Issued: 7:03 AM PDT Thursday, March 16, 2023
by Dennis D'Amico

Jump to: Weather Forecast I Precipitation I Snow Level I 5000' Temps I Ridgeline Winds I

Weather Synopsis

High pressure will shift over the region today, leading to a mostly sunny and spring-like day. Offshore flow will lead to some breezy E-SE ridgeline and Pass level winds in areas, with light to moderate winds expected near and south of Hwy 2. A weak upper level trough well offshore will also send a few high clouds our way this afternoon and cause periods of filtered sunshine, mainly for the Olympics and northwest Cascades in the afternoon. Light upslope flow along the east slopes of the Cascades should also allow patchy cumulus clouds to build-up over the mountains in the afternoon and drift to the NW. Freezing levels will be in the 4000-5000' range today. 

We'll have a quiet Thursday night with some passing high clouds over Washington State from the same upper level feature and then mostly clear skies. On Friday, we can expect lighter winds and sunny skies at least through mid-day. Another weak system well offshore will likely spread a bit more high cloud inland during the late afternoon hours. Freezing levels will bump up a notch and into the 5000-6000' range on Friday. 

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
Thursday Mostly sunny in the morning with a few high clouds, becoming partly to mostly cloudy with filtered sunshine in the afternoon.
Thursday Night Mostly to partly clear with periods of high clouds.
Thursday Mostly sunny. Periods of filtered sunshine and high clouds in the afternoon.
Thursday Night Mostly to partly clear with periods of high clouds.
Thursday Mostly sunny with passing high clouds. Light to moderate SE ridgeline winds.
Thursday Night Mostly to partly clear with periods of high clouds.
Thursday Mostly sunny with passing high clouds. Moderate SE ridgeline winds.
Thursday Night Mostly clear.
Thursday Mostly sunny with passing high clouds. Light to moderate E-SE ridgeline and Pass level winds.
Thursday Night Mostly to partly clear with periods of high clouds. Light to moderate E-SE ridgeline and Pass level winds.
Thursday Mostly sunny with passing high clouds. Moderate E-SE ridgeline and Pass level winds.
Thursday Night Mostly to partly clear with periods of high clouds. Light to moderate E-SE ridgeline and Pass level winds.
Thursday Mostly sunny in the morning with a few high clouds, becoming partly to mostly sunny with periods of filtered sunshine and a few low clouds building near ridgelines in the afternoon.
Thursday Night Mostly to partly clear with periods of high clouds.
Thursday Mostly sunny with occasional high clouds. A few low clouds building near ridgelines in the afternoon. Moderate SE ridgeline winds.
Thursday Night Mostly clear. Light to moderate SE ridgeline winds.
Thursday Mostly sunny with occasional high clouds. A few low clouds building near ridgelines in the afternoon. Light to moderate SE ridgeline winds.
Thursday Night Mostly clear. Light to moderate SE ridgeline winds.
Thursday Sunny. Light to moderate SE ridgeline winds.
Thursday Night Mostly clear.

Precipitation (in)

