Don’t you live in Seattle? And it’s that cold, really?
Yup to both.
High pressure system sitting up over gulf of Alaska.
Pumps very cold, dry air down from BC and the Fraser river valley.
Coldest I ever saw it here was 9 degrees, that was back around 1987.
It rains a lot in Seattle, but doesn’t get much snow because of the moderating effects of the ocean. I’ve lived in Upstate New York for forty years and rarely does it get below zero because of the Great Lakes having a similar effect.