We're in for a warm spring day across the Pacific Northwest. Overnight lows were near or in some locations even above freezing. Mountain temperatures will quickly bump into the 40s with even a few 50s this afternoon for areas further south. The exception will be over the Olympics and north Cascades where increasing high clouds should put a damper on full sunshine in the afternoon. Generally light winds are expected today as well with a slight uptick in the afternoon. Weak ridging over the area today will give way to increasing high clouds tonight for all of Washington State from an advancing frontal system.
Light rain and snow should begin for Mt Baker and over the Olympics before daybreak on Wednesday and slowly spread south during the day. Precipitation should become moderate for the West North zone in the afternoon. Snow levels will quickly fall into the 3000-4000' range with the onset of precipitation. The far southern Washington Cascades and Mt Hood will have to wait until Wednesday evening for the front to arrive. W-SW ridgeline winds will increase tonight and continue during the day on Wednesday as the frontal system moves in from the Northwest.
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 in the morning becoming partly cloudy with increasing high clouds and filtered sunshine in the afternoon.
Tuesday
Night
Cloudy.
Tuesday
Mostly sunny in the morning becoming partly to mostly cloudy with increasing high clouds and filtered sunshine in the afternoon.
Tuesday
Night
Cloudy.
Tuesday
Mostly sunny in the morning becoming partly sunny with increasing high clouds and filtered sunshine late in the afternoon.
Tuesday
Night
Partly to mostly cloudy with increasing high clouds overnight.
Tuesday
Mostly sunny. Periods of high clouds and filtered sunshine in the afternoon.
Tuesday
Night
Partly cloudy with increasing high clouds overnight.
Tuesday
Mostly sunny in the morning becoming partly sunny with increasing high clouds and filtered sunshine late in the afternoon.
Tuesday
Night
Mostly cloudy with increasing high clouds overnight.
Tuesday
Mostly sunny. Periods of high clouds and filtered sunshine in the afternoon.
Tuesday
Night
Partly cloudy with increasing high clouds overnight.
Tuesday
Mostly sunny in the morning becoming partly to mostly cloudy with increasing high clouds and filtered sunshine in the afternoon.
Tuesday
Night
Mostly cloudy with increasing high clouds overnight.
Tuesday
Mostly sunny. Periods of high clouds and filtered sunshine in the afternoon.
Tuesday
Night
Partly cloudy with increasing high clouds overnight.
Tuesday
Mostly sunny.
Tuesday
Night
Partly cloudy with increasing high clouds overnight.
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).