. Cloudy, with a high near 36. South southwest wind around 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Tonight: Snow showers likely, mainly after 10pm. Cloudy, with a low around 32. South southwest wind between 6 and 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Tuesday: Snow showers. High near 35. South southwest wind 8 to 11 mph becoming northeast. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.

Tuesday Night: Snow. Low around 28. West wind 5 to 9 mph becoming north northeast. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Wednesday: Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. High near 34. Northeast wind around 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 4 to 8 inches possible.

Wednesday Night: Rain and snow, becoming all rain after 10pm. Snow level 600 feet. Low around 32. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Thursday: Rain. High near 46. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

Thursday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 39.

Friday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 44.

Friday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 40.

Saturday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 44.

Saturday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 35.

Sunday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 42.

Sunday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 38.

Monday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 45.

Precipitation should start out as rain on Saturday, then turn into show showers Sunday and Monday.

Snow levels are predicted to drop as low as 200 feet on Sunday, and up to half an inch of snow (or more) is expected.

The weather should remain cold enough for a few possible snow days next week, but stay tuned as oftentimes conditions change. We’ll update the blog as the white stuff arrives, so get your cameras ready so we can post your snow pics when and if it hits (as a reminder, the email to send photos to is editor@b-townblog.com).

Here’s Friday morning’s warning in all its FULL CAPS glory:

…A COLD FRONT WILL BRING COLDER AIR BEHIND IT SATURDAY AFTERNOON FOR A CHANCE OF LOWLAND SNOW SHOWERS SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY… …A SERIES OF ACTIVE STORM SYSTEMS NEXT WEEK WILL BRING PERIODS OF WINTER WEATHER TO WESTERN WASHINGTON…

A COLD FRONT WILL CROSS WESTERN WASHINGTON SATURDAY MORNING…DRAGGING THE COLD AIR MASS BEHIND IT ACROSS THE AREA SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING…WHICH WILL LINGER INTO NEXT WEEK. THE AIR MASS IS EXPECTED TO BE COLD ENOUGH SO THAT SNOW LEVELS WILL LOWER BELOW 500 FEET BEGINNING SATURDAY EVENING. SCATTERED RAIN OR SNOW SHOWERS WILL DEVELOP SATURDAY AFTERNOON…BECOMING MORE PREDOMINANTLY SNOW SHOWERS SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY. THESE HIT AND MISS SHOWERS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE SPOTTY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TWO INCHES OR LESS ACROSS WESTERN WASHINGTON. AREAS WITH MORE PERSISTENT SHOWER ACTIVITY LIKE THE PUGET SOUND CONVERGENCE ZONE COULD HAVE LOCAL HIGHER ACCUMULATIONS.

AT THIS TIME…PREDICTING EXACTLY WHERE AND HOW MUCH SNOW WILL FALL THIS WEEKEND IS DIFFICULT BUT ACCUMULATIONS ARE MOST LIKELY UNDER THE CONVERGENCE ZONE AND WITH HEAVIER SHOWERS.

NEXT WEEK…A SERIES OF STRONGER AND WETTER FRONTAL SYSTEMS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST…STARTING AROUND TUESDAY. THESE WEATHER SYSTEMS WILL BRING A THREAT OF A VARIETY OF WINTER WEATHER TO WESTERN WASHINGTON. THEY MAY SPREAD SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS RAISING THE POTENTIAL FOR AVALANCHES AND PERIODS OF DIFFICULT TRAVEL ACROSS THE PASSES. THE EXPECTED OVERALL AIR MASS OVER THE REGION THROUGH THIS PERIOD WILL BE COLD ENOUGH THAT THERE WILL CONTINUE TO BE A THREAT FOR PERIODS OF SNOW OVER PARTS OF THE LOWLANDS ESPECIALLY EARLY TO MID WEEK. VARIATIONS IN THE INTENSITY AND TRACK OF THESE SYSTEMS WILL SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECT THE PRECIPITATION TYPE AND AMOUNTS.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE POTENTIAL FOR WINTER WEATHER GOING INTO THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND AND THROUGH MUCH OF NEXT WEEK. STAY TUNED FOR FUTURE STATEMENTS AND FORECASTS FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION.

