It's shaping up to be a beautiful day in the mountains with mostly sunny skies, generally light winds, and warming temperatures. A high pressure ridge off the coast keeps us dry for the next several days. However, a storm system to our north will occasionally send bands of clouds across the area. Today, these clouds should be the most prominent in the Mt Baker area, where you could even see a few flurries from time to time.
The ridge begins to expand and flop to the east this afternoon and evening. This will allow much warmer air to push into the region, sending freezing levels on a steady upward march. Cold dense air in the mountain valleys, particularly east of the Cascades, becomes capped by the overriding warm air, creating temperature inversions and the chance for multiple freezing levels. Easterly flow in the passes will make this even more pronounced. As a result, freezing level values will paint a poor picture of conditions this week. A passing wave of clouds this evening could limit the development of fog and low clouds. It also might provide just enough extra energy for some very light upslope snow showers in the East North and Central zones.
It may be very chilly at the trailheads on Monday morning, but you might just be shedding layers as you head up the hill. Much warmer air will continue to raise temperatures at higher elevations. Overall, this pattern of mostly sunny days, passing bands, of clouds, warming higher elevations, and temperature inversions repeats over and over for the next several days.
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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Sunday
Partly cloudy with warming temperatures.
Sunday
Night
Mostly cloudy with inversions possible.
Sunday
Mostly cloudy with the chance for a few flurries.
Sunday
Night
Mostly cloudy with upper elevations warming overnight. A few flurries possible.
Sunday
Partly to mostly sunny with warming temperatures.
Sunday
Night
Partly to mostly cloudy. Temperatures inversions possible. Warming at higher elevations.
Sunday
Partly to mostly sunny with warming temperatures.
Sunday
Night
Partly to mostly cloudy. Temperature inversions in the mountain valleys and passes with the chance for fog and low clouds. Warming at higher elevations.
Sunday
Partly to mostly sunny with light WNW winds.
Sunday
Night
Partly to mostly cloudy. East flow developing at Pass level. Temperature inversions with the chance for fog/low clouds. Warming above.
Sunday
Partly to mostly sunny with light NW winds. Warming temperatures.
Sunday
Night
Partly to mostly cloudy. East flow developing in the Pass. Temperature inversions forming with the chance for fog/low clouds. Warming at higher elevations.
Sunday
Partly cloudy to mostly sunny. A few flurries possible, particularly near the Canadian border.
Sunday
Night
Partly to mostly cloudy with the chance for very light upslope snow showers and flurries.
Sunday
Mostly sunny. Warming temperatures.
Sunday
Night
Partly to mostly cloudy. A slight chance for upslope snow showers/flurries near and north of the Wenatchee Mts. Temperature inversions with the chance for low clouds/fog. Warming higher in the terrain.
Sunday
Mostly sunny. Light to moderate NNW winds decreasing.
Sunday
Night
Partly cloudy. Temperature inversions with the chance for low clouds/fog developing. Warming at higher elevations.
Sunday
Mostly sunny with warming temperatures. Light to moderate upper mountain winds.
Sunday
Night
Partly cloudy with temperature inversions forming. Fog/low clouds possible.
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).