Thursday Thursday Night Friday
5 am - 5 pm 5 pm - 5 am 5 am - 5 pm
Hurricane Ridge 0 0 0
Mt Baker Ski Area 0 0 0
Mt. Loop - Barlow Pass 0 0 0
Stevens Pass 0 0 0
Snoqualmie Pass 0 0 0
Crystal Mt 0 0 0
Paradise 0 0 0
White Pass 0 0 0
Washington Pass 0 0 0
Mission Ridge 0 0 0
Salmon la Sac - Gallagher Head 0 0 0
Tieton River - Darland Mt. 0 0 0
Mt Hood Meadows 0 0 0
Timberline 0 0 0
Hurricane Ridge Precipitation (in)
Thursday 0
Thursday Night 0
Friday 0
Mt Baker Ski Area Precipitation (in)
Thursday 0
Thursday Night 0
Friday 0
Mt. Loop - Barlow Pass Precipitation (in)
Thursday 0
Thursday Night 0
Friday 0
Stevens Pass Precipitation (in)
Thursday 0
Thursday Night 0
Friday 0
Snoqualmie Pass Precipitation (in)
Thursday 0
Thursday Night 0
Friday 0
Crystal Mt Precipitation (in)
Thursday 0
Thursday Night 0
Friday 0
Paradise Precipitation (in)
Thursday 0
Thursday Night 0
Friday 0
White Pass Precipitation (in)
Thursday 0
Thursday Night 0
Friday 0
Washington Pass Precipitation (in)
Thursday 0
Thursday Night 0
Friday 0
Mission Ridge Precipitation (in)
Thursday 0
Thursday Night 0
Friday 0
Salmon la Sac - Gallagher Head Precipitation (in)
Thursday 0
Thursday Night 0
Friday 0
Tieton River - Darland Mt. Precipitation (in)
Thursday 0
Thursday Night 0
Friday 0
Mt Hood Meadows Precipitation (in)
Thursday 0
Thursday Night 0
Friday 0
Timberline Precipitation (in)
Thursday 0
Thursday Night 0
Friday 0

Snow Level (ft)

Thursday Morning* Thursday Afternoon* Thursday Evening* Thursday Night* Friday Morning* Friday Afternoon*
Olympics 2000' 4000' 2500' 2000' 3500' 5500'
West North 2000' 4500' 2500' 2000' 3500' 5500'
West Central 2000' 4500' 2500' 2000' 3500' 5500'
West South 2000' 4500' 2500' 2000' 3500' 5500'
Stevens Pass 2000' 4500' 2500' 2000' 3500' 5000'
Snoqualmie Pass 2000' 4500' 2500' 2000' 3500' 5000'
East North 2000' 4500' 2500' 1000' 3500' 5000'
East Central 2000' 4000' 2500' 2000' 3500' 5000'
East South 2000' 4500' 2500' 2000' 3500' 5500'
Mt. Hood 2000' 4500' 2500' 2000' 3500' 6000'
Olympics Elevation
Thursday Morning* 2000'
Thursday Afternoon* 4000'
Thursday Evening* 2500'
Thursday Night* 2000'
Friday Morning* 3500'
Friday Afternoon* 5500'
West North Elevation
Thursday Morning* 2000'
Thursday Afternoon* 4500'
Thursday Evening* 2500'
Thursday Night* 2000'
Friday Morning* 3500'
Friday Afternoon* 5500'
West Central Elevation
Thursday Morning* 2000'
Thursday Afternoon* 4500'
Thursday Evening* 2500'
Thursday Night* 2000'
Friday Morning* 3500'
Friday Afternoon* 5500'
West South Elevation
Thursday Morning* 2000'
Thursday Afternoon* 4500'
Thursday Evening* 2500'
Thursday Night* 2000'
Friday Morning* 3500'
Friday Afternoon* 5500'
Stevens Pass Elevation
Thursday Morning* 2000'
Thursday Afternoon* 4500'
Thursday Evening* 2500'
Thursday Night* 2000'
Friday Morning* 3500'
Friday Afternoon* 5000'
Snoqualmie Pass Elevation
Thursday Morning* 2000'
Thursday Afternoon* 4500'
Thursday Evening* 2500'
Thursday Night* 2000'
Friday Morning* 3500'
Friday Afternoon* 5000'
East North Elevation
Thursday Morning* 2000'
Thursday Afternoon* 4500'
Thursday Evening* 2500'
Thursday Night* 1000'
Friday Morning* 3500'
Friday Afternoon* 5000'
East Central Elevation
Thursday Morning* 2000'
Thursday Afternoon* 4000'
Thursday Evening* 2500'
Thursday Night* 2000'
Friday Morning* 3500'
Friday Afternoon* 5000'
East South Elevation
Thursday Morning* 2000'
Thursday Afternoon* 4500'
Thursday Evening* 2500'
Thursday Night* 2000'
Friday Morning* 3500'
Friday Afternoon* 5500'
Mt. Hood Elevation
Thursday Morning* 2000'
Thursday Afternoon* 4500'
Thursday Evening* 2500'
Thursday Night* 2000'
Friday Morning* 3500'
Friday Afternoon* 6000'

