Light snowfall, strong winds and falling temperatures expected to continue through the week

With Christmas and New Year’s over, winter weather has arrived in the Pacific Northwest.

Less than half an inch of snow accumulated in the area Monday evening, and 1 to 3 inches were expected Monday night into Tuesday morning.

Monday’s snow is expected to be followed by strong and gusty winds Tuesday, and periods of on-and-off light snow in combination with falling temperatures through the rest of the week.

“With the coldest temperatures on Saturday and Sunday, we may not get out of the single digits for high temperatures over the weekend, and our temperatures at night may fall below zero,” said Greg Koch, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Falling temperatures may feel even colder with the arrival of more wind Thursday night into Friday.

“The main story for the weekend will generally be the cold temperatures and the biting wind chills,” Koch said. “Any snow that falls Wednesday and Thursday will have the potential to blow around in areas that are prone to a north wind.”

Since the start of January, Spokane has received 2.1 inches of snow. The season’s total is now 15.8 inches, still more than 8 inches less than Spokane’s 24-inch average for this time of year.

“We’re running a deficit, and the snow that we have gotten so far this winter hasn’t stuck around very long; most events, it has melted within a couple of days,” Koch said.

This wintry weather may be good news for local ski areas that have been struggling with little snowfall.

“Through Tuesday night, we’ll have the potential for 1 to 2 feet of snow for elevations above about 4,000 feet (in the Idaho Panhandle), and the mountains of northeast Washington, north of the metro, can expect about 8 to 12 inches of accumulation,” Koch said. “The mountains are going to receive some much-needed snow.”

Weather should even out again next week.

“Our temperatures are expected to gradually moderate next week, and by the time we get into the middle, the latter part of next week, our temperatures should be getting closer to average,” Koch said. That means highs in the mid-30s and lows in the 20s.