Why Does Whatcom County Get More Snow?

Story Published: Mar 13, 2008 at 1:13 PM PDT

Story Updated: Mar 13, 2008 at 1:13 PM PDT

By Steve Pool

SEATTLE - Those that live in Whatcom County know you tend to get more snow than the rest of the area. Sometimes, arctic air will come down from Canada, but the Cascades block most of it, instead pushing it well to our east into the Rocky Mountain states, keeping our temperatures near normal.

However some of that arctic air can "leak" though the gaps from the Fraser River Valley in southern British Columbia, bring much colder air to Lynden, Ferndale, Bellingham, etc.

Sometimes, the winds are cold enough to when moisture moves in, they can get snow while the rest of us are still in the low 40s with plain ol' rain.

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Current Temp 60 °F

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Wind : From the South at 5 MPH

Humidity : 78 %

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Traffic Alert

North Cascades Highway (S.R. 20) is closed due to high avalanche danger through the weekend. Crews will return on Monday to assess road conditions. The state DOT advises drivers to check mountain pass conditions for all passes before leaving this weekend.

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