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It's beginning to look a lot like, well, fall in Seattle.

But it might even hint at winter this weekend, as the National Weather Service (NWS) is forecasting back-to-back cold fronts starting Wednesday that could set up conditions for at least a hint of lowland snow Saturday.

The west slopes of the Cascades will almost certainly see some snowfall starting Wednesday night, with a cool air mass settling over the region in the evening, pushing snow levels to around 3,000 feet Thursday and as low as 200 feet on Friday in at least some areas, said Johnny Berg, a meteorologist with the NWS.

Mountain passes including Stevens, Snoqualmie and White pass could all see snowfall that amounts to less than 6 inches.

RELATED: Colder, maybe wetter thanks to La Nina

Snow in the lowlands is less likely with the first cold front as precipitation won't happen across the board and the air moving into the region Friday will be drier.

"The lowlands will flirt with snow showers but the precip might very well dry up before it is cool enough to snow," the NWS said in its Wednesday morning forecast discussion.

Berg said cold Fraser river air flows will bring the snow level to as low as 200 feet in the Bellingham area Friday, with a chance of some snow on hills around the area and in the San Juan Islands. Farther east, in the Cascade foothills, snow will be more likely.

Conditions aren't likely to get quite ripe for snow as far south as Seattle, but the foothills of east King County could see some snow showers.

A developing Puget Sound convergence zone Wednesday was already triggering heavy rainfall in some areas, including Darrington, according to tweets from NWS.

A second cold front moves into the region Saturday, and with it more precipitation that will fall as rain over Seattle and much of the lowlands.

Southwest Washington could see some snow on higher points, according to the forecast.

Whatever snow drops on ski areas this weekend isn't likely to move the needle far in terms of getting them open, but with cooler temperatures likely to hold on, what does fall could stick around and start forming a base.

Both Stevens Pass and Crystal Mountain have added snowmaking capacity in recent years, so colder temperatures will allow them to start making use of those snowguns sooner rather than later. Crystal added significant snowmaking capacity this year, which the resort expects will help it get open on the day after Thanksgiving (Nov. 24) as planned.

Longer term, Seattle and the wider region could see a cooler, wetter winter again this year as a mild La Nina effect is expected to impact the winter season across the U.S. and beyond.

Daniel DeMay covers Seattle culture, city hall, and transportation for seattlepi.com. He also watches the weather like a hawk. He can be reached at 206-448-8362 or danieldemay@seattlepi.com. Follow him on Twitter: @Daniel_DeMay.