A Snowbruary 2021 scene
A snap of winter cold that is predicted to send lows next week into the teens could also bring Christmas snow around Seattle and atop Capitol Hill. City officials are preparing by opening emergency shelters and spreading the word about possible impacts to services during the holiday week.
Mayor Jenny Durkan and “city and regional storm preparedness leaders” are scheduled to hold a press conference Thursday afternoon “to ensure residents are prepared to navigate the potential impacts of any winter event.”
“City officials will be available to outline how Seattle residents can get ready now by signing up for emergency alerts, assembling preparedness kits for their households, and planning for backup resources in the event of a power outage,” an announcement on the effort reads.
Forecasts from the National Weather Service call for less than an inch of snow to begin falling Saturday night and into Sunday as temperatures drop the 20s and low 30s. The low temperatures are expected to linger as the possibilities for snow shift with Tuesday’s predicted low in the city reaching 19 degrees.
The expected cold bout is expected to be Seattle’s most wintry weather since “Snowbruary 2021” which included the city’s snowiest day since 1969 as 12 inches of powder blanketed Capitol Hill. Last Christmas, meanwhile, Seattle got a little bit of snow leading up to the holiday. CHS showed the scenes in what was at that point a recently swept Cal Anderson Park. Here are our tips for what to know when it snows on Capitol Hill — though currently predicted snowfall totals probably won’t reach significant levels.
In 2021, most of Capitol Hill’s largest homeless encampment areas have been cleared. Last week, the city cleared encampments around Green Lake. In response to the cold, the city says it will open two additional emergency shelters beginning Christmas Day.
Due to forecasted freezing temperatures, 2 shelters will open Saturday, Dec 25th at 7pm and will operate nightly thru Dec 29th. Please share this info with your networks to ensure that people in need of shelter have the information. Flyer: https://t.co/uGnoq7OOFt pic.twitter.com/SiqPwVsAQv
— Seattle Human Services (@SeattleHSD) December 22, 2021
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