❄️ Will Seattle see winter snow?

Will Seattle See Snow This Winter?

“Our window for seeing some snow in the lowlands is closing,” National Weather Service meteorologist Dustin Guy told the Seattle Times. The rain returns to Seattle today and will continue Saturday morning. And come the beginning of next week, the mountains will see some snow. By next Monday, snow levels will drop into the 1,000-foot elevation range with a mix of rain and snow possible in the foothills. No snow is likely for Seattle, though. [Seattle Times]

• ‘Abysmally Low Snowpack’: Washington state’s crucial snowpack held just 52% of its normal volume of water at the start of February. This is the third-lowest snowpack level for early February since statewide snow monitoring began in 1985. [KUOW]
• Dry January Cancels Out Wet December: December’s flood waters ate away at the early winter snowpack rather than adding to it. October through December 2025 were the warmest such three-month period on record for Washington. This means that despite the floods, parts of Washington remain in a drought emergency. [KUOW]
• Highway 2 Reopens Ahead of Schedule: After that historic flooding closed U.S. 2 in December, the highway reopened this week to two-way traffic at Tumwater Canyon near Leavenworth. This means access across Stevens Pass has been restored. [Washington State Standard]
• Hear More From WA State Climatologist: In December, Jane spoke with our state climatologist to understand what we know about the link between those historic floods from the atmospheric rivers and climate change. [City Cast Seattle 🎧]

Seattle’s Social Housing Tax Brings In Double Original Estimates 🤑

Affordable housing in Seattle, via Seattle’s Social Housing Initiative, will receive an estimated $115 million from taxing businesses on employee incomes above $1 million. That’s more than twice the original estimates for first-year revenue. This week, the city council unanimously allowed the Seattle Social Housing Developer to start using those funds to purchase and develop social housing—mixed-income apartment buildings with permanently affordable rent, governed by a board consisting primarily of renters. [PubliCola]

Bill To Regulate WA Data Centers Moves To House for Vote 🏭

Washington is in the top 10 states with the highest number of data centers. And as more AI companies move to our region, data centers are expected to become the largest source of electricity demand in the Pacific Northwest. In response, legislators are working on advancing HB 2515, aimed at protecting the grid and offsetting potential hikes for utility ratepayers. [Washington State Standard]

Zahilay Issues Order Banning ICE From County-Owned Property 📜

Yesterday, King County Executive Girmay Zahilay signed a series of executive orders aimed at supporting immigrants and refugees in the county. The orders included banning immigration enforcement agents from all nonpublic county-owned property, directing $2 million to immigrant communities for emergency food, housing, and legal aid, telling the county sheriff’s office to develop guidance for interacting with immigration agents, and developing a new 13-person “subcabinet” to discuss proposals to support immigrants and refugees. The ban does not apply to spaces open to the public like parks and libraries. [Seattle Times]

How Many People Really Attended the Seahawks Parade? 🕵🏻‍♀️

Many Seattle departments, including the SPD, SDOT, and Public Health, estimated between 750,000 and 1 million parade attendees. The Seattle Times’ David Gutman did some back-of-the-envelope math and came up with a more realistic estimate of 408,000 or so. Seattle Public Schools says an estimated 12,697 students were absent Wednesday, along with 663 staff absences. We should get a final tally from the Downtown Seattle Association by the end of the week. In the meantime, if you were one of those half a mil who attended, chip in $12 to fix the Pioneer Square pergola? [Seattle Times]

Courts Ruled Immigrant Detentions Violated Due Process ⚖️

Since July of last year, the federal government has taken the stance that anyone who is present in the country illegally is subject to mandatory detention and ineligible to be released while their immigration case proceeds. The ability to challenge the government’s authority to hold someone in detention through a writ of habeas corpus is a fundamental constitutional protection. And habeas petitions in Washington spiked in 2025. Of the 141 cases that were resolved in Washington, courts ruled that the detentions violated people’s right to due process in 86 petitions — or 59 percent. [Investigate West]

Seattle Poet and Painter Respond to Each Other’s Work ✨

The news is pretty bleak, but new culture and society outlet CHUM News just put out this gorgeous pairing of Federal Way-based artist Barry Johnson responding with paintings to Civic Poet Dujie Tahat’s writing. I recommend making yourself a snack or a tea and spending some time with the incredible art coming out of our city. [CHUM News]