EVERETT — If you were dreaming of a white Christmas, start lowering your expectations now.
Weather experts say it’ll stay chilly over the next couple of days, but a new weather system moving in later in the week will bring warmer weather.
Maybe aim for a slushy Christmas instead?
Johnny Burg, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Seattle office, said Thursday would likely be very cold but dry. The lowlands surrounding Everett may see low temperatures around 12 degrees Wednesday night. Daytime conditions won’t be much more hospitable on Thursday: highs are expected to just barely scrape 20.
Further north, Arlington and Mount Vernon may only get as warm as 8 degrees, Burg said. Roads still packed with snow from earlier in the week will probably stay that way.
But Snohomish County can expect a bit of respite from a weather system expected to bring in some slightly warmer temperatures starting Thursday evening, Burg said. It’ll likely first bring precipitation in the form of snow until surface temperatures warm slightly, he said, then turn into rain later that night through Friday.
Don’t start thinking the weather has you on its nice list yet, though. As the rain falls on still-freezing land, it’ll likely become freezing rain, Burg said. Roads will probably be especially slick and dangerous Friday morning, so if you were looking for a reason to extend your long holiday weekend, Burg said it may be a good idea to stay home.
Starting Friday afternoon, temps will gradually climb from the high teens to the 30s and 40s in the lowlands. Going into the weekend, there’s a concern rivers could approach flood stage as rain continues to fall and snow begins to melt, Burg said.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Snohomish County’s flood risk map showed all area rivers to be well within safe zones. But it all depends on how much rain falls, how fast and where, Burg said, so it’s hard to predict which rivers may be at highest risk.
Saturday and Sunday will see temperatures between 35 and 45 degrees. Given the thaw, it’s unlikely Everett will see anything matching an officially-defined white Christmas. (And yes, there’s an official definition: if there’s 1 inch of snow on the ground at 7 a.m. on Dec. 25, you can start blasting the Bing Crosby.)
“With the warmer temps and the rain coming in, I don’t think it’s likely you’ll see snow for Christmas unless you keep some in the freezer,” Burg said.
Mountain passes may be seeing an inch or 2 of snow on Christmas Eve, but by Christmas it’ll probably be more of a rain-snow mix, Burg predicted. He recommended checking pass conditions before heading out, as ice on the road is always a possibility.
Riley Haun: 425-339-3192; riley.haun@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @RHaunID.
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