63 Days Until Spring

Now here's some comforting news....(ya right)

"Dear Linda,

63 days until Spring...and counting. Most of us like snow in a general sense, but if our e-mail is any indication, we're sensing a growing eagerness to find some warmer temperatures somewhere. For the third time in a week, Mother Nature brought another round of snow to already icy Western Washington. This time, after picking on the evening commute a couple of times, the snow hit during the heart of the morning commute. Generally, it looks like storm totals were between a dusting and 2" with most right about 1". Tacoma and Gig Harbor pushed 2-3", as did the Hood Canal area. Ferndale also reported 3". The big, accumulating snow is done. There will be a few isolated showers this evening and overnight that could be a rain/snow mix or plain old snow, but no accumulations expected. Instead, the attention turns to freezing fog and ice on the roads for Wednesday morning. Temperatures tonight are expected to drop into the 28-30 range -- not a hard freeze, but enough to freeze the melted slush from this afternoon. We're also looking at areas of freezing fog, where fog can freeze to surfaces, making roads slick that way as well. Bottom line: Be prepared for more ice challenges for Wednesday morning's commute. Once we get into the day tomorrow, the fog will gradually burn off, leaving a partly to mostly cloudy day. There could be a few showers in the foothills that could spout a few flakes, but no real accumulations expected there. Highs will "warm" into the upper 30s. Another quasi-chilly night expected Wednesday night, with lows again in that same 28-32 degree range. Forecasting models are having a difficult time figuring out Thursday through the weekend. It looks like we'll see very light rain at times as weak systems brush by our area as they head into B.C. (even weaker than today's system.) but they're all over the map, so to speak, with the timing. So we'll call for a general chance of rain showers during the day on Thursday and Friday as temperatures will easily make it above freezing both days (highs in the low 40s.) It is possible to see a few snowflakes during the pre-dawn hours when temperatures are at their coldest (low 30s both mornings) but no accumulations expected here either. (Let's just say no more accumulations are expected in any shower for the next week.) Looks like lingering showers for Saturday, perhaps mixing with some sun breaks. We then appear to go dry again for Sunday through most of next week, with areas of morning fog giving way to partly to mostly sunny skies and highs in the mid-upper 40s. Guess we'll have to break out the shorts! Very long range models keep us dry through next week, but then hint at returning to a colder pattern for the end of the month. But just think, by then, we'll be down to 48 days until spring! Updated Tuesday 4:00 p.m. more...

Sincerely, KOMO 4 Weather Producer Scott Sistek"