And here’s the full forecast:

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 43. Calm wind.

Tonight: Rain after 4am. Low around 37. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Saturday: Showers, mainly before 10am. High near 41. Southwest wind between 8 and 17 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Saturday Night: Cloudy, with a low around 33. Southwest wind between 9 and 14 mph.

Sunday: A chance of rain and snow showers. Snow level 200 feet. Cloudy, with a high near 39. South southwest wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Sunday Night: A chance of snow showers. Snow level 300 feet. Cloudy, with a low around 32. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

M.L.King Day: A chance of rain and snow showers. Snow level 100 feet. Cloudy, with a high near 39. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Monday Night: A chance of rain and snow showers. Snow level 300 feet. Cloudy, with a low around 34.

Tuesday: A chance of rain and snow showers. Snow level 300 feet. Cloudy, with a high near 38.

Tuesday Night: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 33.

Wednesday: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 40.

Wednesday Night: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 34.

Thursday: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 40.

Just when you thought your mild B-Town area “winter” was over comes word from the National Weather Service that the ‘S’ word – as in SNOW – may creep back into the forecast early next week.

The current forecast is calling for snow levels to drop to 400 feet starting Sunday night, Jan. 15, with the threat of snow continuing through Wed., Jan. 18.

Even acclaimed meteorologist Cliff Mass is warning that we may get some white stuff on his blog:

The new forecast models are increasingly threatening for colder temperatures and lowland snow from Sunday through Wednesday of next week, although none of the forecast are ideal for a truly major event.

The threat is currently projected to start Sunday night when the snow level is predicted to drop to 400 feet, and continue through Wednesday, Jan. 18; here’s the official NOAA forecast as of Wed. morning, Jan 11, with the suspect days in bold:

• Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 41. Northeast wind between 7 and 9 mph.
• Tonight: Patchy fog after 10pm. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a steady temperature around 37. North northeast wind around 8 mph.
• Thursday: Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 44. North northeast wind around 7 mph.
• Thursday Night: Areas of fog after 10pm. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 31. Calm wind.
• Friday: Areas of fog before 10am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 44. Calm wind.
• Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 36.
• Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 43.
• Saturday Night: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a low around 40.
• Sunday: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 40.
• Sunday Night: A chance of rain and snow showers. Snow level 400 feet. Cloudy, with a low around 31.
• M.L.King Day: A chance of rain and snow showers. Snow level 400 feet. Cloudy, with a high near 37.
• Monday Night: A chance of rain and snow showers. Snow level 400 feet. Cloudy, with a low around 28.
• Tuesday: A chance of rain and snow showers. Snow level 900 feet. Cloudy, with a high near 37.

So…are YOU ready for some snow? You can bet we’ll be getting our time lapse cameras all set, just in case…

The National Weather Service issued a ‘Freezing Fog Advisory‘ Sunday afternoon, warning residents to be careful on the roads, as visibility will be low and the roads may be icy.

The Weather Peeps say that conditions may be hazardous through 10 a.m. Monday morning (Dec. 12).

Here’s the full statement:

… Freezing fog advisory in effect from 10 PM this evening to 10 am PST Monday…

* Visibility… local visibilities below a half mile in fog.

* Temperatures… widespread temperatures at or below freezing tonight.

* Timing… late this evening through mid morning on Monday.

* Impacts… areas of freezing mist and fog may cause ice to form in spots on roadways… bridges… and sidewalks overnight.

Precautionary/preparedness actions…

A freezing fog advisory means visibilities will frequently be reduced to less than one quarter mile. If driving… slow down… use your headlights… and leave plenty of distance ahead of you. Also… be alert for frost on bridge decks causing slippery roads.

On Sunday, Dec. 12, 2010, Miller Creek flooded and closed Shorebrook Drive near The Cove in Normandy Park. Part of the overflow rushed through the front yard of this house. Photo by Scott Schaefer.

The National Weather Service has issued a ‘Hydrologic Outlook‘ statement Monday morning (Nov. 21) warning residents of western Washington of lots of rain, and of course the potential for flooding.

