Mountain Weather Forecast

Weather Synopsis

There's plenty of sunshine to go around this afternoon all across the mountains. It looks like a beautiful day! If you're enjoying the sunshine, you're in luck. We have another sunny day on tap Thursday before our next storm rolls through on Friday. 

A high pressure ridge continues to rebound off the coast. With mostly clear skies, look for temperature inversions to form in the mountain valleys and passes overnight. These will be most pronounced near and east of the Cascade crest. Low clouds and valley fog go hand in hand with these colder low elevation temperatures. 

Depending on your trailhead it could be cold and even socked in to start on Thursday. Rest assured, it's much sunnier and warmer above. With easterly flow, the low clouds and fog seem to hold strong in the eastern forecast zones and Stevens/Snoqualmie Pass. West of the crest and near Mt Hood most of the morning fog should burn off and become patchy low clouds. While freezing levels soar as the ridge shifts inland, air temperatures stay relatively mild and only manage to top out in the upper 30s to low 40s. 

Clouds begin to increase, thicken, and lower overnight ahead of a fast moving storm. This quick punch of moisture should arrive just before sunrise with gusty very strong to extreme winds and periods of heavy precipitation. Most locations will start the storm as rain, but fortunately, this system also brings along a sharp cold front allowing snow levels to quickly fall. The brunt of the storm seems to target the central Cascades with only a brief period of sustained precipitation venturing further east. By the afternoon, the weather shifts to post-frontal showers targeting the west slopes of the Cascades and passes. Fortunately, cooler temperatures and plenty of moisture will help add a few more inches of snow near and above pass elevations, especially under a Puget Sound Convergence Zone.