Issued: 1:59 PM PST Monday, January 20, 2025
by Dennis D'Amico

Jump to: Weather Forecast I Precipitation I Snow Level I 5000' Temps I Ridgeline Winds I Extended Weather

Weather Synopsis

We have some filtered sunshine along with a broad range of mountain temperatures this afternoon. Cool easterly flow and cold temperatures along the east slopes of the Cascades has been battling with milder air to the west.  The mild above-freezing temperatures have made inroads for the Mt Hood area higher elevation sites, West South zone including higher elevation sites like Crystal and Snoqualmie while low-level flow has kept Stevens and Snoqualmie Passes, the lower slopes of Mt Hood, and the east slopes of the Cascades in general far chillier. 

We'll mix it all up, the lower atmosphere that is, as a weak and dry upper level weather disturbance slides over the area tonight.  This system will bring a high overcast this evening that will quickly clear out before sunrise on Tuesday. This system will also crank up the W-NW winds and bring an end to the easterly flow and widespread temperature inversions.  Tuesday will be a windy, partly to mostly sunny day freezing levels with in the 2000-3500' range, except slightly warmer down near Mt Hood.  If you're planning to climb on the higher peaks or volcanoes above 7000', be prepared for strong NW winds.  

The jet stream will reset into norther British Columbia Tuesday night and upper level ridging will once again build over the area.  We'll see a warming trend on Wednesday. That said we're likely to see more high clouds near the Canadian border along with slightly cooler temperatures and freezing levels. 

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
Monday Night Overcast with high clouds in the evening, then becoming mostly clear after midnight. Light to moderate ridgeline winds increasing after midnight.
Tuesday Mostly sunny with occasional high clouds. Moderate ridgeline winds easing in the afternoon.
Monday Night Overcast with high clouds, then becoming mostly clear late. Light to moderate ridgeline winds increasing after midnight.
Tuesday Mostly sunny with occasional high clouds. Moderate ridgeline winds easing in the afternoon.
Monday Night Overcast with high clouds, then becoming mostly clear late. Light to moderate ridgeline winds increasing after midnight.
Tuesday Mostly sunny with occasional high clouds. Moderate ridgeline winds easing in the afternoon.
Monday Night Becoming overcast in the evening with high clouds, then becoming mostly clear late. Moderate ridgeline winds.
Tuesday Mostly sunny with occasional high clouds. Moderate ridgeline winds.
Monday Night Becoming overcast in the evening with high clouds, then becoming mostly clear late. Moderate W ridgeline winds and light to moderate W at Pass level.
Tuesday Mostly sunny with occasional high clouds. Moderate ridgeline winds.
Monday Night Becoming overcast in the evening with high clouds, then becoming mostly clear late. Moderate W ridgeline winds and light to moderate W at Pass level.
Tuesday Mostly sunny with occasional high clouds. Moderate ridgeline winds.
Monday Night Overcast with high clouds in the evening, then becoming mostly clear after midnight. Moderate ridgeline winds.
Tuesday Mostly sunny with occasional high clouds. Moderate ridgeline winds.
Monday Night Becoming overcast in the evening with high clouds, then becoming mostly clear late. Moderate ridgeline winds becoming strong after midnight.
Tuesday Mostly sunny with occasional high clouds. Strong ridgeline winds.
Monday Night Becoming overcast in the evening with high clouds, then becoming mostly clear late. Moderate ridgeline winds.
Tuesday Mostly sunny with occasional high clouds. Moderate to strong ridgeline winds.
Monday Night Becoming overcast in the evening with high clouds, then becoming mostly clear late. Moderate ridgeline winds becoming strong after midnight.
Tuesday Mostly sunny with occasional high clouds. Strong ridgeline winds.

Precipitation (in)

Monday Night Tuesday Tuesday Night Wednesday
4 pm - 4 am 4 am - 4 pm 4 pm - 4 am 4 am - 4 pm
Hurricane Ridge 0 0 0 0
Mt Baker Ski Area 0 0 0 0
Mt. Loop - Barlow Pass 0 0 0 0
Stevens Pass 0 0 0 0
Snoqualmie Pass 0 0 0 0
Crystal Mt 0 0 0 0
Paradise 0 0 0 0
White Pass 0 0 0 0
Washington Pass 0 0 0 0
Mission Ridge 0 0 0 0
Salmon la Sac - Gallagher Head 0 0 0 0
Tieton River - Darland Mt. 0 0 0 0
Mt Hood Meadows 0 0 0 0
Timberline 0 0 0 0
Hurricane Ridge Precipitation (in)
Monday Night 0
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Mt Baker Ski Area Precipitation (in)
Monday Night 0
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Mt. Loop - Barlow Pass Precipitation (in)
Monday Night 0
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Stevens Pass Precipitation (in)
Monday Night 0
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Snoqualmie Pass Precipitation (in)
Monday Night 0
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Crystal Mt Precipitation (in)
Monday Night 0
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Paradise Precipitation (in)
Monday Night 0
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
White Pass Precipitation (in)
Monday Night 0
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Washington Pass Precipitation (in)
Monday Night 0
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Mission Ridge Precipitation (in)
Monday Night 0
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Salmon la Sac - Gallagher Head Precipitation (in)
Monday Night 0
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Tieton River - Darland Mt. Precipitation (in)
Monday Night 0
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Mt Hood Meadows Precipitation (in)
Monday Night 0
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Timberline Precipitation (in)
Monday Night 0
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0

