It's a very cold morning across the region with most mountain weather stations reporting temperatures in the single digits to low teens. Brrrrr! Bundle up! Low clouds and fog continue to linger from about Hwy 2 south to Mt Hood. While it's not "snowing," the frigid temperatures are ringing every little bit of moisture out of the sky in the form of snow flurries.
The Cascades sit right on the boundary between a broad open trough to our east and a strong high pressure ridge to our west. A weak dry short-wave disturbance will slide south into Washington from British Columbia today. This will usher in much drier air and help areas in the north and central Cascades to become mostly sunny. In the south Cascades and near Mt Hood, this same feature should increase low and mid-level clouds and might even result in a few very light snow showers. There's pretty low confidence in any measurable precipitation but places like Mt Rainier, Mt Adams, and Ahutanum Meadows have the best shot at a dusting of snow. Areas near Snoqualmie Pass and Crystal Mt sit right in the middle and could go either way. The biggest impact for most locations will be an increase in easterly winds. This will be most notable in the Passes and right along the Cascade crest. Winds peak in the early evening as the dry front passes over the area.
As the short-wave system exits, northerly flow aloft will bring dry arctic air from northern Alaska into the PNW. Any lingering clouds should quickly dissipate overnight, resulting in clear skies that allow temperatures to plummet. Expect 5000ft temperatures to plunge into the single digits with wind chill values well below 0F. After a frigid start to the day, sunny skies will help temperatures warm slightly. Make sure to bring the big puffy and very warm gloves!
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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Monday
Low clouds and fog in the morning, becoming mostly sunny. Cold.
Monday
Night
Mostly clear and very cold.
Monday
Patchy low clouds and fog in the morning, then becoming mostly sunny. Cold.
Monday
Night
Mostly clear and very cold.
Monday
Low clouds, fog, and a few flurries in the morning. Becoming mostly sunny in the afternoon. Cold.
Monday
Night
Mostly clear and very cold.
Monday
Low clouds, fog, and flurries in the morning. Sun breaks possible in the afternoon along with a few very light snow showers. Showers most likely near Mt Rainier and the Goat Rocks Wilderness. Cold.
Monday
Night
Mostly cloudy in the evening, then becoming mostly clear with patchy fog. Light to moderate ESE winds. Very cold temperatures with wind chills well below 0F.
Monday
Moslty cloudy with low clouds and fog in the morning. Some clearing in the afternoon. Light E flow increasing late in the day. Cold.
Monday
Night
Mostly clear with patchy fog. Light to moderate E flow at pass level. Light to moderate ESE ridgeline winds decreasing. Very cold with wind chills well below 0F.
Monday
Mostly cloudy in the morning with low clouds and fog. Flurries possible. Some clearing possible in the afternoon along with flurries. Light E flow increasing late in the day. Cold.
Monday
Night
Mostly clear with patchy fog. Light to moderate E flow at pass level. Moderate ESE ridgeline winds decreasing overnight. Very cold with wind chill values well below 0F.
Monday
Mostly sunny and very cold. Wind chill values well below 0F.
Monday
Night
Clear and very cold. 5000ft temperatures below 0F.
Monday
Mostly cloudy in the morning with low clouds and fog. Becoming mostly sunny in the north and partly sunny in the south with a chance of snow flurries. Cold.
Monday
Night
Mostly clear with patchy fog. Light to moderate NE winds. Very cold with wind chill values well below 0F.
Monday
Mostly cloudy with low clouds and fog in the morning. Low to mid clouds increasing in the afternoon with a few very light snow showers possible. Cold.
Monday
Night
Mostly cloudy in the evening, then clearing. Very cold with wind chill values well below 0F. Light to moderate E winds turning NE.
Monday
Partly cloudy with low clouds and fog in the morning. Low to mid clouds increasing in the afternoon. a few flurries possible.
Monday
Night
Mostly cloudy in the evening, then clearing. E winds becoming light to moderate. Very cold with wind chill values well below 0F.
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).