Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone this morning. While it might not be the White Christmas many of us ask Santa for, there will be a few showers in the mountains today. A weak band of precipitation is lifting northward this morning, spreading precipitation along both sides of the Cascades. East to Southeast winds should help develop slightly heavier upslope showers in the eastern forecast zones. The downside to this weak disturbance is that it also brings slightly warmer air. Snowlevels will creep up this afternoon and evening. The feature stalls near the Canadian border late in the day, focusing more precipitation on the North Cascades.
Winds shift to the SW in the evening, and become stronger and gustier. This should draw up-slope snow showers east of the crest to a close. While a few showers may bring a bit of precipitation overnight, the bulk of the moisture should stay focused on the Mt Baker area.
On Friday, a short-wave system arrives in the Pacific Northwest. This time, more westerly flow aloft will help this storm be a notch colder. A few showers in the morning give way to steadier, light to moderate snow in the afternoon. While not a huge snow producer, many areas near and west of the Crest could recieved 4-8 inches by the evening, with about half that expected east of the divide.
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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Thursday
Becoming cloudy with showers mainly in the afternoon. Winds turning S and becoming light to moderate.
Thursday
Night
Cloudy with light to moderate snow. Moderate to strong and gusty SW winds decreasing.
Thursday
Clouds thickening and lowering. Snow developing in the afternoon. Winds becoming S light to moderate.
Thursday
Night
Light to moderate snow. Moderate to strong and gusty SSW winds decreasing slightly.
Thursday
Clouds thickening and lowering. A few snow showers mainly in the afternoon. Light to moderate winds.
Thursday
Night
Showers. Moderate but gusty SW winds.
Thursday
Mostly cloudy to overcast with snow showers, could be moderate at times. Moderate but gusty southeasterly winds, strongest near the Cascasde Crest
Thursday
Night
Cloudy with a few showers. Moderate and gusty SW winds decreasing.
Thursday
Clouds thickening and lowering with a few light flurries possible. Light to moderate easterly pass flow. Light to moderate E-SE ridgeline winds.
Thursday
Night
Cloudy with a few showers in the evening. Pass level flow becoming light and variable. Light to moderate but gusty SW ridgeline winds.
Thursday
Mostly cloudy to overcast with a few flurries. Showers slightly heavier east of the Pass. Light to moderate E flow decreasing in the afternoon. Moderate ESE ridgeline winds decreasing slightly.
Thursday
Night
Cloudy with a few showers possible. Light and variable winds at Pass level. Light to moderate SW ridgeline winds decreasing.
Thursday
Cloudy with some upslope snow showers. Could be heavier further east in the zone. Light to moderate SE winds decreasing.
Thursday
Night
Cloudy with a few showers. Upslope showers ending. Moderate and gusty SW winds decreasing.
Thursday
Cloudy with showers. Up slopes snow showers possible. Could be heaviest near and north of I90. Moderate SE-S winds.
Thursday
Night
Cloudy with a few showers. Upslope showers ending. Moderate to strong and gusty WSW winds decreasing.
Thursday
Cloudy with a few showers. Upslope snow showers could be heavier further east in the zone. Moderate and gusty SSE-S winds.
Thursday
Night
Cloudy with a few isolated showers. Upslope showers ending. Moderate to strong and gusty SW winds decreasing.
Thursday
Partly to mostly cloudy with a few showers. Moderate and gusty S winds becoming SW and stronger in the afternoon.
Thursday
Night
Increasing clouds and showers. Moderate and gusty SW winds decreasing.
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).