Mountain Weather Forecast

Weather Synopsis for Saturday night through Friday

The active weather pattern continues in the Pacific Northwest as several storms impact our region over the next several days. First up, Saturday night a well-developed winter storm will affect the mountains bringing rain/snow, strong winds, and a slight warming trend to most locations. The brunt of this system will be felt in southern Washington and northern Oregon as the jetstream focuses the firehose on the volcanoes in this area. As the associated fronts swing through overnight and early Sunday, all trailheads across our region should see an increase in rain and snow. Plenty of moisture, a favorable wind direction, and instability in the atmospheric will allow precipitation to spill over the Cascade crest and impact areas further east. This first system looks windy. Winds should turn westerly and increase, peaking in most locations late Saturday night or early Sunday morning. This could cause very difficult travel conditions at higher elevations and in exposed terrain. 

Things appear to quite down Sunday evening as the low pressure associated with this storm shifts east into British Columbia. You're most likely to encounter a lingering shower near the volcanoes, major passes, and in locations close to the Canadian border. The brake in the action hangs around early Monday morning but quickly ends as the next storm bears down on the region. 

Monday's storm system looks warm and wet, with much of the moisture streaming up from near Hawaii. Look for precipitation to spread from south to north as warm moist air pushes into the area. Snow levels will rise throughout the day with a marked increase in the afternoon as the warm front arrives. This warm weather will likely bring rain to near or above ridge rest in most areas. As the jet stream shifts north late Monday into Monday night, we should see a decrease in precipitation but the warm air stays in place.