Issued: 2:32 PM PDT Monday, April 24, 2023
by Dennis D'Amico

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

Weather Synopsis

A compact upper-level low will shift further away from the Pacific Northwest Monday night. Generally light popcorn showers on radar Monday afternoon near and west of the Cascade crest will die off overnight as the low shifts to the SE. Snow/freezing levels will fall to around 3000-4500' overnight. 

Starting Tuesday, we'll begin what will be a multi-day warm-up that should peak later this week. Freezing levels will begin to climb across the region, towards 6500' near the Canadian border to 9000' further south near Mt Hood. Skies should be partly to mostly sunny with a mix of some low clouds and a few high clouds along the west slopes of the Cascades and Passes and mostly sunny further east.  Most areas will see periods of moderate W-NW ridgeline winds over the next 48 hours. 

We'll see a mild Tuesday night with overnight temperatures well above freezing. On Wednesday, a storm system well to our north will flatten the upper level ridge and temporarily delay our warmest temperatures. More cloud cover will occur for the central/north Cascades with clearer skies further south. 

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
Monday Night Mostly cloudy with scattered light rain and snow showers in the evening, then mostly cloudy after midnight.
Tuesday Partly to mostly cloudy in the morning, then partly to mostly sunny in the afternoon.
Monday Night Mostly cloudy with scattered light rain and snow showers in the evening, then mostly cloudy after midnight.
Tuesday Partly to mostly cloudy in the morning, then partly to mostly sunny in the afternoon.
Monday Night Mostly cloudy with scattered light rain and snow showers in the evening, then mostly cloudy after midnight.
Tuesday Partly to mostly cloudy in the morning, then partly to mostly sunny in the afternoon.
Monday Night Mostly cloudy with scattered light rain and snow showers in the evening, then mostly cloudy after midnight.
Tuesday Partly to mostly cloudy in the morning, then mostly sunny with a few high clouds in the afternoon.
Monday Night Mostly cloudy with scattered light rain and snow showers in the evening, then mostly cloudy after midnight. Light west winds at Pass level.
Tuesday Partly to mostly cloudy in the morning, then mostly sunny with a few high clouds in the afternoon. Light west winds at Pass level.
Monday Night Mostly cloudy with scattered light rain and snow showers in the evening, then mostly cloudy after midnight. Light to moderate west winds at Pass level.
Tuesday Partly to mostly cloudy in the morning, then mostly sunny with a few high clouds in the afternoon. Light to moderate west winds at Pass level.
Monday Night Mostly cloudy with isolated light rain and snow showers in the evening near the Cascade crest, partly to mostly clear after midnight.
Tuesday Mostly sunny with a few high clouds.
Monday Night Mostly cloudy with isolated light rain and snow showers in the evening near the Cascade crest, partly to mostly clear after midnight.
Tuesday Mostly sunny with a few high clouds.
Monday Night Mostly cloudy with isolated light rain and snow showers in the evening near the Cascade crest, partly to mostly clear after midnight.
Tuesday Mostly sunny with a few high clouds.
Monday Night Mostly cloudy with scattered light rain and snow showers in the evening, then mostly cloudy after midnight. More cloud cover and shower activity west side of the mountain.
Tuesday Mostly sunny with a few high clouds.

Precipitation (in)

Monday Night Tuesday Tuesday Night Wednesday
5 pm - 5 am 5 am - 5 pm 5 pm - 5 am 5 am - 5 pm
Hurricane Ridge LT 0.10 0 0 0
Mt Baker Ski Area LT 0.10 0 0 0
Mt. Loop - Barlow Pass LT 0.10 0 0 0
Stevens Pass LT 0.10 0 0 0
Snoqualmie Pass LT 0.10 0 0 0
Crystal Mt LT 0.10 0 0 0
Paradise LT 0.10 0 0 0
White Pass LT 0.10 0 0 0
Washington Pass LT 0.10 0 0 0
Mission Ridge 0 0 0 0
Salmon la Sac - Gallagher Head LT 0.10 0 0 0
Tieton River - Darland Mt. LT 0.10 0 0 0
Mt Hood Meadows LT 0.10 0 0 0
Timberline LT 0.10 0 0 0
Hurricane Ridge Precipitation (in)
Monday Night LT 0.10
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Mt Baker Ski Area Precipitation (in)
Monday Night LT 0.10
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Mt. Loop - Barlow Pass Precipitation (in)
Monday Night LT 0.10
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Stevens Pass Precipitation (in)
Monday Night LT 0.10
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Snoqualmie Pass Precipitation (in)
Monday Night LT 0.10
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Crystal Mt Precipitation (in)
Monday Night LT 0.10
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Paradise Precipitation (in)
Monday Night LT 0.10
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
White Pass Precipitation (in)
Monday Night LT 0.10
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Washington Pass Precipitation (in)
Monday Night LT 0.10
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Mission Ridge Precipitation (in)
Monday Night 0
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Salmon la Sac - Gallagher Head Precipitation (in)
Monday Night LT 0.10
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Tieton River - Darland Mt. Precipitation (in)
Monday Night LT 0.10
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Mt Hood Meadows Precipitation (in)
Monday Night LT 0.10
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Timberline Precipitation (in)
Monday Night LT 0.10
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0

