Mountain Weather Forecast

Weather Synopsis

A weak front passed through earlier today and its wakes we have some drippy conditions left over in the Passes and generally cloudy skies intermingled with sunbreaks across the area. Milder air has mixed along the east slopes of the Cascades following the frontal passage and mountain temperatures are generally near or above freezing. 

While conditions dry out for most areas tonight, light warm frontal moisture extending from a system located well offshore will clip the Olympic mountains and perhaps the northwest Cascades as it lifts north through Friday morning. An upper-level ridge centered over the Intermountain West will amplify on Friday and quickly shunt the precipitation well north into central British Columbia leaving us high and dry.

We'll see another battle of cool easterly flow and multiple freezing levels with warmer air aloft riding in from the SW Thursday night and Friday.  Freezing levels will soar to 7-9000' for the Olympics, west slopes of the Cascades, with even milder conditions expected near Mt Hood on Friday. Relatively cooler air along the east slopes of the Cascades and in the major Cascade Passe will slowly erode on Friday with more measured warming and cooler temperatures down along lower slopes. We'll see more filtered sunshine and high clouds west of the Cascade crest and stubborn low clouds along the east slopes and Passes. 

On Friday night and Saturday, milder air under the strong ridge of high pressure throughout the region. Once again, we should expect periods of high clouds and pleasant mid-mountain temperatures in the 40s. For those pushing to higher peaks on Saturday, the tail end of jet streak to our north may allow for strong westerly winds near and above 8000' for the central and north Cascades.