While northwest Seattle has seen precious few flurries in recent days, other parts of the city and region have seen lots of snow. Ah, yes, the infamous convergence zone — a phenomenon often cited as the reason for higher rain totals in the northern part of Seattle and beyond than to the south.
The zone is created when two currents of wind collide at a low elevation, pushing air higher in the atmosphere, weather expert Cliff Mass explained. The air takes on moisture as it rises, eventually collecting so much that is has to offload it in the form of rain or, in this case, snow. The normal convergence zone occurs about 25 times a year, Mass said.
Some days we're dry and sunny, while just a few miles away it's may be pouring rain in Snohomish County. That's because the mountains and the water--two of the reasons that make Western Washington so beautiful--are also two of the reasons that drive some of the areas most unique microclimates.
This Summer Seattle has experiences record-breaking hot and dry conditions, but come Springtime, one question comes up a lot. Why could we be having rain just 35 miles away? The phenomenon Buehner is referring to as the Puget Sound convergence zone. As night turned to morning, the cold air began spilling into the state, dropping the temperature around Puget Sound into the upper 30s.
Then, right around lunchtime, a powerful—and unpredicted—Puget Sound Convergence Zone formed near Lynnwood, and all hell broke loose. Heavy, wet snow fell in droves as the Convergence Zone roared south into Seattle in the early afternoon, blanketing freeways and blinding motorists. Accompanied by howling northerly winds, the Zone peaked in intensity right over downtown—dumping a foot of snow in the heart of the city. Thundersnow —thunder, lightning and snow, all rolled into one—also hit the region on Mar.
The Zone also spread its wrath to the other side of Lake Washington, dropping up to 14 inches of snow in places like Bellevue, Kirkland and Redmond as the afternoon wore on. The heavy snow caught the entire region off guard—so much so that over a thousand children in the area, trapped at school when the storm hit, were forced to spend the night in their classrooms.
Eventually, the Zone began fizzling as it meandered south of Renton, bringing only 2. In the wake of the blizzard, however, the mercury plummeted as cold Canadian air settled in.
By 11 p. In Bellingham, it was even worse, with a degree temperature and winds blasting above 60 mph. The biting cold would go on to grip the region for days, with Sea-Tac staying below freezing until Christmas Day, when the temperature mercifully rose to 36 degrees—only to drop back into the 20s once more near the end of the month.
And making it the gold standard by which all future epic snowfalls are judged—the mother of all Puget Sound Convergence Zones. I discovered your blog a couple of months ago. I think this is my favorite post so far! Thanks, Jon! Reposted on my Facebook page ha! I was trying to get home from Northgate to and in Bellevue mid day when snow started and remember friends trapped in parking garages downtown in the gridlock for hours.
My husband abandoned his car on I-5 like many others just to get home. I still remember listening to a recorded weather forecast on the radio as I was sliding off the road while at a stand still, telling us minimal precip that afternoon and snow the next day.
Jeff Renner, why are you still working. Crazy story—the forecast really was way off that day.
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