Swish, swoosh. Whoooosh, whiff. Plop, plunk, pitter-patter, pitter-patter, pitter-patter!
If you didn't hear the sighing, howling, wailing, rustling or shrieking of the wind overnight, you'll get another opportunity on Tuesday.
Mother Nature is continuing to check off a laundry list of winter weather conditions — including strong winds and heavy mountain snow — that are "on the wild side, even for Western Washington," the National Weather Service said.
The system responsible for the 14 weather service watches, warnings and advisories currently in effect across Western Washington slammed into the coast Monday evening, spreading inland overnight.
Southerly winds increased with the arrival of this overnight weather-maker, gusting up to 50 mph and leaving tens of thousands without power in the Seattle area.
As of 6:45 a.m., 416 outages have left 23,274 Puget Sound Energy customers without power.
Shortly after midnight on Tuesday, 6,350 Seattle City Light customers were without power. As of 6:45 a.m., 2,671 customers remain without power.
Wind gusts up 50 mph remain in the forecast through the lowlands on Tuesday where a wind advisory is in place through 10 p.m., the weather service said.
Wind speeds and gusts will vary by location on Tuesday. The strongest winds will begin blowing late Tuesday morning, peaking in the afternoon when gusts up to 55 to 65 mph are possible through the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Areas in and around the strait are included in a high wind warning in effect through Tuesday afternoon.
Winds are expected to ease by nightfall.
Meanwhile, in the mountains, "an incredible amount of snow" is expected to fall through Wednesday thanks to the system that has pushed eastward, the weather service said.
Webcams at Snoqualmie and Stevens passes showed near-whiteout conditions around 4 a.m. Tuesday, which was shortly after the winter storm warning converted to a blizzard warning an hour earlier than expected.
On Tuesday, winds gusting as high as 65 mph and an additional 2 to 3 feet of snow above 2,000 feet will create periods of whiteout and near-zero visibility, according to the weather service.
The Washington State Department of Transportation and Washington Emergency Management are urging drivers to avoid traveling through the passes.
Blizzard warnings are rare in Western Washington — the last one was in 2012 — and they require a combination of blowing snow, 35+ mph winds and quarter-mile visibility for three hours or more, according to the weather service.
Continuing our tour of current weather hazards across Western Washington, we arrive at the coast, where another cycle of king tides is expected. Low pressure, strong onshore winds and large swells (up to 28 feet with large breaking waves of 15 to 30 feet) will increase the risk of coastal flooding on Tuesday, the weather service said.
Significant coastal flooding is forecast on the coast and around the San Juan Islands on Tuesday. There is a coastal flood warning in effect through the afternoon for inundation up to 3 feet above ground level.
As we move into Thursday, meteorologists are tracking a rush of cold Canadian air bearing down on the region from the north, but "much, much uncertainty must be expressed in the evolution of the long term forecast," the weather service said.
However, confidence is rising that temperatures will fall well below average heading into the weekend — overnight lows sinking below freezing are possible, while highs will struggle to crest 32 degrees.
Now, how much moisture will be around?
"That is the million-dollar question," the weather service said.
As of Tuesday morning, there is a 40% to 60% chance of 2 inches or more of snowfall for much of the lowlands, including Seattle, starting Friday.
There is a 30% to 40% chance that snowfall could exceed 4 inches across most of the lowlands.
Stay tuned!
