Weather Eye: Watching for snow? The key will be those shivery east winds

Well, it is Sunday and the big question on everyone’s mind is: “Will it snow?’

OK, you tell me!

Just kidding.

Cold air has filtered down throughout the Puget Sound region and much of eastern Washington. As of Saturday evening, writing this column I was still waiting for enough cold air to make it into the Columbian basin. Gotta get those east winds going to chill the air.

Another shortwave weather system drops south late today and Monday, and maybe another will come Tuesday. I think anything that drops south along the British Columbia coast will move through quickly, so great amounts of snow may not materialize. I do think everyone will see some snow at least flurries here at city levels. Still as I write this, very difficult if any accumulations at lowest elevations, so just wait and see.

With Friday’s rainfall of 0.06 of an inch, Nov. 19 is definitely the wettest day in Seattle, with measurable precipitation 88 times out of 118 years of records.

Tonight is the full moon, and normally it’s not much to talk about. You all have heard of a blue moon, which usually means two full moons in the same calendar month. According to Spaceweather.com, there are actually two different meanings of “blue moon.”

An old edition of the Maine Farmer’s Almanac defines a blue moon as the third full moon out of four in an astronomical season. We have already had two full moons since the official start of autumn, and today will be No. 3; No. 4 will be in the wee hours of the morning of Dec. 21, just before winter begins in the late evening.

Blue or not, odds are it will be cloud-covered and not visible. Keep warm and hope that those of you who would like to see some snowflakes will get your wish.

Pat Timm is a local weather specialist. His column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Reach him at http://weathersystems.com.