Cascade snow just days before summer brings change of scenery to western Washington

SEATTLE — Summer arrives in western Washington Wednesday morning, June 21, but looking at images from Mount Rainier National Park Sunday morning, June 18, you would never know it.

The top of White Pass Ski area also saw a trace of snow overnight Saturday, June 17, but 24 hours earlier their wasn't any snow at all.

Webcams on the highest ski runs at Stevens Pass showed a dusting of white Sunday morning. A snow level hovering between 4,000 and 4,500 feet is what you can thank for bringing the change in scenery.

This very late spring snow in the mountains is going to stick around for the next few days, according the the forecast. The cool temps are not just being found in the mountains as well.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Seattle said the 6 a.m. temperature at Seattle-Tacoma airport was just 48 degrees.

That’s coldest temperature recorded on June 18 in 27 years. NWS forecasters said the last time it was this cold on June 18 was in 1996.

With snow falling in the Cascades just couple days before summer, it's another sign of how quickly northwest weather can change.