EVERETT — High pressure coupled with offshore flows is creating dangerously cold, below-average temperatures this week in Snohomish County and western Washington.
The National Weather Service has issued a cold weather advisory for the coast and Puget Sound lowlands from 6 p.m. Monday to 10 a.m. with wind chills as low as 15 to 20 degrees.
On Tuesday, expect a high of near 37 degrees with wind chills making it feel as cold as 17 degrees. At night, the overnight low temperatures could reach as low as 19.
Wednesday will be slightly warmer with a daytime high near 40 and a nighttime low around 22.
Average temperatures for Everett in February include a high of 48 and a low of 37, according to U.S. Climate Data.
A high-pressure system creating uncharacteristic blue winter skies in western Washington, paired with cold air coming in from east of the Cascades, has helped temperatures drop far below average, National Weather Service meteorologist Kirby Cook said.
Clear skies may disappear Thursday with storm precipitation currently hitting northern California and Oregon drifting up into western Washington by Thursday evening.
“There’s a chance for some of that precipitation to kind of work its way up from the south into at least the southern part of Western Washington Thursday night into Friday morning,” Cook said. “Temperatures overnight will be cold enough for snow, so we do have some potential for at least light snow accumulations.”
Such cold temperatures can lead to hypothermia, the advisory warned. Learning the basic signs of frostbite and hypothermia can be life-saving.
Signs of frostbite include numbness, white or grayish-yellow skin, and firm or waxy skin. Signs of hypothermia include shivering, confusion, slurred speech or drowsiness.
All six county cold weather shelters will be open on nights when temperatures drop below 34 degrees. An additional shelter in east Everett, run by Volunteers of America, will be open until Feb. 14 on Cedar Street with intake from 8 to 10 p.m.
Eliza Aronson: 425-339-3434; eliza.aronson@heraldnet.com; X: @ElizaAronson.
Eliza’s stories are supported by the Herald’s Environmental and Climate Reporting Fund.
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