The Pacific Northwest should experience cool, but relatively quiet weather in the short term with active weather returning on Thursday. A weakening low remains parked over northern California. Some low clouds and moisture linger from a disturbance that fizzled over the area Sunday night. However, with little in the way of upper-level forcing, these clouds can really only touch off isolated snow flurries from around Paradise to Mt. Rainier. Most other areas will see partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies. An inversion east of the Cascades will keep very cold temperatures in deep valley locations where the Methow wakes up with temperatures a few degrees below zero while most mountain locations are in the 10s and 20s. Weak NW flow begins later Monday and gradually increases through Tuesday, allowing for very gradually increasing chances of snow flurries or very light snow along the west slopes of the Cascades, primarily later Monday night and Tuesday. Most areas can expect an inch or less of snow. The NW wind will also help dissipate the inversion along the east slopes of the Cascades.
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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Monday
Mostly sunny with some low cloud cover below 4000 ft.
Monday
Night
Mostly clear with some low cloud cover below 4000 ft.
Monday
Mostly sunny with some low cloud cover below 4000 ft during the morning hours.
Monday
Night
Increasing clouds with a chance of snow flurries by morning.
Monday
Mostly sunny northern part with increasing low clouds southern part.
Monday
Night
Mostly cloudy with an increasing chance of very light snow showers or flurries.
Monday
Partly to mostly cloudy with a chance of snow flurries.
Monday
Night
Mostly cloudy with an increasing chance of very light snow showers or flurries. Much of Mt. Rainier likely pops above the cloud deck.
Monday
Mostly sunny in the morning with low clouds increasing during the afternoon. Light W ridgeline and E winds at the Pass.
Monday
Night
Mostly cloudy with an increasing chance of very light snow showers or flurries. Light ridgeline and variable or W wind at the Pass.
Monday
Partly to mostly cloudy with a chance of snow flurries. Light W ridgeline and E winds at the Pass.
Monday
Night
Mostly cloudy with an increasing chance of very light snow showers or flurries. Light to occasionally moderate ridgeline and variable or light W wind at the Pass.
Monday
Mostly sunny. Cold with an inversion to start the day.
Monday
Night
Partly cloudy to mostly clear.
Monday
A mix of clouds and sun with a stratus deck in some areas below 4000 ft.
Monday
Night
Partly cloudy to mostly clear.
Monday
A mix of clouds and sun with a stratus deck in some areas below 4000 ft.
Monday
Night
Partly cloudy to mostly clear.
Monday
Mostly sunny with some low clouds below 4000 ft.
Monday
Night
Partly cloudy with a chance of snow showers on the west slopes of Mt. Hood.
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).