Snow slams Northwest; even Hawaii gets some

SEATTLE -- Schools closed across Washington state and the Legislature canceled all hearings Monday with winter snowstorms pummeling the Northwest again as a larger weather system wreaked havoc in the region and even brought snow to Hawaii.

Seattle's metro area had already been hit by three snow storms this month, and the National Weather Service reported Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has received 14.1 inches of snow so far in February, more than twice the annual average and the snowiest month in more than 30 years.

The storm in Seattle on Sunday dumped up to 4 inches of snow and forecasters said more snow or rain was expected Monday and today as a lingering jet stream drives cold arctic air into the normally temperate region, and part of a larger cycle also driving snow as far away as Hawaii.

In the state capital of Olympia, lawmakers canceled meetings and the University of Washington in Seattle and Washington State University in Pullman called off classes.

And as far away as Northern California, Humboldt County beaches without snow in more than 15 years received a dusting, and blizzard conditions caused whiteouts on mountain roads.

In Seattle, the snow's effects were amplified by a prolonged stretch of low temperatures.

"You've got storm after storm sliding down the sweet spot to produce low-level snow," said Kirby Cook, a meteorologist at Seattle's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration office. He described weather systems pulling cold air from Canada and combining it with moist air pulled east from the Pacific Ocean.

When snow does fall in the area, normally enough warm air is drawn from over the Pacific to melt it soon after it falls, but the steady stream of cold air has kept normally-mild western Washington colder than normal and let the snow build up.

"It's really rare for us to maintain this pattern," Cook said.

Joe Zagrodnik, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Washington, said the larger system at work -- namely the position of a cold jet stream -- was also driving warm temperatures in Alaska and unusual weather in Hawaii.