Updated Tuesday 7:40 p.m.

Sunny and 48.

No, that's definitely not in the forecast, but I just wanted to make sure my fingers knew how to type that before it completely fades from memory...

Instead, it's rainy and 50, then snowy and 32, and then perhaps finally sunny, but only 28. Too bad we're not allowed to mix and match...

Another strong cold front moved through the area Wednesday, first bringing gusty windy and heavy rain, and then plummeting temperatures behind it.

Let's break this down by time frame:

TUESDAY EVENING:

The front passed through the Puget Sound area around 3 p.m. It brought an impressive squall line of heavy storms through the North Sound as well with a band of heavy rain, lightning and hail moving through Whidbey Island and into Snohomish County. Hail up to a quarter-inch in diameter was reported.

Also, winds both before and after the front have been impressive. Peak gusts so far include:

Port Angeles (CG Station): 64 mph
Oak Harbor: 62 mph
Mount Vernon: 60 mph
Alki Beach: 58 mph
Bellingham: 54 mph
520 Bridge: 49 mph
University of Washington: 48 mph
Forks: 47 mph
Seattle: 45 mph
Friday Harbor: 45 mph
Everett: 45 mph

The wind did knock out power to a handful of people. Seattle City Light reports 300 people lost power, and 445 people in the Darrington lost power via Snohomish PUD. There were also reports of outages in Whidbey Island, Skagit County, and Whatcom County.

In Bellingham, a weather spotter told the National Weather Service that two trees fell in a neighborhood about 3 miles southwest of town. One caused minor damage to a home, but the second one caused major damage when it fell on to a house. A resident inside received minor injuries from broken glass that fell out of her skylight.

Temperatures were dropping like a rock behind this front. The temperature at Oak Harbor went from 50 to 41 in an hour, then bounced back to 45 degrees.

TUESDAY NIGHT:

The steady rains are gone, but now we're left with scattered showers in the front's wake. A Convergence Zone is also hanging out in its usual Snohomish/North King County spot, bringing an occasional rain/snow mix there early this evening.

But all rain showers will turn to snow showers as the night wears on and temperatures continue their drop toward the freezing mark or so. Some spots that get those random showers could see an inch or so of snow as we pass midnight.

WEDNESDAY:

This is still on track to be a very active day, and one we have to really be concerned about for snow.

As usual, this snow event is somewhat strange. Typically, our really cold air comes from the Canadian interior, funneled in via a north wind through the Fraser Valley. This time, the cold air is, at least initially, coming from the Gulf of Alaska. Typically, that pattern doesn't make for much snow because the air has a long time to moderate over the warmer ocean waters. But the air mass up there is SO cold -- Anchorage was at -12 today -- that even with the ocean's moderating effects, the air is still cold enough to snow by the time it makes it here.

Inside that cold air are a myriad of random showers, and another secondary area of low pressure.

Overall, we are still looking at scattered hit-and-miss snow showers running around the entire region from the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday and continuing through midday and into the early afternoon.

Forecasting models now also show that secondary area of low pressure moving in through the general northern Puget Sound area during the morning. That could touch off a wider swath of steady snow for a while.

General snow total forecasts are still generally for 1-3" where it precipitates, but as usual, you could get 0...or you might get a little more than 3" if you end up stuck under a persistent snow shower.

One exception appears to be the far northern interior, where a SNOW ADVISORY is now in effect for western Whatcom County, western Skagit County and the San Juan Islands. There, you could see 2-5" through the day.

It doesn't look like the Convergence Zone will be as big a factor now with that secondary low moving in instead. But we're going to go as much as 1-4" in the western Snohomish County area to hedge a little in case one forms, even briefly. That area is also generally 500 feet, making it easier to snow.

Outside the aforementioned areas, the best chances for higher accumulations are in the foothills (2-4"), where the mountains enhance the instability, over in the Hood Canal area in the usual snow belt over there, and in the higher elevations around Puget Sound.

But once again, I want to stress -- most of these showers will be random. You could literally have a few city blocks where you get 2", and then 1/2 mile away, there's nothing. So everyone should be on guard. High temperatures will range from about 32-35.

WEDNESDAY EVENING:

A second arctic front pushes through the area from the north during the evening (this is the more typical arctic air from interior B.C.), bringing a second wave of cold air into the region. It's possible this front might drop another 1-2" everywhere as it moves south, but there does not appear to be much moisture with the front at this time...as arctic fronts usually aren't big on moisture.

Once the front passes, it will kill off any moisture and we go dry. However, we go very cold, and we are looking at potential for another quick freeze similar to what we saw on that fateful Monday night in late November. Put simply, Wednesday evening's commute could be a huge challenge between the snow showers and then the plummeting temperatures afterward.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT:

Colder air continues to pour in. Lows are expected to drop solidly into teens and low 20s under clearing skies.

THURSDAY:

A sunny day, but very icy in the morning as temperatures begin in the teens and slowly climb through the 20s, maybe reaching 32 by afternoon.

THURSDAY NIGHT:

Perhaps the coldest night of the week, with lows dropping into the teens in the city areas, to perhaps single digits in the sheltered outlying areas.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY:

We stay cold but dry, with highs in the 30s and lows in the teens and 20s before beginning slow moderating period toward early next week. There is perhaps a new wrinkle on Saturday that might bring a few flurries. We'll keep an eye on that.

Stay warm out there!