A closed low moving onshore in northern California continues to emit banded showers. Radar imagery shows a rain band of light precipitation moving northward over the central Oregon Cascades, potentially impacting Mt Hood from mid-morning onwards. This band may reach the southern Washington Cascades during the afternoon. Temperatures cooled off relative to early Saturday morning, but remain mild with only a few NWAC stations below freezing. Snow levels stabilize around 6,000 ft in areas receiving precipitation on Sunday. The higher southern Cascades Volcanoes can expect 1-4" of snowfall with an additional 1-5" possible overnight for Mt Hood. Predicting the location and intensity of precipitation bands is challenging in this weather pattern.
As the low shifts further east Sunday night, westerly winds bring moisture and further cooling into the region. Westerly ridgeline winds increase into the moderate range overnight through Monday for exposed terrain near and east of the Cascade Crest. Expect light rain and snow showers along with plenty of low clouds for the west slopes of the Cascades, with some convergence at times through Monday. Snow levels lower to 4000-5000 ft by Monday.
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 to start, then high clouds lower and thicken with a stray rain or snow shower possible in the afternoon.
Sunday
Night
Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of a rain or snow shower in the evening.
Sunday
Partly to mostly cloudy skies. A chance of isolated rain or snow showers in the afternoon.
Sunday
Night
Light rain and snow showers along with weak convergence banding.
Sunday
Partly cloudy in the morning, then becoming mostly cloudy.
Sunday
Night
Light rain and snow showers along with weak convergence banding.
Sunday
Mostly cloudy in the morning with periods of light rain or snow in the afternoon.
Sunday
Night
Light rain and snow showers along with weak convergence banding.
Sunday
Partly cloudy in the morning, then becoming mostly cloudy in the afternoon. Light ridgeline and W wind at the Pass.
Sunday
Night
Light rain and snow showers along with weak convergence banding. Increasing mostly light ridgeline and W wind at the Pass.
Sunday
Partly cloudy in the morning, then becoming mostly cloudy in the afternoon. Light ridgeline and W wind at the Pass.
Sunday
Night
Light rain and snow showers along with weak convergence banding. Increasing light to moderate ridgeline and light W wind at the Pass.
Sunday
Partly cloudy. Warm.
Sunday
Night
Partly cloudy.
Sunday
Partly cloudy. Warm.
Sunday
Night
Partly cloudy. Cloudier skies further west with a slight chance of rain or snow showers spilling over the Crest.
Sunday
Cloudy with mostly light rain and snow showers developing in the late morning through afternoon hours.
Sunday
Night
Decreasing light rain and snow showers.
Sunday
Periods of light to occasionally moderate rain or snow.
Sunday
Night
Periods of light to occasionally moderate rain or snow. Increasing moderate ridgeline winds.
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).