After a warm and rainy week, it's time for a little sunshine! You're in luck, it's shaping up to be a nice spring-like weekend with cool(ish) temperatures and mostly clear skies. A zonal (W to E) jet stream will keep most of the precipitation to our north and leave us dry for a few days.
It may not be bluebird to start Saturday in most locations. Low clouds from our exiting storm will linger mainly along the west slopes and spine of the Cascades. Don't be surprised if you see a few flurries, here or there, but they shouldn't amount to much. The best chance for a shower may be in the East South zone near Ahtanum Meadows, where the last dregs of our front can still be seen. For most areas, skies should quickly begin to clear, and the sun return. Onshore (W) winds and lingering low level moisture could keep clouds pushed up against the western front of the Cascades. These clouds will probably hang around the longest in the mountain Passes.
Generally clear skies Saturday evening will allow for more significant cooling and lower temperatures. This will be most pronounced in the southern forecast zones. A frontal system passing to our north brings increasing clouds and stronger winds to the area as it brushes the Olympics and North Cascades. Most of the region remains dry, but a few very light showers should bring a dusting of snow to Hurricane Ridge and Mt Baker.
A few showers persist into the morning for the northern portion of the forecast areas, but we're in for another dry and mostly sunny weekend day. The major difference on Sunday will be more prominent high thin clouds, generally lighter winds, and warmer afternoon temperatures.
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
Saturday
Mostly sunny.
Saturday
Night
Clouds increasing with a few very light showers in the very early morning hours. Light to moderate WSW winds.
Saturday
Low clouds with a few flurries possible in the morning. Becoming mostly sunny.
Saturday
Night
Clouds increasing with a few very light showers after midnight. SW winds increasing slightly and becoming light to moderate.
Saturday
Low clouds with isolated flurries in the morning, with clearing above. Becoming mostly sunny.
Saturday
Night
Clouds increasing with a few isolated flurries in the early morning hours. Winds becoming WSW light to moderate.
Saturday
Low clouds with a few flurries in the morning, quickly becoming mostly sunny. Light to moderate W winds.
Saturday
Night
Mostly clear. Moderate W winds.
Saturday
Low clouds with a few flurries possible in the morning. Then some clearing W winds becoming light to moderate.
Saturday
Night
Partly to mostly clear with some low clouds. Light to moderate W winds.
Saturday
Low clouds with a few flurries in the morning. Then becoming mostly sunny. Light to moderate W winds.
Saturday
Night
Partly to mostly clear with some low clouds. Moderate W winds.
Saturday
Patchy low clouds and a few flurries in the morning, becoming mostly sunny. W winds increasing to light to moderate.
Saturday
Night
Mostly clear, then increasing clouds. A few isolated showers possible near the crest after midnight. W winds becoming moderate.
Saturday
Patchy low clouds in the morning, with a few isolated flurries possible. Becoming mostly sunny. Moderate W winds.
Saturday
Night
Mostly clear with clouds increasing in the northern part of the zone. Moderate W winds increasing slightly.
Saturday
Cloudy with a few very light showers in the morning, then clearing. Becoming mostly sunny. Moderate W winds.
Saturday
Night
Mostly clear with some patchy low clouds possible. Moderate W winds.
Saturday
Low clouds with a few flurries possible in the morning, then quickly becoming mostly sunny. Moderate to strong W winds decreasing some in the afternoon.
Saturday
Night
Mostly clear with some patchy low clouds. Moderate W 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).