If you live near a creek in the Burien area, you may want to keep your eye on it.

Also, if you have a rake and are able to, may we recommend that you put a slicker on and walk around clearing nearby storm drains.

Here’s the Hydrologic Outlook:

HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA 452 AM PST MON NOV 21 2011

…Periods of heavy rain over the Cascades tonight and continuing into Wednesday could cause flooding…

A strong frontal system is forecast to remain over western Washington tonight into Wednesday morning. This system has the potential to bring very heavy rains to the Olympics and to a lesser extent the Washington Cascades.

Current forecasts have the front dropping south later Tuesday before hanging up over the central and southern Washington Cascades Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. This opens up the possibility of some the rivers in southwest Washington reaching flood stage on Wednesday.

People living along the rivers in southwest Washington should pay attention to the latest updates over the next couple of days.

Here’s the forecast for this week:

Today: Showers. High near 48. South wind between 15 and 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

Tonight: Rain. Low around 45. South wind between 15 and 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Tuesday: Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. High near 54. Breezy, with a south wind 25 to 28 mph decreasing to between 5 and 8 mph. Winds could gust as high as 41 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

Tuesday Night: Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. Low around 45. South wind between 5 and 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Wednesday: Showers. High near 48. South wind between 3 and 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Wednesday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 39.

Thanksgiving Day: Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 45. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Thursday Night: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a low around 38.

Friday: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 46.

Friday Night: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a low around 40.

Saturday: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 54.

Saturday Night: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a low around 41.

Sunday: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 46.

Long special statement short:

• Depending on your elevation and the wacky regional conditions, there could be some snow.
• It won’t stay around long though so there’s no need to freak out.
• And as the weather peeps themselves state: “there remains some uncertainty concerning the track of this system…”

Here’s the statement in its entirety:

1142 AM PST THU NOV 17 2011

…A mix of rain and snow showers possible across the lowlands of western Washington late tonight through Saturday. Accumulation is possible at some locations late tonight into early Friday morning and again early Saturday morning…

A cold upper trough moving southward along the British Columbia coast will settle over western Washington by early Friday morning. This trough will produce showers and bring very cold air aloft into the area. Temperatures near the surface will be cold enough for a mix of snow with rain showers across most areas through Saturday. However…higher hill tops and areas with persistent or heavy showers could see light accumulations of snow.

While most areas will not see any accumulation of snow… Model guidance continues to indicate the possibility of a convergence zone developing somewhere north of Seattle late tonight into early Friday morning. If this develops and persists long enough…accumulations of an inch or two could be possible anywhere from Seattle to Mount Vernon.

Another system passing to the south of the area early Saturday morning will bring an additional threat of lowland snow mainly to the south sound and southwest interior. There remains some uncertainty concerning the track of this system…which affects the potential for accumulating snow. There is enough potential for snow accumulation over parts of the southern inland areas that it warrants mention.

Colder temperatures are expected across western Washington through the weekend with widespread low temperatures falling into the low 30s tonight and into the mid 20s to around 30 degrees Saturday morning. As a result wet roadways may ice up tonight and will likely ice up Saturday morning…producing potentially hazardous driving conditions. Cold morning temperatures will occur again on Sunday morning with moderating temperatures during the afternoon.

Here’s the latest forecast for the next few days:

Tonight: Rain showers likely before 4am, then rain and snow showers likely. Snow level 1100 feet. Cloudy, with a low around 34. South wind between 7 and 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Friday: Rain and snow showers likely before 10am, then a chance of rain showers. Snow level 700 feet. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 40. South wind around 7 mph becoming east. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Friday Night: A chance of rain showers. Snow level 800 feet. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31. North northeast wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Saturday: A chance of rain and snow showers before 4pm, then a chance of rain showers. Snow level 400 feet. Partly sunny, with a high near 39. Northwest wind around 6 mph becoming south southeast. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Saturday Night: A chance of rain showers before 10pm, then a chance of rain and snow showers. Snow level 700 feet. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. South southeast wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Sunday: A chance of rain and snow showers before 10am, then a chance of rain showers. Snow level rising to 1200 feet. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Sunday Night: A 50 percent chance of rain. Cloudy, with a low around 35.