North_County

37°F here this morning. First time we've been above freezing since December 8th.

I'm aware that some of our more snow-deprived members don't want to hear it, but conditions in north Whatcom County have deteriorated a bit as we've moved through the day. Steady NE winds are making drifting snow a driving hazard between Lynden and Sumas. I haven't ventured to the northwest corner of the county (Ferndale, Blaine, Birch Bay), but I was hearing this morning that ice was a major problem out there.

This was a nice surprise to come home to after spending the day in Bellingham staring at bare/wet roads and watching the snow melt. Looks like the cold air didn't make it much beyond the border. Most of the snow was gone south of highway 546.

Very different than the forecast for Whatcom County I saw on KING5 about an hour ago. But not surprised.

3/4-ish inch about 150 yards south of the border in Sumas. Didn't start accumulating until probably about 6:00 this morning. Still snowing pretty good when I left the house around 7:30, but it had stopped by the time I got to Lynden. Temp is still in the low 20s this morning with a modest outflow, so if that band crossing Vancouver Island and the San Juans ever makes it here, we should have another round. Canadian friends: What's it doing in Vancouver? I'm supposed to visit our office up there this afternoon, and wouldn't hate having an excuse to start the weekend early.

Listening to the Fraser start to rev up again overnight. The steady outflow "hum" is back, and the last few gusts have rattled the windows. 26° as of 1am with gusts around 30mph.

It's been snowing in Lynden (sometimes heavy) since at least 8am this morning. Accumulated to maybe 1/2 inch before briefly switching to cold rain and melting most of it away. Back to snow again as of 11:30am, but almost no accumulation.

This look-back is mostly about Bellingham in 1950, but mentions what you were talking about re: Sumas being cut-off from the rest of the world for days. http://komonews.com/weather/scotts-weather-blog/a-look-back-at-the-epic-blizzards-of-1950-12-20-2015 My mom has a newspaper clipping floating around that talks about a family passing through town that got stranded when the highway was shutdown during a harsh snow and wind storm. The wife went into labor and gave birth on the pool table at the volunteer fire station. She was the nurse called in to assist. 1989 feels about right. I used to love listening to the wind howl during those storms as a kid. Off the top of my head, it's been probably 4-5 winters since the last Fraser Outflow wind event worth paying any attention to. And far longer than that since one to be remembered.

Ah...fair enough. I misunderstood. Carry on.

Did February 2014 not cross the border? Or am I misreading your comment? I got hit pretty good in extreme northern Whatcom County. I remember it well, because it was my first day at my current job and I was one of the only ones who showed up. DOT shut down the only highway out of town due to drifting snow just a few minutes after I made it through (barely). And I got stuck behind a stalled snow plow on the way home. Fun times.

Just started blowing noticeably up here on the border within the past 10 minutes.