Winter Weather Advisory: Snow Approaching Western Washington

BELLEVUE, WA - There's a storm approaching Western Washington that will bring snow - but just how much snow is unknown.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for all of Western Washington - from Everett to Olympia - warning of snow accumulations between 1 and 3 inches. But some forecast models show there's a chance for as much as 5 inches - with some models calling for as much as 12 inches.

The advisory goes into effect Sunday at 4 p.m. and expires 24 hours later. Precipitation will begin as rain and then transition to snow by early this evening. Precipitation should turn all-snow by 10 p.m., according to the advisory.

The advisory is in effect for all of Western Washington from the Cascades to the Pacific Ocean. However, the advisory specifically mentions cities in the south and central Puget Sound area like Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia.

As with most snow events around Puget Sound, snow accumulations are expected to vary greatly.

Here's what University of Washington meteorologist Cliff Mass wrote on his blog about the approaching storm:

"Combining the best tools available to us (ensemble forecast systems at relatively modest resolution and a limited number of high-resolution forecasts), it appears highly probable that there will be lowland snow from Portland to the Puget Sound lowlands. It will start this evening and extend into Monday. The most probable value around Seattle is around 3-5 inches, with more to the south. In Seattle, there is a perhaps 25 percent chance of getting only a dusting of snow, with mainly rain falling. There is a similar chance of getting a major event with 6 to 12 inches."

Read the full winter weather advisory here

Image via Patch.com