Snow in Forecast Unlikely to Affect Mercer Island

A Special Weather Statement issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) at 5:02 p.m. warns residents that snow is possible tonight or tomorrow, but temperatures are too warm to see any accumulation. Any snow will mix with rain until it ends around midday Sunday.

Cold, dry winds from Canada will drop temperatures below freezing Sunday night and keep them at or above freezing for much of next week, but no precipitation is forecast. A light frost and ice forming on local roads may occur.

The following is an excerpt from the Jan. 29 NWS Special Weather Statement:

"...A BRIEF PERIOD OF LIGHT SNOW IS POSSIBLE ACROSS THE INTERIOR LOWLANDS LATE TONIGHT OR SUNDAY MORNING...

A MODIFIED ARCTIC FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE NORTH INTERIOR LATER TONIGHT AND THEN SWEEP ACROSS THE REST OF THE AREA ON SUNDAY. THE COLDER AIR ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FRONT WILL ARRIVE ABOUT THE SAME TIME THE PRECIPITATION WILL BE TAPERING OFF. THUS THERE MAY BE A BRIEF PERIOD OF SNOW OR MIXED RAIN AND SNOW BEFORE THE PRECIPITATION COMES TO AN END.

ANY SNOW THAT FALLS SHOULD BE LIGHT...THEREFORE SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATION APPEARED UNLIKELY. AT THE MOST...EXPECT ONLY A DUSTING. ALSO...TEMPERATURES AT MOST PLACES WILL BE A LITTLE TOO WARM FOR THE SNOW TO STICK. THE EXCEPTIONS WILL BE THE EASTERN STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA AND THE EAST PUGET SOUND LOWLANDS WHERE LOCALLY UP TO AN INCH IS POSSIBLE.

THE RISK OF SNOW WILL COME TO AN END ACROSS THE LOWLANDS BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON."