Storm To Bring Needed Snow, Cold Snap Coming Later In Week

A storm coming through the state is bringing snow across eastern Washington. 

The National Weather Service says Wenatchee could get two inches of snow by the end of today, while Leavenworth could see five inches. 

Chelan and Waterville are forecast to receive three-and-a-half inches. 

National Weather Service Meteorologist Rachael Fewkws says the storm will hit Stevens Pass especially hard. 

"We actually have a blizzard warning in place for Stevens Pass, which we don't issue those very often," Fewkes said. "That's due to the combination of the high winds on Tuesday and the intense snowfall." 

There's a wind advisory for most of the region from noon Tuesday through 4am Wednesday. 

Meanwhile, it's also going to be especially cold from Thursday night through the weekend. 

Fewkws says it's not likely we'll see record low temperatures, but it's also too early to tell. 

"There's still a lot of uncertainty," said Fewkes. "There's big ranges. We're going to be right on the western edge of an arctic air mass that's coming down, so just any little shift in where that air mass is going to sit could dramatically affect our temperatures. But we have high confidence it's going to be cold." 

The storm in the next two days will bring heavy snow to the Cascades, but more will be needed to replenish the low level of snowpack. 

The Cascades are 40-to-60 percent of normal snow levels. Fewkes said the snow level is 40 percent of normal in the southern Cascades of Washington, while it’s 60 percent in the northern part of the state. 

Most areas in the Cascades are about 20 to 30 inches below average.   

Fewkes said we’ll need more storms like the incoming one to make up for the shortage. 

There's concern that lack of snow this winter could have a big impact on wildfire season this coming summer in Washington.   

Forecasters say the lighter snowfall this winter could lead to a longer and hotter wildfire season.