EVERETT — Snohomish County began to look more like a winter wonderland on Sunday, with snowfall throughout the county.
In Arlington and Marysville, the ground was covered by the afternoon. The Everett area got a wet and wintry mix, with rain showers turning to flurries as the afternoon progressed.
As of Sunday afternoon, the snow was forecasted to continue overnight into Monday, accumulating as much as a few inches in the hardest-hit parts of the county, said Samantha Borth, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Seattle.
“Monday might be a little bit more of a lull,” Borth said. “Showers are going to be tapering, but then we have another system coming in on Tuesday. And that could yield additional lowland snow concerns.”
The next storm could bring another inch or two of snow to lowland areas of Snohomish County, but the forecast is still being refined, Borth said.
Going into the weekend, Snohomish County Public Works was monitoring the weather, with snow-clearing crews ready, according to a recent news release. Its inventory includes nearly 40 plow and sander trucks, three anti-icer trucks and 22,500 gallons of anti-icing liquid.
“Despite the snow event earlier this season, we have enough salt, sand, and mixed products available for at least seven continuous (24/7) days of snow and ice fighting,” Public Works Director Kelly Snyder said in the news release. “Steps have been taken to ensure we are able to secure additional abrasives should the need arise. The county’s fleet division is ready to repair our vehicles and replace our plow blades.”
A winter weather advisory was issued for the Cascade mountains in King and Snohomish Counties on Sunday until 10 p.m. The advisory warned of one to six inches of new snow in areas including Darrington, Index, Skykomish, Stevens Pass and Snoqualmie Pass.
The National Weather Service also issued a winter storm watch for those areas, in effect late Monday night through late Tuesday night. One to two feet of snow could accumulate in the mountains, according to the watch.
Across western Washington, it’s going to be cold, with widespread snow potential and the “best chance for heavier snowfall beginning Monday night,” according to a weekend bulletin from the weather service.
Early this week, daily high temperatures are forecasted to hover around freezing, with overnight lows in the teens, Borth said.
So the roads could be icy. The National Weather Service encourages commuters to check road conditions online at wsdot.com before leaving home and slow down if snow is sticking to the pavement.
As for the possibility for a white Christmas:
“It’s hard to say,” Borth said. “Honestly, it looks like it’s going to start warming up at the end of the week. My bets on that right now would be pretty low.”
But, she added, that could always change.
Rachel Riley: 425-339-3465; rriley@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @rachel_m_riley.
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