Saturday morning features a relative break from the very active weather and milder weather which will move in late Saturday. Light post-frontal very light rain and snow showers should linger Saturday morning with some relatively cooler air over the region on Saturday. Warm frontal precipitation moves into the region in the afternoon with increasing light to moderate rain and snow arriving in Washington State. While a warming trend begins, E flow out the outset of the system is likely to keep the passes as snow until 4-6 PM this evening. Precipitation intensifies in the evening as the cold front approaches, winds increase into the strong range and temperatures warm well above pass level across the region (4500 ft in the North; 6000 ft in the central Cascades; and 8000 ft in the Mt Hood region).
Expect 1-3.5" of water equivalent overnight with the cold decreasing moisture from north to south and focusing it on the Paradise and Mt Hood area. Some models maintain significant convergence in the post-frontal around the Stevens Pass area late Saturday night into early Sunday morning.
Sunday should be somewhat drier with light rain and snow showers, mild, but slightly cooler temperatures and heavier precipitation lingering with the front draped over Oregon. Mt. Hood could pick up another inch or so of water equivalent on Sunday.
Weather Forecast
Olympics
West North
West Central
West South
Stevens Pass
Snoqualmie Pass
East North
East Central
East South
Mt. Hood
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Saturday
Cloudy with light rain and snow developing and increasing in the afternoon. Warming trend late in the day.
Saturday
Night
Moderate rain and high elevation snow becoming light showers after midnight. Mild. Strong wind gusts.
Saturday
Periods of light rain and snow in the morning, then moderate rain and snow in the afternoon. Cooler.
Saturday
Night
Heavy rain and snow. Warming trend. Strong winds.
Saturday
Periods of light rain and snow in the morning, then increasing light to moderate rain and snow in the afternoon. Cooler.
Saturday
Night
Heavy rain and high elevation snow. Warming trend. Strong winds in the evening.
Saturday
Mostly cloudy with very light rain and snow in the morning, then light rain and snow increasing in the afternoon.
Saturday
Night
Heavy rain and high elevation snow. Strong winds.
Saturday
Periods of light rain and snow in the morning, then increasing light rain and snow in the afternoon. Cooler. Light W pass-level winds switching E late in the day.
Saturday
Night
Heavy rain and high elevation snow. Rapid warming trend in the evening. Strong ridgeline winds in the evening. Light to moderate E winds at pass level switching W in the evening.
Saturday
Periods of light rain and snow in the morning, then increasing light rain and snow in the afternoon. Cooler. Light W pass-level winds switching E late in the day, with E flow likely to keep precipitation frozen.
Saturday
Night
Heavy rain and high elevation snow. Rapid warming trend in the evening. Strong ridgeline winds in the evening. Light to moderate E winds at pass level switching W in the evening.
Saturday
Periods of light rain and snow increasing late in the day.
Saturday
Night
Heavy rain and snow. Warming trend.
Saturday
Periods of light rain and snow increasing late in the day.
Saturday
Night
Heavy rain and high elevation snow. Warming trend.
Saturday
Periods of light rain and snow increasing late in the day.
Saturday
Night
Heavy rain and high elevation snow. Warming trend.
Saturday
Periods of light rain and snow increasing late in the day.
Saturday
Night
Heavy rain and high elevation snow. Warming trend. Strong winds.
The NWAC program is administered by the USDA-Forest Service and operates from the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Seattle. NWAC services are made possible by important collaboration and support from a wide variety of federal, state and private cooperators.
The 5000’ temperature forecast does not imply a trend over the 12 hr period and only represents the max and min temperatures within a 12 hr period in the zone. The 6-hr snow level forecast, the forecast discussion, and weather forecast sections may add detail regarding temperature trends.
The snow level forecast represents the general snow level over a 6 hr time period. Freezing levels are forecast when precipitation is not expected.
*Easterly or offshore flow is highlighted with an asterisk when we expect relatively cool east winds in the major Cascade Passes. Easterly flow will often lead to temperature inversions and is a key variable for forecasting precipitation type in the Cascade Passes. Strong easterly flow events can affect terrain on a more regional scale.
Ridgeline winds are the average wind speed and direction over a 6 hr time period.
The wind forecast represents an elevation range instead of a single elevation slice. The elevation range overlaps with the near and above treeline elevation bands in the avalanche forecast and differs per zone.
Wind direction indicates the direction the wind originates or comes from on the 16-point compass rose.
Water Equivalent (WE) is the liquid water equivalent of all precipitation types; rain, snow, ice pellets, etc., forecast to the hundredth of an inch at specific locations. To use WE as a proxy for snowfall amounts, start with a snow to water ratio of 10:1 (10 inches of snow = 1 inch WE). Temperatures at or near freezing will generally have a lower ratio (heavy wet snow) and very cold temperatures can have a much higher ratio (dry fluffy snow).