Cold NW flow aloft, low level onshore flow and a weak upper level disturbance passing overhead will continue light to locally moderate snow showers along the west slopes of the Cascades today. Showers are more moderate near the Mt Baker area this morning and near a Puget Sound Convergence zone between Hwy 2 and I-90. Locally moderate showers should shift to I-90 and south to Mt Hood this afternoon while becoming lighter and more scattered for areas north. Minimal shower activity will make it to the east side of the Cascades today but clouds will hang tough near the Cascade crest and gradually decrease for areas further east. Ridgeline winds will be strongest in the Mt Hood area in this pattern today.
Showers will taper off this evening with generally scattered to broken skies overnight and cold temperatures. High level clouds will increase quickly on Wednesday as a frontal system rides up and over a ridge of high pressure parked well offshore. Clouds will lower during the day with light snow developing for most areas in the afternoon with W-NW ridgeline winds increasing as well. Snow will increase further Wednesday night.
Weather Forecast
Olympics
West North
West Central
West South
Stevens Pass
Snoqualmie Pass
East North
East Central
East South
Mt. Hood
Use dropdown to select your zone
Tuesday
Partly to mostly cloudy with isolated snow showers.
Tuesday
Night
Mostly cloudy.
Tuesday
Light to occasionally moderate snow showers in the morning. Mostly cloudy with light scattered snow showers in the afternoon.
Tuesday
Night
Mostly cloudy.
Tuesday
Light to occasionally moderate snow showers in the morning. Mostly cloudy with light scattered snow showers in the afternoon.
Tuesday
Night
Mostly cloudy.
Tuesday
Cloudy with scattered light snow showers this morning, becoming light to occasionally moderate snow showers in the afternoon.
Tuesday
Night
Mostly cloudy with scattered snow showers in the evening tapering off after midnight.
Tuesday
Light to occasionally moderate snow showers in the morning. Mostly cloudy with light scattered snow showers in the afternoon. Light west winds at Pass level.
Tuesday
Night
Mostly cloudy. Light and variable winds at Pass level overnight.
Tuesday
Light to occasionally moderate snow showers in the morning. Mostly cloudy with light scattered snow showers in the afternoon. Light to moderate west winds at Pass level.
Tuesday
Night
Mostly cloudy. Light and variable winds at Pass level overnight.
Tuesday
Cloudy with isolated snow showers. Mostly cloudy eastern part of the zone in the afternoon.
Tuesday
Night
Mostly cloudy.
Tuesday
Cloudy with isolated snow showers. Mostly cloudy eastern part of the zone in the afternoon.
Tuesday
Night
Mostly cloudy.
Tuesday
Cloudy with isolated snow showers. Mostly cloudy eastern part of the zone in the afternoon.
Tuesday
Night
Mostly cloudy.
Tuesday
Partly to mostly cloudy with scattered light snow showers this morning, becoming light to occasionally moderate snow showers in the afternoon. Strong ridgeline winds.
Tuesday
Night
Mostly cloudy with scattered snow showers in the evening tapering off after midnight.
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).