Snow Level (ft)

Monday Evening Monday Night Tuesday Morning Tuesday Afternoon Tuesday Evening Tuesday Night Wednesday Morning Wednesday Afternoon*
Olympics 7000' 3500' 2000' 3000' 2500' 2000' 4000' 7500'
West North 2500' 2000' 1000' 2000' 1500' 1000' 2000' 4000'
West Central 3500' 2000' 1500' 2500' 2000' 1500' 3500' 5000'
West South 7000' 2500' 1500' 3500' 2500' 1500' 4500' 7000'
Stevens Pass 1500' 1500' 1500' 2500' 2000' 1500' 2500' 4000'
Snoqualmie Pass 3000' 1500' 1500' 2500' 2000' 1500' 3500' 5000'
East North 0 0 1000' 2000' 1000' 0 2000' 4000'
East Central 1500' 1500' 1500' 2000' 1000' 0 2000' 4000'
East South 1500' 1500' 1500' 3000' 2000' 1500' 4000' 7000'
Mt. Hood 10000' 7500' 5000' 5000' 5000' 5000' 6500' 8000'
Olympics Elevation
Monday Evening 7000'
Monday Night 3500'
Tuesday Morning 2000'
Tuesday Afternoon 3000'
Tuesday Evening 2500'
Tuesday Night 2000'
Wednesday Morning 4000'
Wednesday Afternoon* 7500'
West North Elevation
Monday Evening 2500'
Monday Night 2000'
Tuesday Morning 1000'
Tuesday Afternoon 2000'
Tuesday Evening 1500'
Tuesday Night 1000'
Wednesday Morning 2000'
Wednesday Afternoon* 4000'
West Central Elevation
Monday Evening 3500'
Monday Night 2000'
Tuesday Morning 1500'
Tuesday Afternoon 2500'
Tuesday Evening 2000'
Tuesday Night 1500'
Wednesday Morning 3500'
Wednesday Afternoon* 5000'
West South Elevation
Monday Evening 7000'
Monday Night 2500'
Tuesday Morning 1500'
Tuesday Afternoon 3500'
Tuesday Evening 2500'
Tuesday Night 1500'
Wednesday Morning 4500'
Wednesday Afternoon* 7000'
Stevens Pass Elevation
Monday Evening 1500'
Monday Night 1500'
Tuesday Morning 1500'
Tuesday Afternoon 2500'
Tuesday Evening 2000'
Tuesday Night 1500'
Wednesday Morning 2500'
Wednesday Afternoon* 4000'
Snoqualmie Pass Elevation
Monday Evening 3000'
Monday Night 1500'
Tuesday Morning 1500'
Tuesday Afternoon 2500'
Tuesday Evening 2000'
Tuesday Night 1500'
Wednesday Morning 3500'
Wednesday Afternoon* 5000'
East North Elevation
Monday Evening 0'
Monday Night 0'
Tuesday Morning 1000'
Tuesday Afternoon 2000'
Tuesday Evening 1000'
Tuesday Night 0'
Wednesday Morning 2000'
Wednesday Afternoon* 4000'
East Central Elevation
Monday Evening 1500'
Monday Night 1500'
Tuesday Morning 1500'
Tuesday Afternoon 2000'
Tuesday Evening 1000'
Tuesday Night 0'
Wednesday Morning 2000'
Wednesday Afternoon* 4000'
East South Elevation
Monday Evening 1500'
Monday Night 1500'
Tuesday Morning 1500'
Tuesday Afternoon 3000'
Tuesday Evening 2000'
Tuesday Night 1500'
Wednesday Morning 4000'
Wednesday Afternoon* 7000'
Mt. Hood Elevation
Monday Evening 10000'
Monday Night 7500'
Tuesday Morning 5000'
Tuesday Afternoon 5000'
Tuesday Evening 5000'
Tuesday Night 5000'
Wednesday Morning 6500'
Wednesday Afternoon* 8000'

5000' Temperatures (°F)

