We're in for an active start to the week as a deep upper trough in the NE Pacific sends pulses of moisture and wind our way. After a rainy Sunday night, snow levels have lowered over the last few hours, with snow levels in the 5000-6000' range this morning. We'll see showers this morning, and then an upper level shortwave trough will rotate widespread showers inland this morning for the Olympics, reaching the West South mid-day, and eventually all areas in the afternoon with an increase in showers. Snow levels will be roughly 4500-5000' with the heavier afternoon showers, with slightly higher freezing levels for the east slopes of the Cascades before clouds/showers move in. The afternoon impulse will also generally take SW winds up a notch into the strong category.
Showers will continue Sunday night, peppering the west slopes of the Cascades in particular as snow levels fall to 3500' overnight. A developing low pressure system will curl up towards Neah Bay on the NW tip of the Olympic peninsula on Tuesday, sustaining moderate to strong winds and bringing renewed moderate showers to the Cascades in the afternoon. Snow levels will be in the 4000-4500' range on Tuesday.
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
Light to moderate rain and snow showers, heaviest S-SW slopes. Moderate ridgeline winds.
Monday
Night
Light to occasionally moderate rain and snow showers, becoming scattered late. Moderate ridgeline winds.
Monday
Light to moderate rain and snow showers, increasing in the afternoon. Moderate to strong ridgeline winds.
Monday
Night
Light to moderate rain and snow showers. Moderate ridgeline winds.
Monday
Light to moderate rain and snow showers, increasing in the afternoon. Moderate ridgeline winds.
Monday
Night
Light to moderate rain and snow showers. Moderate ridgeline winds.
Monday
Light to moderate rain and snow showers, increasing in the afternoon. Moderate to strong ridgeline winds.
Monday
Night
Light to occasionally moderate rain and snow showers, becoming scattered late. Moderate to strong ridgeline winds.
Monday
Light to occasionally moderate rain and snow showers, increasing in the afternoon. Moderate SW ridgeline and W Pass level winds.
Monday
Night
Light to occasionally moderate rain and snow showers, becoming scattered late. Moderate SW ridgeline and W Pass level winds.
Monday
Light to occasionally moderate rain and snow showers, increasing in the afternoon. Moderate SW ridgeline and W Pass level winds.
Monday
Night
Light to occasionally moderate rain and snow showers, becoming scattered late. Moderate to strong SW ridgeline and W Pass level winds.
Monday
Light to occasionally moderate rain and snow showers, increasing later in the afternoon. Sunbreaks possible late morning through mid-day, especially east of the crest. Moderate ridgeline winds.
Monday
Night
Light to occasionally moderate rain and snow showers, becoming scattered late. Moderate ridgeline winds.
Monday
Light to occasionally moderate rain and snow showers, increasing later in the afternoon. Sunbreaks possible late morning through mid-day, especially east of the crest. Moderate to strong ridgeline winds.
Monday
Night
Light to occasionally moderate rain and snow showers, becoming scattered late.Moderate to strong ridgeline winds.
Monday
Light to occasionally moderate rain and snow showers, increasing later in the afternoon. Sunbreaks possible late morning through mid-day, especially east of the crest. Moderate to strong ridgeline winds.
Monday
Night
Light to occasionally moderate rain and snow showers, becoming scattered late. Moderate to strong ridgeline winds.
Monday
Light to occasionally moderate rain and snow showers, increasing in the afternoon. Moderate to strong ridgeline winds.
Monday
Night
Light to occasionally moderate rain and snow showers, becoming scattered late. Moderate to strong ridgeline 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).