Honestly, looking for a seattle weather forecast snow update usually feels like playing a high-stakes game of "will they, won't they" with a cloud. It’s early 2026, and if you’ve been staring at your weather app hoping for a winter wonderland, the reality on the ground is a bit of a mixed bag. Right now, Seattle is sitting comfortably in a sunny, crisp pattern. As of Saturday, January 17, 2026, the current temperature is holding at 48°F with north winds at a lazy 5 mph. It’s gorgeous, sure, but it’s definitely not "get the sleds out" weather.
Most locals are used to the hype. You hear a whisper of "low-level snow" and suddenly every grocery store is out of kale and bananas. But for the immediate week ahead, the sky is staying remarkably clear. Tomorrow, Sunday, January 18, is looking even warmer with a high of 51°F. If you’re looking for flakes, you’re going to have to wait—or head for the hills.
👉 See also: I Got You Next: Why This Phrase Is Taking Over Pickup Games and Workplace Slack
Why the Seattle Snow Forecast Is So Tricky
Predicting snow in the Puget Sound is basically a meteorologist's nightmare. We live in this weird convergence zone where a two-degree difference determines if you're getting a light dusting or just a miserable, cold rain. For the 2025-2026 season, we've been dealing with a weak La Niña. Typically, La Niña means colder and wetter, which sounds like a recipe for snow, but "weak" is the keyword here. It makes everything unpredictable.
The National Weather Service has been tracking these trends, and while they initially favored cooler-than-normal temperatures for the January-to-March stretch, the actual daily data is telling a different story. We’ve had a lot of "atmospheric river" action—basically fire hoses of warm moisture from the Pacific—that have kept the lowlands soggy but way too warm for sticking snow.
👉 See also: Why the Fort Atkinson Aquatic Center Is Still the Best Summer Move
The 10-Day Outlook: Is Snow Coming?
If you’re checking the seattle weather forecast snow for the next week, don't hold your breath for a blizzard. Here’s the breakdown of what’s actually happening:
- Monday, Jan 19: Sunny and 48°F. Clear skies mean any moisture is long gone.
- Tuesday - Wednesday, Jan 20-21: The clouds return. Highs will hover around 44°F to 46°F. There’s a tiny 10% chance of rain, but definitely no snow.
- Late Week Shift: By Thursday, Jan 22, and Friday, Jan 23, the chance of rain jumps up to 65%. Temperatures stay in the low 40s.
Wait for Saturday, January 24. That’s the first real "blip" on the radar where things get interesting. The forecast shows a high of 42°F and a low of 38°F with a small 5-10% chance of snow. Is it a "Snowpocalypse"? No. It's more of a "maybe you'll see a flake if you squint while standing on a tall hill" kind of situation.
The "Big One" Misconception
Everyone wants to know if we'll have a repeat of the massive snow events of years past. The Old Farmer’s Almanac and several long-range models have pointed toward early February as the most likely window for actual, measurable snow in the Seattle lowlands. Historically, our biggest dumps happen when cold air from the Fraser River Valley in Canada slams into moisture coming off the Pacific.
Currently, the mountain passes are the only ones winning. Stevens Pass and Snoqualmie have decent base depths, but even they've seen rain-snow mixes recently. For those of us at sea level, we’re essentially living in a "snow shadow" for the rest of January.
What You Should Actually Prepare For
Since the seattle weather forecast snow isn't showing an immediate threat, you've actually got time to do the stuff people usually forget until the last minute.
- Check your outdoor pipes. Even without snow, we have several nights coming up with lows of 35°F. That's close enough to freezing to cause issues if you have exposed copper.
- Watch the "Transition" Dates. The end of January (the 26th and 27th) looks very wet with 70% rain chances. If a random cold front dips down during those showers, that’s when the forecast could flip overnight.
- Don't trust the 14-day apps. Honestly, anything past day five in Seattle is basically a guess. The Puget Sound is a microclimate factory.
While the "Snow in Seattle in Jan 2026" prediction markets were betting on at least an inch, the current dry spell is making those odds look long. We’ve had roughly 3.31 inches of rain so far this month, which is slightly above average, but the "white stuff" is noticeably absent from the 1.33 AM daily climate reports.
Basically, keep the boots by the door just in case, but keep the umbrella in your hand. The rest of January looks more like a standard, chilly Washington winter than a frozen tundra.
Next Steps for Seattleites:
Check the NWS "Point Forecast" for your specific neighborhood—places like Shoreline or North Bend often see snow when downtown Seattle stays dry. If you're planning a trip across the Cascades for the weekend of Jan 24, keep an eye on the Saturday morning updates, as that's the only real cold-moisture overlap currently on the horizon.