Snow Level (ft)

Monday Evening Monday Night Tuesday Morning Tuesday Afternoon Tuesday Evening Tuesday Night Wednesday Morning Wednesday Afternoon
Olympics 4500' 4500' 5500' 7500' 7500' 8000' 8000' 8000'
West North 4500' 3500' 4500' 6000' 7000' 8000' 8000' 8000'
West Central 4500' 3500' 4500' 6500' 7500' 8000' 8000' 8000'
West South 4500' 3500' 5000' 8000' 8500' 9000' 9000' 9000'
Stevens Pass 4500' 3500' 4500' 6500' 7500' 9000' 8500' 8000'
Snoqualmie Pass 4500' 3500' 4500' 6500' 7500' 9000' 8500' 8000'
East North 4000' 3000' 5000' 7000' 7000' 7000' 7500' 8000'
East Central 4500' 3500' 5000' 7500' 8000' 9000' 9000' 9000'
East South 4500' 3500' 5500' 8000' 8500' 9000' 9000' 9000'
Mt. Hood 5500' 4500' 6000' 9000' 10000' 11000' 11000' 11000'
Olympics Elevation
Monday Evening 4500'
Monday Night 4500'
Tuesday Morning 5500'
Tuesday Afternoon 7500'
Tuesday Evening 7500'
Tuesday Night 8000'
Wednesday Morning 8000'
Wednesday Afternoon 8000'
West North Elevation
Monday Evening 4500'
Monday Night 3500'
Tuesday Morning 4500'
Tuesday Afternoon 6000'
Tuesday Evening 7000'
Tuesday Night 8000'
Wednesday Morning 8000'
Wednesday Afternoon 8000'
West Central Elevation
Monday Evening 4500'
Monday Night 3500'
Tuesday Morning 4500'
Tuesday Afternoon 6500'
Tuesday Evening 7500'
Tuesday Night 8000'
Wednesday Morning 8000'
Wednesday Afternoon 8000'
West South Elevation
Monday Evening 4500'
Monday Night 3500'
Tuesday Morning 5000'
Tuesday Afternoon 8000'
Tuesday Evening 8500'
Tuesday Night 9000'
Wednesday Morning 9000'
Wednesday Afternoon 9000'
Stevens Pass Elevation
Monday Evening 4500'
Monday Night 3500'
Tuesday Morning 4500'
Tuesday Afternoon 6500'
Tuesday Evening 7500'
Tuesday Night 9000'
Wednesday Morning 8500'
Wednesday Afternoon 8000'
Snoqualmie Pass Elevation
Monday Evening 4500'
Monday Night 3500'
Tuesday Morning 4500'
Tuesday Afternoon 6500'
Tuesday Evening 7500'
Tuesday Night 9000'
Wednesday Morning 8500'
Wednesday Afternoon 8000'
East North Elevation
Monday Evening 4000'
Monday Night 3000'
Tuesday Morning 5000'
Tuesday Afternoon 7000'
Tuesday Evening 7000'
Tuesday Night 7000'
Wednesday Morning 7500'
Wednesday Afternoon 8000'
East Central Elevation
Monday Evening 4500'
Monday Night 3500'
Tuesday Morning 5000'
Tuesday Afternoon 7500'
Tuesday Evening 8000'
Tuesday Night 9000'
Wednesday Morning 9000'
Wednesday Afternoon 9000'
East South Elevation
Monday Evening 4500'
Monday Night 3500'
Tuesday Morning 5500'
Tuesday Afternoon 8000'
Tuesday Evening 8500'
Tuesday Night 9000'
Wednesday Morning 9000'
Wednesday Afternoon 9000'
Mt. Hood Elevation
Monday Evening 5500'
Monday Night 4500'
Tuesday Morning 6000'
Tuesday Afternoon 9000'
Tuesday Evening 10000'
Tuesday Night 11000'
Wednesday Morning 11000'
Wednesday Afternoon 11000'

5000' Temperatures (°F)

