Seattle weather: Thursday evening brings the potential for more snow and freezing rain

Quiet and cold conditions are what folks dealt with today. Our high temperature of 30 degrees on Wednesday came very early in the day at 12:23 am and we quickly fell right back down into the 20s for the rest of the day.  

We have a lot to get through in this weather post… so here we go!  

Overnight, temperatures once again are frigid!  We'll see temps drop into the teens and single digits with wind chills making it feel even colder: up to 10 degrees below zero! 

Thursday starts our quiet and cold, but around dinner time our next powerful system hits the region.  This will give us another Weather Alert Thursday night into Friday as the active weather system blankets the region.  This potentially could make holiday travel very dangerous.  

Here's a look at our very cold overnight lows.  And remember, with winds blowing and gusting, temps will feel even colder than these forecast readings. 

Friday is still very cold as well, but the good news is the temperature trend will start to warm once we move into the weekend.  Overnight lows march right up into the upper 40s where we have not been in some time. 

We have several weather alerts up through Friday, including a "Wind Chill Advisory" for many areas across the state. Within this advisory, we expect wind chills as low as 10-20 below zero. If you are outside in these conditions, please protect your skin as just 30 minutes out in the elements can bring frostbite. 

Eastern WA also will experience the chill with forecast temps even colder, dipping as low as 25 below zero.  

And just a reminder, these types of conditions coupled with snow, ice, and freezing rain will not only disrupt holiday travel by car and plane, but also have the potential to cause widespread power outages. 

Highs Thursday only warming to 25 degrees.  Normal for this time of year is 46.  With forecast highs so cold, everything will stay frozen ahead of our next storm. 

We are watching the timing of tomorrow's system very closely.  As of now, we're tracking the leading edge moving through around the dinner hour.  As this warm front collides with cold air in place, the mountains will see snow with the lowlands getting a variety of precipitation including snow, ice, freezing rain to just rain on the back edge. 

We also have a couple "Winter Storm Alerts" in place for snow and freezing rain.  Most of Western WA extending over east into Central WA is under a "Winter Storm Watch" where we could see up to three inches of snow with the potential for up to a quarter inch of ice.  

Farther south into SW WA and into the southern Cascades we're forecasting up to six inches with a better chance for half an inch of ice along with gusty winds up to 50 mph.

Again, please remember that these conditions will be very dangerous for holiday travelers.  Expect major delays for ground and air travel during this type of forecast. Be safe! 

The Cascades are looking to pull down nearly a foot to nearly two feet through Saturday with this storm. 

Here's a look at widespread precipitation blanketing the state Friday very early into the overnight hours.  Again, the areas in pink are where we have the potential to see freezing rain.  Seattle south into Portland is looking very dicey at this point with very slick-dangerous roads.  

By 6 am Friday, most showers start to wrap up west of the mountains, but snow keeps pumping for folks in Eastern WA.  

Once we get through Friday, we'll see just rain as temperatures warm up. Saturday will be a super soaker with heavy downpours throughout the day. Highs warm to near 50s! 

This year, Christmas will feature more rain with slightly above average temperatures.  And because of all the snow and rain we also are watching for urban flooding as we thaw out and continue with more rain into next week!  Enjoy!  

Happy holidays everyone!  ~Erin Mayovsky, FOX 13 Forecaster