Gusty Weekend To Give Way To Frigid Work Week: WA WX Outlook

WASHINGTON — Bust out the blankets and space heaters and keep a hand on the thermostat, because Western Washington is about to be hit with an unusually cold weather system next week. Several days next week will see overnight lows dipping past freezing and into the upper 20s — and some areas may even see lows in the teens.

Before the cold, however, Puget Sound will have to contend with a blustery weekend. The National Weather Service says to expect winds of 20 to 25 mph from Olympia to Tacoma on Saturday. Those winds gain strength as we move north, reaching up to 35 mph in Seattle. As usual, the coasts will have it even worse, with winds between 40 and 45 mph from Neah Bay to Port Townsend.

The wind will be especially problematic for drivers in the passes. Forecasters are predicting up to a foot of snowfall above 2,500 feet and the combination of snow and wind will severely cut visibility and make travel difficult in the highlands.

Winds should hold strong all Saturday, but will peak late Saturday night and largely die out by Sunday morning.

Monday will be mostly uneventful until the evening, when the cold weather front begins its push into Western Washington.

From there, temperatures will dip substantially with highs dropping from the mid 40s to 40 or below. Overnight you can expect freezing temperatures, but exactly how cold it will get, is still pretty up in the air.

The worst of the cold weather should be Tuesday through Thursday evening. Starting Friday, temperatures will even out as the offshore flow eases off and a new heat ridge makes its way inland.

While the cold snap will be exceptionally chilly, it's not totally unexpected. Climatologists have been predicting that February would be colder than average this winter since back in October.

Related: Climatologists Predict Chilly February For Washington