Cold air from the British Columbia interior will begin filtering into western Whatcom County late Thursday morning, Jan. 11, sending temperatures into a deep dive toward dangerously cold conditions.
The National Weather Service has posted a wind advisory and an urgent wind chill advisory starting at 4 p.m. Thursday for western Whatcom County, including Bellingham, Sudden Valley, Blaine, Point Roberts, Ferndale, Lynden and Sumas.
The overnight low on Friday morning, Jan. 12 is predicted to reach 7 degrees in Bellingham and 3 degrees in Lynden, and the wind chill could go as low as 20 below zero.
In these conditions, exposed skin can get frostbite within 30 minutes, the wind chill advisory warns.
Winds from the northeast could peak at 50 mph behind Thursday’s arctic front. Both the wind and the wind chill advisory remain in effect until 7 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 13.
Bellingham may not see the thermometer go above freezing until Monday, Jan. 15, Weather Service meteorologist Dev McMillian said Thursday morning.
McMillian said he doesn’t expect western Whatcom County to see significant snow through the weekend, saying Bellingham and the surrounding area had a 10% chance of receiving an inch or more of snow by Friday morning.
“Once we get past Friday, the chance is pretty much nil,” he said.
Severe-weather shelters in Bellingham and Ferndale will remain open all day and night, from 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11 through 8 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 14. The shelters will only be open during daytime hours for guests who spent the previous night at the site and plan to stay the next night.
Whatcom County’s website says the severe-weather shelters, at 810 N. State St., Bellingham, and 2034 Washington St., Ferndale, are expected to be at capacity.
