You'll likely notice two significant factors in today's weather: warm temperatures and windy conditions. A high-pressure ridge over British Columbia will continue to keep us dry and usher in warmer air. This dominant feature in our current weather pattern will send temperatures on a steady march upward over the next few days. With the high-pressure positioned to our north, you'll find the warmest weather in the Olympics and close to the Canadian border. Most trailheads should see temperatures in the mid-40's today with a few locations possibly hitting 50 degrees.
While the high pressure keeps us warm and dry, the close proximity of a cut-off low over eastern Oregan will continue to drive strong NE-E winds for areas south of the highway 2 corridor. Mt Hood should continue to take the brunt of the windy weather with very strong ridgetop winds. Areas near the Cascade crest in the West South zone, Snoqualmie Pass, and the East Central area will also experience strong winds during the day. This should help keep temperatures slightly cooler for these same locations. As the low shifts south and east this afternoon, winds will decrease slightly for most of our mountain sites.
Through the remainder of the week, expect each day and night to be slightly warmer than the last. Weak temperatures inversions could form in some of the more protected mountain valleys and passes, but 5000' temperatures will generally stay mild. As winds decrease and the high-pressure shifts overhead, the warmest air will seep further south and temperatures will continue to climb throughout the region.
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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Wednesday
Sunny and warm.
Wednesday
Night
Clear. Moderate winds decreasing and becoming light and variable.
Wednesday
Sunny and warm. NE winds becoming moderate in the afternoon.
Wednesday
Night
Clear. Moderate NE winds decreasing overnight.
Wednesday
Sunny and warm. NE winds becoming moderate in the afternoon.
Wednesday
Night
Clear. Winds decreasing slightly.
Wednesday
Sunny. Strong ENE winds becoming moderate in the afternoon.
Wednesday
Night
Clear. Moderate NE winds becoming strong overnight.
Wednesday
Sunny and warm. Moderate ENE winds.
Wednesday
Night
Clear. Moderate ENE winds.
Wednesday
Sunny and warm. Strong ENE winds becoming moderate in the afternoon.
Wednesday
Night
Clear. Moderate ENE winds increasing slightly overngiht.
Wednesday
Sunny and warm. Light to moderate NE winds.
Wednesday
Night
Clear. Moderate E winds.
Wednesday
Sunny and warm. Strong NE winds decreasing slightly in the afternoon.
Wednesday
Night
Clear. Moderate to strong ENE winds.
Wednesday
Sunny. Strong NE winds decreasing slightly in the afternoon.
Wednesday
Night
Clear. Moderate to strong ENE winds.
Wednesday
Sunny. Very strong NE winds decreasing slightly 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).