Snow falls in Tacoma area as temperatures dip to 32 degrees, forecaster says

Rain turned to snow in the Tacoma area on Sunday as temperatures dipped to right around the freezing mark of 32 degrees, a forecaster with the National Weather Service said.

A band of precipitation, combined with colder temperatures, drove that snow level to the surface, said meteorologist Kayla Mazurkiewicz on Sunday.

Snow was reportedly falling in downtown Tacoma, Puyallup, South Hill and Gig Harbor, she said.

Snow also was falling at a shopping center off state Route 16 in Tacoma, said Trooper Robert Reyer, who was working an off-duty overtime shift at a T.J. Maxx.

Once it snows, problem areas for drivers tend to be where it’s busiest: north of the Tacoma dome on I-5, around state Route 512 and on state Route 16, he said.

Reyer urged drivers to slow down and increase their following distances between cars when it snows.

Some other tips for driving in the snow.

▪ Turn on your headlights.

▪ Make sure you have working windshield wipers and enough tire air pressure.

▪ Before driving, clear vehicle of all ice and snow, including on the roof of the vehicle. If not, there’s a chance all that rooftop snow blows off onto another car, making visibility difficult for other drivers.

▪ Do not use cruise control. “You want to have full control of your vehicle when driving in the snow,” Reyer said.

▪ Do not suddenly accelerate or decelerate to maintain vehicle traction.

The good news for drivers is the snow is not expected to sick around, forecaster Mazurkiewicz said. It is expected to be generally drier the next couple of days before the next weather system moves through the area later in the week. It will bring mountain snow, but lowland rain, she said.