Wenatchee Valley Bracing For Up To Eight Inches Of Snow

North Central Washington is bracing for its first significant snow event of the season.

The National Weather Service office in Spokane has updated the threat to a Winter Storm Warning for the entire region from 4 p.m. Tuesday (Nov. 19) through Wednesday (Nov. 20) at 10 a.m.

"We have a pretty potent winter storm coming through the region," says NWS meteorologist Charlotte Dewey. "It's going to bring quite a bit of widespread snow to Eastern, Central, North Central, and South Central Washington. This will begin as early as Tuesday evening and go through Wednesday before we start to see it taper off."

Current forecasts are calling for between three and eight inches of snow in the Wenatchee area, and eight to ten inches for the Upper Valley and Waterville Plateau.

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Dewey says the mountain passes are also in line to receive a healthy dumping of snow during the storm.

"For Snoqualmie Pass we're looking for six to ten inches, while on Stevens Pass we'll see about eight to twelve inches, and Blewett Pass should be getting between ten and twelve inches. Most of the passes through the Cascades can expect quite a bit of snowfall beginning late Tuesday through Wednesday."

The Washington Department of Transportation officially closed the North Cascades Highway for the season on Monday.

The 37-mile stretch of State Route 20 between the Ross Dam Trailhead and Silver Star closes annually due to heavy snowfall and avalanche risks during the colder months.

Further east, Dewey says the Columbia Basin is also expected to see some snow fall, but only about two or three inches.

NWS says the storm is pushing in from the Pacific Coast and will be accompanied by the potential for gusty winds, especially at higher elevations.

During the storm, daytime highs in the Wenatchee Valley are expected to be in the upper 20s and low 30s, with similar overnight lows. Temperatures are forecast to rise into the 40s on Thursday and Friday, with snows changing over to rain in most areas.