Mountain Weather Forecast

Weather Synopsis

Wow! It's a stunning day across most of our region. Fresh snow and some sunshine... what more could we want?  A high pressure ridge building off the coast will take control of our weather for the next several days. While it keeps us dry, it won't always be sunny. And temperature inversions, along with multiple freezing levels, will become the norm. 

This evening, a passing short wave disturbance moves over the area. Some weather models want this fast moving feature to produce snow, but it seems that if it does, it won't amount to much. Instead, it will mainly result in passing clouds and maybe flurries. As it departs overnight, skies start to clear. This could allow for low clouds and fog to form in some mountain valleys and passes. 

Expect a chilly start to Sunday, especially if skies manage to fully clear overnight. Low clouds and fog may linger along the west slopes of the Cascades and in the Passes, where weak westerly winds push moisture up against the range. A weather system to the north could send a few clouds our way. They'll be more common near the Canadian border. Elsewhere, while you could see passing high thin clouds, sunshine should rule the day. 

The ridge begins to flop over on Sunday afternoon and evening, allowing much warmer air to push into the PNW. This will be felt first in the Olympics and at Mt Hood. As the higher temperatures work their way north and east overnight, they create temperature inversions. As a result, the freezing levels won't paint a clear picture of conditions. This will be exacerbated by easterly flow through the passes and dense cold air pooling in the east side valleys. It may be much colder (and foggier) at the trailheads or in town than it is higher on the mountain. With generally light winds, it might be hard for these inversions and low clouds to mix out on Monday. This overall pattern just repeats for much of the week.