It looks like a gorgeous start to the day around the mountains. Webcams show a few clouds along the eastern side of the Cascades near and north of Hwy 2, but otherwise, skies are generally clear. You should have plenty of sunshine today, even if a few bands of high clouds occasionally pass overhead. Look for temperatures to quickly climb, with many 5000ft stations pushing into the low 40s. The biggest difference today will be slightly stronger winds. This could keep you and the snow a bit cooler. While the wind speeds down low might not seem that impressive, up in the alpine, you could encounter very strong and gusty winds.
The high pressure ridge responsible for this stretch of warm sunny weather begins to move inland this evening. This will allow much warmer air to flow into the PNW. Weak temperature inversions could develop in some mountain valleys and passes, but just above, temperatures should continue to climb. By Monday morning, freezing levels should reach 9000-10500ft. Warmer air, lighter winds, and plenty of sunshine could allow mid-elevation temperatures to push into the 50s. Keep the sunscreen and sunglasses handy.
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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Sunday
Mostly sunny with a few passing bands of high clouds.
Sunday
Night
Mostly clear. Temperature inversions in the valleys and passes with warming above. NW winds becoming light to moderate.
Sunday
Mostly sunny with a few passing bands of high clouds. Light to moderate NNE winds decreasing slightly. Strong and gusty alpine winds.
Sunday
Night
Mostly clear. Temperature inversions in the valleys and passes with warming above. W winds becoming light to moderate.
Sunday
Mostly sunny with a few passing bands of high clouds. Light to moderate NNE winds decreasing slightly. Strong and gusty alpine winds.
Sunday
Night
Mostly clear. Temperature inversions in the valleys and passes with warming above. NW winds becoming light to moderate.
Sunday
Mostly sunny with a few passing bands of high clouds. Light to moderate N winds decreasing slightly. Very strong and gusty alpine winds.
Sunday
Night
Mostly clear. Temperature inversions in the valleys and passes with warming above. NW winds becoming moderate. Strong and gusty alpine winds.
Sunday
Mostly sunny with a few passing bands of high clouds. Light and variable winds at pass level becoming W in the afternoon.
Sunday
Night
Mostly clear. Temperature inversions in the valleys and passes with warming above. NW winds becoming light to moderate. Variable flow at pass level.
Sunday
Mostly sunny with a few passing bands of high clouds. Light and variable winds at pass level becoming W in the afternoon. Moderate and gusty ridgeline winds.
Sunday
Night
Mostly clear. Temperature inversions in the valleys and passes with warming above. NW winds becoming moderate. Light and variable flow at pass level.
Sunday
Mostly sunny with a few passing bands of high clouds. Light to moderate N winds decreasing slightly. Strong and gusty alpine winds.
Sunday
Night
Mostly clear. Temperature inversions in the valleys and passes with warming above. Light to moderate NW winds.
Sunday
Mostly sunny with a few passing bands of high clouds. Light to moderate N winds. Strong and gusty alpine winds.
Sunday
Night
Mostly clear. Temperature inversions in the valleys and passes with warming above. NW winds becoming moderate.
Sunday
Mostly sunny with a few passing bands of high clouds. Light to moderate NNE winds decreasing slightly. Strong and gusty alpine winds.
Sunday
Night
Mostly clear. Temperature inversions in the valleys and passes with warming above.NW winds becoming moderate.
Sunday
Mostly sunny with a few passing bands of high clouds. Moderate NE winds decreasing slightly. Very strong and gusty alpine winds.
Sunday
Night
Mostly clear. Temperature inversions in the valleys and passes with warming above. Moderate N winds becoming strong and gusty. Very strong and gusty alpine winds.
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).