Mild, breezy, and active will characterize the weather pattern for the remainder of the work week. A very deep low pressure lifts northward off the Pacific Northwest coastline on Thursday driving gradually decreasing E flow which has been locally strong around Crystal Mountain and White Pass. The decreasing E winds can be attributed in part to the gradual erosion of the cold pool east of the Cascade Crest as southerly winds aloft continue to bring in milder air. Frontal features have been challenging to define with this pattern, but it appears that a weak warm front moved into Washington State overnight while an occluded front sits offshore. Bands of light precipitation continue to rotate around the offshore low, but most precipitation will be light. As the occluded front moves onshore overnight with a subtle trough, it will bring a shift to SSW winds (from SSE). Mt. Baker and the southern Olympics could receive some heavier precipitation at times. On Friday, E winds begin to increase once again as a new deep low moves into the offshore water, spreading another round of light precipitation in into the area.
Snow levels will fluctuate around 3000-4500 ft near and west of the Cascade Crest with 2500-3500 ft snow levels further east.
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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Thursday
Light rain and snow at times. Mild.
Thursday
Night
Light rain and snow. Mild.
Thursday
Light to occasionally moderate rain and snow. Mild.
Thursday
Night
Moderate to heavy rain and snow. Gradually cooling.
Thursday
Light rain and snow at times. Mild.
Thursday
Night
Light rain and snow. Mild.
Thursday
Light rain and snow at times. Mild.
Thursday
Night
Light rain and snow (moderate at times at Paradise). Mild.
Thursday
Periods of light rain and snow (more sustained E of the Pass). Decreasing moderate ridgeline and light to moderate E wind at the Pass.
Thursday
Night
Periods of light rain and snow. Light to moderate ridgeline and light E wind at the Pass.
Thursday
Very light rain and snow (more sustained E of the Pass). Snow levels likely to bump above pass level by mid-morning. Decreasing moderate ridgeline and light to moderate E wind at the Pass.
Thursday
Night
Periods of light rain and snow. Light to moderate ridgeline and light E wind at the Pass.
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).