Monday Night Tuesday
Max / Min Max / Min
Olympics 28 / 22 29 / 20
West North 23 / 19 24 / 17
West Central 26 / 19 24 / 16
West South 27 / 22 30 / 20
Stevens Pass 26 / 19 26 / 16
Snoqualmie Pass 26 / 19 25 / 16
East North 24 / 14 27 / 18
East Central 27 / 21 29 / 20
East South 30 / 22 32 / 22
Mt. Hood 36 / 32 35 / 29
Olympics 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Monday Night 28 / 22
Tuesday 29 / 20
West North 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Monday Night 23 / 19
Tuesday 24 / 17
West Central 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Monday Night 26 / 19
Tuesday 24 / 16
West South 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Monday Night 27 / 22
Tuesday 30 / 20
Stevens Pass 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Monday Night 26 / 19
Tuesday 26 / 16
Snoqualmie Pass 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Monday Night 26 / 19
Tuesday 25 / 16
East North 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Monday Night 24 / 14
Tuesday 27 / 18
East Central 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Monday Night 27 / 21
Tuesday 29 / 20
East South 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Monday Night 30 / 22
Tuesday 32 / 22
Mt. Hood 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Monday Night 36 / 32
Tuesday 35 / 29

Ridgeline Winds (mph)

Monday Evening Monday Night Tuesday Morning Tuesday Afternoon
Olympics W 5-15 W 10-20 WNW 10-20 WNW 5-15
West North WSW 5-15 WSW 10-20 WSW 10-20 W 5-15
West Central W 5-15 W 10-20 W 10-20 W 5-15
West South W 10-20 W 15-25 W 15-25 WNW 15-25
Stevens Pass W 10-20 W 10-20 W 10-20 W 10-20
Snoqualmie Pass W 10-20 W 15-25 W 15-25 WNW 15-25
East North W 10-20 W 15-25 WNW 15-25 WNW 15-25
East Central W 10-20 W 20-30 WNW 25-35 WNW 20-30
East South W 10-20 W 15-25 WNW 20-30 WNW 15-25
Mt. Hood W 10-20 WSW 25-35 WNW 30-40 WNW 20-30
Olympics Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Monday Evening W 5-15
Monday Night W 10-20
Tuesday Morning WNW 10-20
Tuesday Afternoon WNW 5-15
West North Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Monday Evening WSW 5-15
Monday Night WSW 10-20
Tuesday Morning WSW 10-20
Tuesday Afternoon W 5-15
West Central Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Monday Evening W 5-15
Monday Night W 10-20
Tuesday Morning W 10-20
Tuesday Afternoon W 5-15
West South Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Monday Evening W 10-20
Monday Night W 15-25
Tuesday Morning W 15-25
Tuesday Afternoon WNW 15-25
Stevens Pass Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Monday Evening W 10-20
Monday Night W 10-20
Tuesday Morning W 10-20
Tuesday Afternoon W 10-20
Snoqualmie Pass Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Monday Evening W 10-20
Monday Night W 15-25
Tuesday Morning W 15-25
Tuesday Afternoon WNW 15-25
East North Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Monday Evening W 10-20
Monday Night W 15-25
Tuesday Morning WNW 15-25
Tuesday Afternoon WNW 15-25
East Central Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Monday Evening W 10-20
Monday Night W 20-30
Tuesday Morning WNW 25-35
Tuesday Afternoon WNW 20-30
East South Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Monday Evening W 10-20
Monday Night W 15-25
Tuesday Morning WNW 20-30
Tuesday Afternoon WNW 15-25
Mt. Hood Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Monday Evening W 10-20
Monday Night WSW 25-35
Tuesday Morning WNW 30-40
Tuesday Afternoon WNW 20-30

Extended Weather Synopsis

The warmth and dry weather will continue Wednesday night into mid-day Thursday when finally a weak weather system will approach the area. Unfortunately this system is also looking light on new snowfall, but may bring a few inches Thursday night into Friday across the north and central Cascades. It's unclear how much if any meaningful moisture will make it to the south WA Cascades or Mt Hood area at this time.  A blocking high pressure looks to take control over the weekend and early next week...for more dry weather. 

Extended Snow Level (ft)

Wednesday Night* Thursday Thursday Night Friday
West North 3500' 4000' 2000' 1500'
Snoqualmie Pass 6500' 7000' 2000' 1500'
Mt. Hood 9000' 10000' 3000' 2000'
West North Elevation
Wednesday Night* 3500'
Thursday 4000'
Thursday Night 2000'
Friday 1500'
Snoqualmie Pass Elevation
Wednesday Night* 6500'
Thursday 7000'
Thursday Night 2000'
Friday 1500'
Mt. Hood Elevation
Wednesday Night* 9000'
Thursday 10000'
Thursday Night 3000'
Friday 2000'

Jump to: Weather Forecast I Precipitation I Snow Level I 5000' Temps I Ridgeline Winds I Extended Weather

Previous forecast from Jan 20, 2025

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).

The label LT, is shorthand for ‘less than’.