Many Clallam County residents awoke to a surprise snowfall Wednesday morning, but no one will need to worry about snow for the rest of the week, said National Weather Service meteorologists.
It’s rain and wind that will be the problem.
“Friday will be pretty wet, but that will be the main show,” said meteorologist Trent Davis.
“It will stay showery on Saturday and unsettled through weekend, but Friday will be a good rain,” he said.
A front is expected to come through on Friday, dropping a lot of rain, and be followed that afternoon or evening by a big push of wind that could produce gusts of 50 mph near the Strait of Juan de Fuca, according to meteorologist Dana Felton.
“It’s going to come up quick, too,” Felton said of the gusts. “It’s not going to be windy and then, boom.”
Felton said Wednesday morning’s snowfall was concentrated around the Lake Crescent area and other places a few miles west of Port Angles, as well as at some higher elevations south of Port Angeles.
At most, 1 to 2 inches fell, he said.
Davis said the winds were from northeast, so that upslope from the Strait of Juan de Fuca is one mechanism to enhance snowfall.
“It depends upon on where low pressure takes shape and that’s what happened here. The snow was pretty localized, mostly above 4,000 feet,” he said.
The Dungeness Snotel reported 2 inches of snow on Wednesday. Snotel is short for snowpack telemetry at a backcountry weather station.
Waterhole reported zero inches on Tuesday, with no update recorded on Wednesday. Also on Tuesday, Buckinghorse and Mount Crag showed zero inches.
The weather service issued a brief winter weather advisory for the western Strait of Juan de Fuca lowlands along the northern Olympic Peninsula until 2 p.m. Wednesday. The advisory includes the area from around Lake Crescent to Clallam Bay and along U.S. Highway 101.
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Reporter Brian Gawley can be reached at Brian.Gawley@ sound publishing.com.
Executive Editor Leah Leach contributed to this story.