Monday Night Tuesday
Max / Min Max / Min
Olympics 33 / 26 43 / 29
West North 32 / 26 41 / 29
West Central 32 / 26 41 / 29
West South 33 / 26 46 / 30
Stevens Pass 33 / 28 44 / 30
Snoqualmie Pass 32 / 28 42 / 30
East North 35 / 26 45 / 28
East Central 33 / 28 46 / 29
East South 35 / 26 50 / 28
Mt. Hood 34 / 27 51 / 30
Olympics 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Monday Night 33 / 26
Tuesday 43 / 29
West North 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Monday Night 32 / 26
Tuesday 41 / 29
West Central 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Monday Night 32 / 26
Tuesday 41 / 29
West South 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Monday Night 33 / 26
Tuesday 46 / 30
Stevens Pass 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Monday Night 33 / 28
Tuesday 44 / 30
Snoqualmie Pass 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Monday Night 32 / 28
Tuesday 42 / 30
East North 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Monday Night 35 / 26
Tuesday 45 / 28
East Central 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Monday Night 33 / 28
Tuesday 46 / 29
East South 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Monday Night 35 / 26
Tuesday 50 / 28
Mt. Hood 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Monday Night 34 / 27
Tuesday 51 / 30

Ridgeline Winds (mph)

Monday Evening Monday Night Tuesday Morning Tuesday Afternoon
Olympics WSW 0-10 W 0-10 WNW 5-15 WNW 5-15
West North WSW 0-10 SW 0-10 W 0-10 W 5-15
West Central WNW 5-15 W 0-10 NW 5-15 NW 10-20
West South WNW 5-15 WNW 5-15 NW 5-15 NW 10-20
Stevens Pass WNW 5-15 WNW 5-15 WNW 5-15 NW 10-20
Snoqualmie Pass WNW 10-20 WNW 5-15 NW 10-20 NW 10-20
East North WNW 5-15 WNW 0-10 NW 5-15 WNW 10-20
East Central WNW 10-20 WNW 5-15 NW 5-15 NW 10-20
East South NW 10-20 NW 5-15 NW 0-10 NW 10-20
Mt. Hood NW 10-20 NW 5-15 NW 5-15 NW 5-15
Olympics Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Monday Evening WSW 0-10
Monday Night W 0-10
Tuesday Morning WNW 5-15
Tuesday Afternoon WNW 5-15
West North Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Monday Evening WSW 0-10
Monday Night SW 0-10
Tuesday Morning W 0-10
Tuesday Afternoon W 5-15
West Central Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Monday Evening WNW 5-15
Monday Night W 0-10
Tuesday Morning NW 5-15
Tuesday Afternoon NW 10-20
West South Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Monday Evening WNW 5-15
Monday Night WNW 5-15
Tuesday Morning NW 5-15
Tuesday Afternoon NW 10-20
Stevens Pass Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Monday Evening WNW 5-15
Monday Night WNW 5-15
Tuesday Morning WNW 5-15
Tuesday Afternoon NW 10-20
Snoqualmie Pass Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Monday Evening WNW 10-20
Monday Night WNW 5-15
Tuesday Morning NW 10-20
Tuesday Afternoon NW 10-20
East North Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Monday Evening WNW 5-15
Monday Night WNW 0-10
Tuesday Morning NW 5-15
Tuesday Afternoon WNW 10-20
East Central Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Monday Evening WNW 10-20
Monday Night WNW 5-15
Tuesday Morning NW 5-15
Tuesday Afternoon NW 10-20
East South Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Monday Evening NW 10-20
Monday Night NW 5-15
Tuesday Morning NW 0-10
Tuesday Afternoon NW 10-20
Mt. Hood Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Monday Evening NW 10-20
Monday Night NW 5-15
Tuesday Morning NW 5-15
Tuesday Afternoon NW 5-15

Extended Weather Synopsis

The spring-time warmup we've all been waiting for takes full effect Wednesday night through Friday (and likely through the first half of the weekend) as strong upper level ridging takes hold over the West Coast. Look for the warmest temperatures of the season and sunny days/clear nights over this stretch as freezing levels soar to 12,000-14,000'. 

Extended Snow Level (ft)

Wednesday Night Thursday Thursday Night* Friday *
West North 7500' 11500' 13000' 13000'
Snoqualmie Pass 8000' 12500' 13000' 13500'
Mt. Hood 12000' 13000' 13500' 14000'
West North Elevation
Wednesday Night 7500'
Thursday 11500'
Thursday Night* 13000'
Friday * 13000'
Snoqualmie Pass Elevation
Wednesday Night 8000'
Thursday 12500'
Thursday Night* 13000'
Friday * 13500'
Mt. Hood Elevation
Wednesday Night 12000'
Thursday 13000'
Thursday Night* 13500'
Friday * 14000'

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

Previous forecast from Apr 23, 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’.