The persistent ridge of high pressure keeps us dry and unseasonably mild through the weekend before a cutoff low brings rain and snow on Monday.
Many locations, particularly near and east of the Cascade Crest have an inversion to start the day. Below-freezing temperatures have generally been confined to locations below 3000-5000 ft. Saturday should the warmest day so far in February for 5000 ft elevations west of the Cascade Crest. Hurricane Ridge, Mt. Baker, and perhaps Paradise could all see temperatures in the 50s. Areas near and east of the Cascade Crest should see 5000 ft temperatures in the 40s with inversions weakening as full sunshine warms the surface. Moderate E flow should continue to gradually weaken through Stampede Gap and White Pass, becoming light to moderate overnight.
Upper-level winds will gradually shift westerly Saturday night, creating increasingly shallow inversions through Sunday morning. The ridge of high pressure should be flattening as it crosses the Cascades around mid-day Sunday. Areas west of the Cascade Crest should cool slightly while areas further east will be warmer than Saturday. Expect a sunny start to the day, but high and mid-layer clouds should increase in the afternoon as light to occasionally moderate WSW winds increase.
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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Saturday
Sunny skies, very mild temperatures, and light winds. Shallow low-level inversion decreasing by the afternoon.
Saturday
Night
Clear and mild. Shallow low-level inversion.
Saturday
Sunny skies, very mild temperatures, and light winds.
Saturday
Night
Clear and mild. Shallow low-level inversion.
Saturday
Sunny skies, very mild temperatures, and light winds.
Saturday
Night
Clear and mild. Shallow low-level inversion.
Saturday
Sunny skies and mild temperatures. Strong wind gusts possible in the White Pass area. Low-level inversion near the Cascade Crest.
Saturday
Night
Clear and mild. Shallow low-level inversion.
Saturday
Sunny skies and mild temperatures. Low-level inversion weakening during the afternoon. Light E winds at the Pass.
Saturday
Night
Clear and mild. Shallow low-level inversion. Light E winds through the mountain gaps.
Saturday
Sunny skies and mild temperatures. Low-level inversion weakening during the afternoon. Light to moderate E winds at the Pass.
Saturday
Night
Clear and mild. Low-level inversion. Light E winds through the mountain gaps.
Saturday
Sunny and mild. Low-level inversion weakening during the afternoon.
Saturday
Night
Clear and mild. Shallow low-level inversion.
Saturday
Sunny and mild. Low-level inversion weakening during the afternoon.
Saturday
Night
Clear and mild. Shallow low-level inversion.
Saturday
Sunny and mild. Low-level inversion weakening during the afternoon.
Saturday
Night
Clear and mild. Shallow low-level inversion.
Saturday
Sunny and mild. Low-level inversion weakening during the afternoon.
Saturday
Night
Clear and mild. Increasingly shallow low-level inversion.
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).