The following is a ice storm warming release form the National Weather Service for the Puget Sound region. The freezing rain is expected to last into this afternoon at 2 p.m.
Ice Storm Warning
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGENATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
1039 AM PST THU JAN 19 2012
A WARM FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD RAIN OVER PORTIONS OF
WESTERN WASHINGTON THROUGH EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES
WILL REMAIN BELOW FREEZING WITH FREEZING RAIN EXPECTED AT THE
SURFACE. AREAS FARTHER NORTH INCLUDING EVERETT...ADMIRALTY INLET
AND EASTERN STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA WILL SEE SNOW AT TIMES.
PRECIPITATION WILL EASE THIS AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES WILL
GRADUALLY MODERATE TONIGHT...RISING ABOVE FREEZING. ANOTHER STRONG
SYSTEM WILL BRING HEAVY SNOW TO THE MOUNTAINS ON FRIDAY.
WAZ504-505-508-509-511-512-192200-
/O.CON.KSEW.IS.W.0001.000000T0000Z-120119T2200Z/
SOUTHWEST INTERIOR-EAST PUGET SOUND LOWLANDS-
SEATTLE/BREMERTON AREA-TACOMA AREA-HOOD CANAL AREA-
LOWER CHEHALIS VALLEY AREA-
1039 AM PST THU JAN 19 2012
...ICE STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 PM PST THIS
AFTERNOON...
* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS...SEATTLE...OLYMPIA...TACOMA...
BREMERTON AND BELLEVUE.
* TIMING....FREEZING RAIN WILL CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY THIS
AFTERNOON.
* ICE ACCUMULATIONS...TOTAL ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF 0.25 TO 0.75
INCHES.
* MAIN IMPACT...TRAVEL WILL BE SEVERELY IMPACTED. POWER OUTAGES
ARE LIKELY.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
AN ICE STORM WARNING MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE
IMMINENT OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF ICE ACCUMULATIONS
WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS OR IMPOSSIBLE. TRAVEL IS STRONGLY
DISCOURAGED. COMMERCE WILL LIKELY BE SEVERELY IMPACTED. IF YOU
MUST TRAVEL...KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT...FOOD...AND WATER IN YOUR
VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY. ICE ACCUMULATIONS WILL LIKELY
LEAD TO SNAPPED POWER LINES AND FALLING TREE BRANCHES THAT ADD TO
THE DANGER.
Hydrologic Outlook
HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOKWAC027-033-041-045-053-067-192015-
HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
357 PM PST WED JAN 18 2012
...CORRECTED TO ADD SPECIFIC MENTION OF RIVERS...
...FLOOD POTENTIAL THIS WEEKEND FOR SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON...
A WET AND ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN IS IN PLACE FOR WESTERN
WASHINGTON FOR THE NEXT WEEK. AS WE WIND UP THIS SNOW STORM...WE WILL
BE EVALUATING THE AMOUNT OF WATER EQUIVALENT THAT IS LYING ON THE
GROUND WAITING TO MELT AND RUNOFF IN TO AREA RIVERS.
MEANWHILE...A PACIFIC STORM IS HEADING FOR WESTERN WASHINGTON FOR
FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY THAT WILL BRING RAIN OF ONE HALF TO TWO AND ONE
HALF INCHES BELOW 4000-5000 FEET ELEVATION. MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WILL
BE IN THE MID FORTIES AND TOGETHER WITH THE WIND AND RAIN...WILL
MELT THE LOWLAND SNOW. THIS AMOUNT OF RUNOFF COULD DRIVE RIVERS IN
LOW ELEVATION BASINS ABOVE FLOOD STAGE. THIS INCLUDES THE CHEHALIS
AND SKOKOMISH RIVERS. ANY FLOODING THAT DOES OCCUR IS EXPECTED TO BE
MINOR. IN ADDITION...THIS COULD PRODUCE URBAN AND SMALL STREAM
PONDING OR FLOODING FROM SNOW AND ICE CLOGGED DRAINS AND CULVERTS
JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE IN THE LOWLANDS OF WESTERN WASHINGTON.
THIS WILL BE A TRICKY SITUATION TO FORECAST AND UNCERTAINTY THAT
THERE WILL OR WILL NOT BE FLOODING IS QUITE HIGH. RAINFALL
INTENSITIES AND THE AMOUNT AND RATE OF LOWLAND SNOW MELT WILL
DETERMINE HOW HIGH THE RIVERS RISE. THERE IS A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY
IN HOW MUCH SNOW WATER THERE IS AND HOW FAST THAT SNOW WILL MELT.
RIVER MODELS DO NOT ALWAYS HANDLE THESE SITUATIONS VERY WELL SO
SPECIFIC RIVER FORECASTS MAY NOT FULLY INDICATE THE EXISTING FLOOD
RISK.
BEYOND THIS WEEKEND...WE WILL CONTINUE TO GET STORMS THAT WILL
CONTINUE TO BUILD RISES ON AREA RIVERS INTO NEXT WEEK FOR
ADDITIONAL PERIODS WHEN THERE MAY BE THE RISK OF FLOODING.
STAY TUNE TO THE LATEST WEATHER AND RIVER FORECASTS AND BULLETINS.
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