Mountain Weather Forecast

Weather Synopsis

An E-W-oriented occluded front continues to rotate slowly northward this afternoon.  Light snow over the southern and central WA Cascades will spread north but the band will start to fray and weaken, with only a bit of light snow likely for the North Cascades this evening. This system has featured more impressive E-SE winds than snow.  Wind speeds will continue to slowly tail off this afternoon and evening, becoming much lighter after midnight. With current temperatures near the Cascade crest in the single digits and teens, dangerously cold wind chills will continue as well. 

The parent low-pressure center off the Oregon coast will drift inland tonight, with a renewed round of light to moderate precipitation for the Mt Hood area and perhaps the far southwest WA Cascades, including Mt St Helens, where another 1-3" is possible Thursday night. Snow should be lighter and less impactful for areas further north. 

On Friday, an upper-level trough will pass through the area, keeping light showers/low clouds in the forecast along the west slopes of the Cascades and Mt Hood. The back edge of the trough should maintain cloud cover along the east slopes of the Cascades as well.  The switch to westerly, onshore flow will also nudge us out of the freezer.  Snow levels will bump up to 1500-2500' and mid-mountain high temperatures will push into the 20s throughout the area.  Ridgeline winds will become moderate to locally strong out of the W-NW Friday afternoon. 

A few light showers focused mainly along the west slopes of Cacades will continue Friday night along with moderate to strong WNW ridgeline winds. A more organized Pacific frontal system will push closer to the coast on Saturday, with light, warm frontal precipitation pushing over the area in the afternoon.  Snow levels will start on the cool-side in the 1000-2000' range.