For most of the region, the big story on Saturday will be the continued strong and gusty E winds. Expect the breeziest conditions along the Cascade crest and through the mountain passes. Winds should very gradually decrease into the afternoon and evening. A warm front continues to slowly nudge its way into the area from the SSW. You can already see the effects of the milder temperatures in the Olympics, West North, and West Central zones where 5000ft temps hover near freezing. This warmer air will continue to try and shove its way further east, but the cold easterly winds should hold it at bay for much of the weekend.
Precipitation with this front will also work its way northward, but progress is slow, and the front is weak. On Saturday, showers move into the Olympics, Mt Hood, and West/East South zones. Eventually, a secondary short-wave pushes the front north Saturday night and spreads light showers to places near and north of I90 Sunday morning. The southerly flow with this storm favors locations near the volcanoes, but even there, don't expect more than a couple of inches of snow.
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
Saturday
Cloudy with rain and snow, mainly in the southern Olympics.
Saturday
Night
Cloudy with rain and snow, mainly in the southern Olympics.
Saturday
Mostly sunny in the morning with increasing clouds in the afternoon.
Saturday
Night
Mostly cloudy.
Saturday
Mostly sunny in the morning with increasing clouds during the day. Moderate and gusty ESE winds.
Saturday
Night
Mostly cloudy with light to moderate ESE winds decreasing.
Saturday
Mostly cloudy with light precipitation spreading from SW to NE. Warmest temperatures and heaviest precipitation on Mt St Helens. Cooler near the Crest. Moderate to strong ESE winds decreasing slightly.
Saturday
Night
Cloudy with light precipitation. Light to moderate ESE decreasing slightly. Colder closer to the crest.
Saturday
Mostly sunny in the morning with increasing clouds. Moderate E flow through the pass with moderate ESE ridgeline winds decreasing slightly in the afternoon.
Saturday
Night
Mostly cloudy with light to moderate E flow through the Pass. Light to moderate ESE ridgeline winds. A few flurries possible.
Saturday
Partly cloudy with increasing clouds during the day. Breezy. Moderate E flow through the Pass. Moderate to strong and gusty ESE ridgeline winds.
Saturday
Night
Cloudy with a few very light showers possible, mainly after midnight. Light to moderate E flow decreasing slightly. Moderate ESE ridgeline winds dropping overnight.
Saturday
Mostly sunny with passing high clouds. Light to moderate SE winds.
Saturday
Night
Increasing clouds, becoming mostly cloudy. Light to moderate SE winds decreasing.
Saturday
Partly cloudy to mostly sunny in the morning with increasing clouds in the afternoon. A few flurries possible. Moderate SE winds strongest near the Crest.
Saturday
Night
Cloudy with light snow showers. Moderate SE winds turning S and decreasing slightly.
Saturday
Mostly cloudy, with clouds lowering throughout the day. A few very light snow showers. Moderate SE winds strongest near the crest.
Saturday
Night
Cloudy with light snow showers. Light to moderate SE winds turning S and decreasing.
Saturday
Cloudy with light snow showers. Low-level E winds could be gusty in places. Light to Moderate S winds at middle and upper elevations.
Saturday
Night
Cloudy with snow showers. Moderate S winds turning SW and becoming strong and gusty.
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).