Rain to return to Puget Sound region as temperatures warm through the weekend

It’s back to our regularly scheduled programming for Puget Sound residents, who will be seeing an old familiar sight  — rain —  as temperatures warm going into the weekend and snowfall stays in the mountains, according to the National Weather Service.

“We’re transitioning out of the concerning weather and into just our winter weather,” said meteorologist Dana Felton with the weather service in Seattle. “The snow threat should be taken care of.”

Though a few areas higher than 500 feet could see some snow and icy rain Thursday, Friday and into the weekend, most of us will be dealing with very little out of the ordinary, said meteorologist Dustin Guy.

“For all intents and purposes, it’s back to our regularly scheduled programming,” he said Thursday morning.

Precipitation through the weekend will mostly come down as rain, although some areas to the north of Seattle and on the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas may see a mix of rain and snow through Thursday, according to the weather service. Some higher-elevation spots in the Seattle area may also see a few flakes from Thursday afternoon into Friday, but it won’t be much, according to the weather service.

Both Snoqualmie Pass and White Pass are open, though traction tires are required, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation. Stevens Pass, closed since Sunday, reopened Thursday afternoon.

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Temperatures around Seattle are expected to climb into the low to mid-40s Thursday, then dip overnight before returning to a high of 40 Friday, the weather service says. Commuters in some outlying areas could have to deal with icy roads early Friday, but the ice will melt as daytime temperatures climb into the mid- to high 40s.

There may be some flooding from the warm-up, but the flood threat was low for most Puget Sound rivers as of Wednesday night. The weather service will be evaluating flood risk into the weekend.

Showers will be hit and miss Thursday afternoon through Friday afternoon, before another system moves into the area Friday evening and brings widespread rain to the region. There will be some gusty winds, but nothing as strong as Wednesday, according to the weather service.

The wind knocked out power Wednesday to residents in places like North Bend, which saw gusts up to 50 mph in the afternoon. A high-wind warning was in effect for the East Puget Sound lowlands into Wednesday night, with an increased risk of tree damage, blowing snow and power outages. Meanwhile, Seattle was breezy but not dangerously windy.

While Seattle Public Schools is resuming normal schedules and bus routes Thursday, other King County districts are delayed or canceled. Snoqualmie Valley schools are closed and Issaquah, Lake Washington, Northshore, Riverview, Shoreline and Tahoma schools are delayed two hours. In Snohomish County, Arlington, Darrington, Edmonds, Granite Falls, Lake Stevens, Lakewood, Marysville, Monroe, Mukilteo, Snohomish, Stanwood and Sultan are beginning two hours late.

Some areas may be dealing with other effects of earlier snow. The Olympic Peninsula was hit especially hard, as Port Angeles received 18-22 inches Tuesday night.

Skykomish School District announced classes would be canceled Thursday, as it continues to be affected by the Highway 2 closure and power outages, according to FlashAlert.net, which tracks most schools and districts in the region.

Seattle Public Utilities will resume residential collection of waste, but said pickup will be delayed for one day the rest of the week. Waste Management, which serves areas including Kitsap, Snohomish and Skagit counties and parts of King County, has postponed or canceled residential-waste pickup for some customers. For updates in your service area, see wmnorthwest.com.