Snow showers along the west slopes of the Cascades in NW flow aloft will wind down quickly this morning as strong upper level ridging builds offshore. Snow levels have dropped considerably since yesterday along the west slopes of the Cascades but temperatures are still in the process of cooling along the east slopes of the Cascades this morning. Low clouds associated with the shower activity will linger longest along the west slopes of the Cascades, especially from about I-90 and south to Mt Hood. Mt Hood may pick up a quick 1-3 additional inches of snow this morning. The Olympics, east slopes of the Cascades and northwest Cascades will see more sunshine than other areas today.
A mostly clear night is expected tonight as the upper level ridge shifts closer to our area. On Wednesday, mostly sunny skies are expected along with warming temperatures west of the Cascade crest. Offshore flow with easterly winds will start to kick up in the Cascade Passes, creating temperature inversions and milder temperatures along the mid and upper slopes in many locations.
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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Tuesday
Mostly sunny.
Tuesday
Night
Mostly clear.
Tuesday
Partly cloudy in the morning becoming mostly sunny.
Tuesday
Night
Mostly clear.
Tuesday
Mostly cloudy in the morning with scattered light snow showers becoming partly sunny in the afternoon.
Tuesday
Night
Mostly clear.
Tuesday
Mostly cloudy in the morning with scattered light snow showers becoming partly sunny in the afternoon. More clouds Paradise area, more sunbreaks White Pass and Crystal.
Tuesday
Night
Mostly clear.
Tuesday
Mostly cloudy in the morning with scattered light snow showers becoming partly sunny in the afternoon. Strong west winds at Pass level in the morning easing to moderate in the afternoon.
Tuesday
Night
Mostly clear. Variable winds at Pass level becoming light east winds overnight.
Tuesday
Mostly cloudy in the morning with scattered light snow showers becoming partly sunny in the afternoon. Strong west winds at Pass level in the morning easing to moderate in the afternoon.
Tuesday
Night
Mostly clear. Variable winds at Pass level becoming light east winds overnight.
Tuesday
Partly cloudy in the morning becoming mostly sunny.
Tuesday
Night
Mostly clear.
Tuesday
Mostly cloudy in the morning with isolated light snow showers near the Cascade crest becoming mostly sunny in the afternoon.
Tuesday
Night
Mostly clear.
Tuesday
Mostly cloudy in the morning with isolated light snow showers near the Cascade crest becoming mostly sunny in the afternoon.
Tuesday
Night
Mostly clear.
Tuesday
Cloudy in the morning with light snow showers becoming partly to mostly cloudy in the afternoon. Sunbreaks more likely east-side of the mountain.
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).