A frontal system offshore will bring another round of snow and wind to our mountains later today and tonight. Snow showers will favor the Olympics initially today, and then the Mt Baker area later this afternoon as the front nears the PNW coastline. All areas will see a period of moderate precipitation later this evening through early Tuesday morning, with diminishing snow showers early Tuesday morning. Southerly winds will increase later this afternoon and become strong across much of the region. Snow levels will generally be in the 2000-3000' range. Snow totals today through tonight look to be in the 4-8" range, with totals potentially doubling that for the Olympics and Mt Baker area.
A few snow showers will linger into Tuesday morning but we'll generally be inbetween weather systems with a quiet forecast in the works. High clouds from a developing low pressure system well to our south will migrate into the area during the day. We may start to see E-SE winds increase for Snoqualmie Pass and south to Mt Hood during the afternoon hours on Tuesday.
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
Light to occasionally moderate rain and snow showers, increasing in the afternoon. Moderate ridgeline winds becoming strong in the afternoon.
Monday
Night
Moderate rain and snow becoming light to occasionally moderate snow showers late. Strong ridgeline winds.
Monday
Scattered light snow showers in the morning, increasing and becoming moderate in the afternoon. Moderate ridgeline winds becoming strong in the afternoon.
Monday
Night
Moderate rain and snow becoming light to occasionally moderate snow showers late. Strong ridgeline winds.
Monday
Partly to mostly cloudy with scattered light snow showers, then light rain and snow increasing late in the afternoon. Light to moderate ridgeline winds increasing late.
Monday
Night
Moderate rain and snow becoming light to occasionally moderate snow showers late. Moderate to strong ridgeline winds.
Monday
Partly to mostly cloudy with scattered light rain and snow showers, then light rain and snow increasing late in the afternoon. Light to moderate ridgeline winds increasing late.
Monday
Night
Moderate rain and snow becoming light to occasionally moderate snow showers late. Moderate to strong ridgeline winds.
Monday
Partly to mostly cloudy with scattered light rain and snow showers, then light rain and snow increasing late in the afternoon. Light E winds at Pass level. Light to moderate SSE winds at ridgeline becoming moderate in the afternoon.
Monday
Night
Moderate rain and snow becoming light to occasionally moderate snow showers late. Moderate E winds at Pass level becoming W overnight. Moderate S winds at ridgeline becomind SW overnight.
Monday
Partly to mostly cloudy with scattered light rain and snow showers, then light rain and snow increasing late in the afternoon. Light E winds at Pass level. Light to moderate SSE winds at ridgeline becoming moderate in the afternoon.
Monday
Night
Moderate rain and snow becoming light to occasionally moderate snow showers late. Moderate E winds at Pass level becoming W overnight. Moderate S winds at ridgeline becomind SW overnight.
Monday
Partly cloudy with scattered light rain and snow showers near the Cascade crest, clouds increasing late. Light to moderate ridgeline winds increasing in the afternoon.
Monday
Night
Light to moderate rain and snow becoming light snow showers late. Moderate to strong ridgeline winds.
Monday
Partly cloudy with scattered light rain and snow showers near the Cascade crest. Light to moderate ridgeline winds increasing in the afternoon.
Monday
Night
Light to moderate rain and snow becoming light snow showers late. Moderate to strong ridgeline winds.
Monday
Partly cloudy with scattered light rain and snow showers near the Cascade crest. Light to moderate ridgeline winds increasing in the afternoon.
Monday
Night
Light to moderate rain and snow becoming light snow showers late. Moderate to strong ridgeline winds.
Monday
Scattered light rain and snow showers, then light rain and snow increasing late in the afternoon. Moderate ridgeline winds becoming strong in the afternoon.
Monday
Night
Light to moderate rain and snow becoming light snow showers late. Strong ridgeline winds easing overnight.
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).