Mountain Weather Forecast

Weather Synopsis

Weather stations and webcams this afternoon show a very mild and mostly sunny day across the mountains. Several sites report temperatures in the low to mid 40's. High thin clouds have already begun streaming into the region ahead of our next weather system. Look for this pattern to continue overnight with mild temperatures, increasing clouds, and moderate to strong winds. 

On Sunday, expect clouds to continue to thicken and lower over the course of the day as an N-S oriented front slowly makes its way across the Pacific Northwest. It should arrive near the coast early in the morning and the Cascades by late afternoon. Strong southerly winds out ahead of the front will increase in most locations. Places like Hurricane Ridge, Mt Baker, and Mt Hood will likely see the brunt of the windy conditions. A narrow band of light to moderate rain and snow will traverse the region with the front. While some areas may see a few showers before the end of the day, the bulk of the precipitation appears to arrive around sunset. 

With mild air already in place, most sites will see rain to begin this event before much colder air pushes its way into the mountains. As it does so, look for snow levels to quickly fall and bring snow back to trailhead locations. This isn't a particularly impressive system. The splitting low pressure responsible for this round of precipitation should take the bulk of the moisture south towards California. As a result, look for mountains near and west of the Cascade crest to pick up a quick 2-5" of snow, with less further east. 

On Monday the exiting low pressure and a building high-pressure ridge should put a quick end to any lingering showers. We will be left with mostly cloudy skies, light winds, and cool temperatures.