A nearly stationary and broad area of low pressure offshore will spin showers up from the south today. Precipitation totals will be lighter than what we've experienced the last few days, as we leave the atmospheric river pattern we've endured since Friday in the rear-view window. The highest precipitations for today along with the most cloud cover will likely be found along the North Cascades on either side of the Cascade crest, between 0.25-0.50" water equivalent. Areas further south are more likely to see significant sunbreaks this afternoon between scattered showers. Snow levels will continue their slow decline from where they've been, with upper elevations cooling more significantly than lower to mid-elevations over this period. Southerly winds will be strongest over the Olympics today.
Scattered showers and mostly cloudy skies will continue tonight through Friday as the upper low edges closer to the shore. The Olympics may see the most shower activity over this period although totals will still be on the light side. Snow levels will cool another notch on Friday, settling around 4500' across the region.
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
Cloudy with scattered light to occasionally moderate rain and snow showers. Moderate to strong ridgeline winds.
Thursday
Night
Mostly cloudy with scattered light rain and snow showers.
Thursday
Cloudy with light to occasionally moderate rain and snow showers. Moderate ridgeline winds.
Thursday
Night
Mostly cloudy with scattered light rain and snow showers.
Thursday
Cloudy with light to occasionally moderate rain and snow showers, becoming scattered showers in the afternoon.
Thursday
Night
Mostly cloudy with scattered light rain and snow showers.
Thursday
Cloudy with scattered light to occasionally moderate rain and snow showers, becoming scattered showers and partly to mostly cloudy in the afternoon. Moderate ridgeline winds easing in the afternoon.
Thursday
Night
Mostly cloudy with scattered light rain and snow showers.
Thursday
Cloudy with scattered light rain and snow showers, becoming mostly cloudy with scattered showers in the afternoon. Light SE winds at Pass level and ridgeline.
Thursday
Night
Mostly cloudy with scattered light rain and snow showers. Light E winds at Pass level, light W winds at ridgeline.
Thursday
Cloudy with scattered light rain and snow showers, becoming mostly cloudy with scattered showers in the afternoon. Light to moderate SE winds at Pass level and ridgeline decreasing in the afternoon.
Thursday
Night
Mostly cloudy with scattered light rain and snow showers. Light E winds at Pass level, light W winds at ridgeline.
Thursday
Cloudy with light to occasionally moderate rain and snow showers. Moderate ridgeline winds easing in the afternoon.
Thursday
Night
Mostly cloudy with scattered light rain and snow showers.
Thursday
Cloudy with light to occasionally moderate rain and snow showers, then becoming mostly cloudy with scattered light showers in the afternoon. Moderate ridgeline winds easing in the afternoon.
Thursday
Night
Mostly cloudy with scattered light rain and snow showers.
Thursday
Cloudy with light to occasionally moderate rain and snow showers, then becoming mostly cloudy to partly sunny with scattered light showers in the afternoon. Moderate ridgeline winds easing in the afternoon.
Thursday
Night
Mostly cloudy with scattered light rain and snow showers.
Thursday
Mostly cloudy with light scattered rain and snow showers, then becoming partly sunny with isolated showers in the afternoon. Moderate ridgeline winds easing in the afternoon.
Thursday
Night
Mostly cloudy with scattered light rain and snow showers.
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).