We're in for a couple of dry and mild days in the mountains. A passing storm to our north and a cut-off low off the coast of California will maintain a split jet stream around the region.
This morning, you may find low clouds and patch fog in the mountain valleys and passes. These conditions could persist particularly near and just east of the Cascade crest. Light easterly flow through the Passes should continue to draw clouds into the mountain gaps. As it eases in the afternoon, you might see a brief reprieve from clouds. Elsewhere, you'll likely find plenty of sunshine and temperatures in the mid-30s to low 40s.
Things don't change much overnight and into Thursday. The only noticeable difference will be increasing high clouds. You'll see these first in the Olympics and North Cascades Wednesday night, but they should gradually spread further south during the day. The increase in clouds and a slight uptick in westerly winds herald the approach of a storm that arrives Friday.
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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Wednesday
Dry and mild. Bands of high clouds in the afternoon.
Wednesday
Night
Mostly cloudy and mild.
Wednesday
Low clouds and fog in the morning. Bands of high clouds in the afternoon.
Wednesday
Night
Mostly cloudy and mild. SSW winds becoming light to moderate.
Wednesday
Low clouds and fog in the morning, becoming mostly sunny in the afternoon.
Wednesday
Night
Increasing high clouds, becoming partly to mostly cloudy.
Wednesday
Low clouds and fog in the mountain valleys and pass this morning. Becoming mostly sunny.
Wednesday
Night
Bands of high clouds and mild.
Wednesday
Low clouds and fog near and east of the Pass. Mostly sunny above. Light E flow decreasing slightly in the afternoon.
Wednesday
Night
Partly cloudy with low clouds and fog likely at Pass level. Light E flow.
Wednesday
Low clouds and fog near and east of the Pass. Mostly sunny above. Light E flow decreasing slightly in the afternoon.
Wednesday
Night
Partly to mostly cloudy with low clouds and fog likely at Pass level. Light E flow.
Wednesday
Low clouds in the valleys. Partly to mostly sunny above with increasing high clouds in the afternoon. WSW winds becoming light to moderate.
Wednesday
Night
Mostly cloudy. Light to moderate WSW winds.
Wednesday
Low clouds in the valleys. Partly to mostly sunny above. Winds becoming W light to moderate.
Wednesday
Night
Low clouds in the valleys with increasing high clouds. Light to moderate W winds increasing.
Wednesday
Low clouds in the valleys. Mostly sunny above.
Wednesday
Night
Low clouds in the valleys with increasing high clouds.
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).