5000' Temperatures (°F)

Thursday Thursday Night
Max / Min Max / Min
Olympics 34 / 18 31 / 27
West North 34 / 20 31 / 25
West Central 33 / 21 29 / 24
West South 33 / 20 31 / 24
Stevens Pass 33 / 20 29 / 23
Snoqualmie Pass 32 / 20 29 / 23
East North 32 / 19 29 / 19
East Central 31 / 20 28 / 22
East South 32 / 19 28 / 23
Mt. Hood 34 / 22 31 / 25
Olympics 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Thursday 34 / 18
Thursday Night 31 / 27
West North 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Thursday 34 / 20
Thursday Night 31 / 25
West Central 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Thursday 33 / 21
Thursday Night 29 / 24
West South 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Thursday 33 / 20
Thursday Night 31 / 24
Stevens Pass 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Thursday 33 / 20
Thursday Night 29 / 23
Snoqualmie Pass 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Thursday 32 / 20
Thursday Night 29 / 23
East North 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Thursday 32 / 19
Thursday Night 29 / 19
East Central 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Thursday 31 / 20
Thursday Night 28 / 22
East South 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Thursday 32 / 19
Thursday Night 28 / 23
Mt. Hood 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Thursday 34 / 22
Thursday Night 31 / 25

Ridgeline Winds (mph)

Thursday Morning Thursday Afternoon Thursday Evening Thursday Night
Olympics SE 5-15 SE 5-15 SE 5-15 SSE 0-10
West North SE 0-10 SE 5-15 SE 5-15 SE 0-10
West Central SE 10-20 SE 10-20 SE 10-20 SE 5-15
West South SE 10-20 SE 10-20 SE 10-20 SE 5-15
Stevens Pass ESE 5-15 SE 10-20 SE 5-15 SE 5-15
Snoqualmie Pass SE 10-20 SE 10-20 SE 10-20 SE 10-20
East North SE 5-15 SE 10-20 SE 5-15 S 5-15
East Central SE 10-20 SE 10-20 SE 10-20 S 5-15
East South SE 5-15 SE 10-20 SE 5-15 S 5-15
Mt. Hood SE 10-20 SE 10-20 SE 10-20 S 5-15
Olympics Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Thursday Morning SE 5-15
Thursday Afternoon SE 5-15
Thursday Evening SE 5-15
Thursday Night SSE 0-10
West North Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Thursday Morning SE 0-10
Thursday Afternoon SE 5-15
Thursday Evening SE 5-15
Thursday Night SE 0-10
West Central Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Thursday Morning SE 10-20
Thursday Afternoon SE 10-20
Thursday Evening SE 10-20
Thursday Night SE 5-15
West South Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Thursday Morning SE 10-20
Thursday Afternoon SE 10-20
Thursday Evening SE 10-20
Thursday Night SE 5-15
Stevens Pass Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Thursday Morning ESE 5-15
Thursday Afternoon SE 10-20
Thursday Evening SE 5-15
Thursday Night SE 5-15
Snoqualmie Pass Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Thursday Morning SE 10-20
Thursday Afternoon SE 10-20
Thursday Evening SE 10-20
Thursday Night SE 10-20
East North Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Thursday Morning SE 5-15
Thursday Afternoon SE 10-20
Thursday Evening SE 5-15
Thursday Night S 5-15
East Central Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Thursday Morning SE 10-20
Thursday Afternoon SE 10-20
Thursday Evening SE 10-20
Thursday Night S 5-15
East South Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Thursday Morning SE 5-15
Thursday Afternoon SE 10-20
Thursday Evening SE 5-15
Thursday Night S 5-15
Mt. Hood Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Thursday Morning SE 10-20
Thursday Afternoon SE 10-20
Thursday Evening SE 10-20
Thursday Night S 5-15

Jump to: Weather Forecast I Precipitation I Snow Level I 5000' Temps I Ridgeline Winds I

Previous forecast from Mar 15, 2023

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).

The label LT, is shorthand for ‘less than’.