Unseasonable cold arrives as chances for lowland snow decline in Whatcom County
Bellingham and Whatcom County were bracing for several days of bone-chilling cold as arctic air sweeps across Western Washington starting Thursday.
Coupled with biting winds from the Fraser River Valley of British Columbia, temperatures might not rise above freezing for several days starting Friday.
The forecast high temperature for Friday was 19 degrees, with a low of 9. Normal high for the date is 48, with a low of 39, according to the National Weather Service in Seattle.
A wind chill advisory for “feels like” temperatures of 20 degrees below zero was issued through Saturday.
A wind advisory warned of northeast winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts to 50 mph.
“The cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes,” the advisory said.
Bellingham International Airport’s reading of 39 degrees at 12:50 a.m. Thursday was likely the day’s high temperature as the mercury started to fall.
Chances of widespread lowland snow were decreasing, with only light snow showers in the forecast for overnight Thursday into Friday morning, according to the National Weather Service in Seattle.
“With a modified arctic front moving in along with it, lowland snow could be possible for some but significant accumulation is not expected and much uncertainty must be expressed,” meteorologist Dev McMillian said online Wednesday evening.
Stewart Mountain and the hills surrounding Lake Whatcom wore a fresh coat of snow Thursday morning.
Cold weather will remain through early next week, but there is little chance of additional snowfall past Friday — at least for now, according to the forecast.
Meanwhile, crews at the Whatcom County Public Works Department have been getting their rigs ready amid a constantly changing weather forecast, department spokeswoman Mandy Feutz told The Bellingham Herald.
“We have 16 plows, over 180 tons of straight salt, 2000-plus tons of sand, and a crew ready to tackle anything Mother Nature throws at us,” Feutz said in an email.
In Bellingham, Public Works Department crews have been applying salt brine to priority routes, hills, and bridges, spokeswoman Torhil Ramsay told The Herald.
“Once temperatures drop below 20 degrees the salt/water brine solution starts to freeze so we switch to applying sand to critical, slick areas,” Ramsay said in an email.
In the event of a snow emergency, crews begin working around the clock in 12-hour shifts.
