If you're dreaming of a White Christmas up in the mountains, you're in luck. Showers will spread across the region later this morning with a rapid cooling trend bring snow to most of our mountain trailheads before the end of the day. This weakening frontal system seems to run out of gas right as it moves into the region. This should keep daytime snow accumulations modest, with the bulk of the precipitation focused on the southern volcanoes from Mt Rainier to Mt Hood.
More snow is on tap for Christmas night. A developing low-pressure off the coast reinvigorates the snow shower activity and adds a bit of a kick to the stalled front. Showers should spill over the crest and southerly flow favors several east-side locations like the Wenatchee Mountains and areas around the Tieton River. With the increase in precipitation comes a significant up-tick in wind speeds. Expect strong winds all across the mountains Friday night.
As the low-pressure moves inland Saturday, southwesterly winds continue to push snow showers into the Olympics, West-slopes of the Cascades, and Passes. The exact track of this system will significantly affect how much additional snow we see over the holiday weekend. At the moment the weather models disagree over how much precipitation to expect. Either way, there should be several inches of snow for you and your new toys to enjoy.
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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Friday
Cloudy with snow showers. Strong southerly winds.
Friday
Night
Cloudy with snow showers. Strong winds increasing overnight.
Friday
Cloudy with snow showers. Strong southerly winds.
Friday
Night
Cloudy with snow showers. Strong winds increasing overnight.
Friday
Cloudy with isolated showers. Moderate winds.
Friday
Night
Cloudy with snow showers. Strong winds increasing overnight.
Friday
Cloudy with snow showers. Accumulations heaviest near the volcanoes.
Friday
Night
Cloudy with snow showers. Strong winds increasing overnight.
Friday
Cloudy with isolated showers. Moderate easterly winds.
Friday
Night
Cloudy with snow showers. Winds increasing overnight and becoming southwesterly.
Friday
Cloudy with snow showers. Moderate to strong easterly winds.
Friday
Night
Cloudy with snow showers. Strong winds increasing overnight and becoming southwesterly.
Friday
Partly to mostly cloudy. Isolated snow showers.
Friday
Night
Cloudy with snow showers.
Friday
Partly to mostly cloudy with isolated showers. Winds becoming strong in the afternoon.
Friday
Night
Cloudy with snow showers. Strong winds increasing overnight.
Friday
Mostly cloudy with isolated snow showers.
Friday
Night
Cloudy with snow showers. Strong winds increasing overnight.
Friday
Cloudy with snow showers. Strong winds in the afternoon.
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).