No fooling around: the first of April is here, and while the calendar says it's spring, our weather has a different idea. A WINTER STORM WARNING is in place for the Cascades from now through Sunday to account for the fresh 1-2 feet of snow expected in the higher terrain this weekend! While the ski resorts will be blessed with an extended season, mountain travelers will need to prepare winter driving conditions while crossing the passes.

In the lowlands, Friday night's steady rain will give way to rounds of weekend showers. Some of the pockets of wet weather will include hail, thunder, lightning and heavy stray bursts of wet lowland snow. We'll enjoy plentiful sunbreaks, too, but if you'll be outdoors this weekend for the various Daffodil Parades or the Tulip Festival, prepare for occasional rounds of damp, chilly weather. Weekend highs will have trouble getting out of the 40s, so we'll run a good 10 degrees below average.

We'll see cool April showers at times next week, but a mid-week break on Wednesday and Thursday should at least allow for some brighter skies and warmer temperatures.

Have a great weekend,
Shannon

Meteorologist Shannon O'Donnell
The KOMO 4-Cast Team

Updated Friday Night{/strong}