‘Hazardous weather conditions’ and freezing fog in parts of WA. Here’s what to know

Alyse Messmer-Smith
·3 min read
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Washington residents in the Olympia and Tacoma areas can expect “hazardous weather conditions,” as eastern Washington will finally get a break from harsh winter weather conditions this upcoming weekend into next week, according to the National Weather Service.

The NWS has currently issued two winter storm warnings and two winter weather advisories in areas such as the Central Coast, Seattle, Everett, the Olympics and Bellevue, as well as a freezing fog advisory in Kittitas Valley.

In the south Puget Sound, Olympia and Tacoma can expect “some spotty snow showers and a front coming in with temperatures under freezing,” on Friday night, Kayla Mazurkiewicz, Seattle NWS meteorologist said.

The areas’ expected snowfall overnight on Friday will only bring about an inch or two of snow, Mazurkiewicz added.

Drivers in the Olympia area should be extra cautious as the NWS has issued a hazardous weather condition warning for black ice on roads. Olympia has already received a sufficient amount of snow this week, causing delays for some local schools. Olympia is expected to receive a mix of rain and snow from Friday through Sunday, but have mostly cloudy skies on Monday and Tuesday with slight chances of showers, likely followed by more rain on Wednesday and Thursday.

Tacoma was also issued a hazardous weather condition warning for black ice on the roads, stating that “recent snowfall and resultant melting yesterday on local roadways combined with widespread low temperatures in the 20s this morning will lead to moisture refreezing.”

Tacoma is also expected to receive a mix of rain and snow on Friday, followed by a chance of rain from Saturday through Sunday. The city will see sunny skies on Monday, but quickly go back to rainy weather on Tuesday through Thursday.

But not all of western Washington will be rainy throughout the week, as Bellingham is expected to have one more day of rain and snow on Friday, followed by four days of mostly sunny skies from Saturday through Tuesday, according to the NWS. On Wednesday and Thursday, Bellingham is expected to receive more rain, as Whatcom County continues to experience temperatures about 10 degrees below normal, according to previous reporting from The Bellingham Herald.

In eastern Washington, Spokane is warned to expect freezing fog in temperatures around 10 degrees at night. The Tri-Cities area near Pasco is expected to have similar temperatures, dropping to 19 degrees on Saturday and Sunday night.

“It’s going to be a dry weekend. Spokane will remain really cold, a low of about 10 to 15 degrees, and highs in the mid 20’s.There is a weak system that moves in tonight and there might be some light snow near the Canadian border, but extremely light. Steven’s Pass might get a few inches,” Laurie Nisbet, NWS meteorologist said.

Pasco is expected to have partly sunny skies Friday and Saturday, followed by a chance of snow on Sunday. Monday through Thursday will be partly cloudy with higher temperatures in the 20s and 30s.

Spokane is expected to have partly cloudy skies from Friday through Thursday with fog overnight and into the early mornings. On Thursday, Spokane may receive a break from the dry weather with a 20% chance of snow.