Mountain Weather Forecast

Weather Synopsis

The radar this afternoon shows showers peppering the west slopes of the Cascades, with the heaviest precipitation near Mt St Helens, Mt Adams, and Mt Hood. This pattern will continue into the early evening. If you find yourself under one of these showers, you could see half an inch or more of snow quickly accumulate. A transient high-pressure ridge will move across the area overnight and put an end to any lingering precipitation. For most locations skies will clear, temperatures should drop, and low clouds/fog may form. By Wednesday morning, the fast-moving high-pressure is already exiting to the east and our next storm begins to approach the coast. Clouds will spread across the region from the SW to NE, thicken, and lower during the day. An initial precipitation shield associated with the storm's warm front will follow a similar track, arriving for locations in the south Cascades around mid-morning and near Mt Baker and Washington Pass by late-afternoon. This will create generally strong and gusty winds for many sites, including the mountain passes. Due to the south-southeastern flow associated with this low-pressure, areas near and east of the Cascade Crest could ring out a bit more rain and snow than normal, given this rather modest storm. 

Precipitation will continue Wednesday night and into early Thursday as the low-pressure system stalls off the coast. A secondary surface low should make its way across the Pacific Northwest Thursday with colder air and another round of showers. The position and track of this weak feature could make a huge difference in how much rain and snow the mountains receive. At the moment, we expect this disturbance to travel just off the coastline, however, if it makes its way further inland, the mountains could see more significant rain and snow.