Last night brought active weather to the Pacific Northwest. Most west side zones saw periods of higher-intensity precipitation before a sharp NW to SE moving cold front pushed the moisture south. Temperatures dropped quickly following the cold front and will continue to fall through this morning. The cold front is actively moving over Mt. Hood this morning.
Post-frontal convective showers are expected on Wednesday, though the timing and precipitation amounts are difficult to pinpoint. Areas that do see snow showers will likely experience short-duration, higher-intensity bursts of snowfall. Between these showers, low and mid-level clouds will blanket the region. Periods of filtered sunshine will be increasingly likely into the afternoon as showers decrease. The Olympics may see more significant clearing by this evening. There's a chance of Thunderstorms through the day near and around the Olympics and Puget Sound.
Light, scattered shower activity will continue overnight, with tapering moisture. Later tonight, low-level cloud cover will thin and allow for partial clearing.
Northerly flow will set in on Thursday, along with building high pressure and drier weather. Cooler air aloft will maintain cold temperatures overnight, followed by increased daytime warming with sunshine. There is a small chance of lingering moisture around the west slopes and Mt. Hood in the morning, but it won't amount to much.
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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Wednesday
Light snow showers, with lower-level clouds. Filtered sunshine in the afternoon. A chance of thunderstorms.
Wednesday
Night
Chance of light showers in the early evening, then partly cloudy.
Wednesday
Light snow showers, with lower-level clouds. Filtered sunshine in the afternoon.
Wednesday
Night
Chance of light showers in the early evening, then partly cloudy.
Wednesday
Light snow showers, with lower-level clouds. Filtered sunshine in the afternoon.
Wednesday
Night
Light snow showers, tapering off through the night. Low clouds, turning partly cloudy.
Wednesday
Light snow showers, with lower-level clouds. Filtered sunshine in the afternoon in between showers. Light to moderate ridgeline wind.
Wednesday
Night
Light snow showers in the early evening, turning partly cloudy overnight. Light to moderate ridgeline wind.
Wednesday
Light snow showers. Low-level clouds and filtered sunshine in the late afternoon. Light to moderate ridgeline and W wind at the Pass.
Wednesday
Night
Light snow showers, tapering off overnight. Light to moderate ridgeline and W wind at the Pass.
Wednesday
Light snow showers. Low-level clouds and filtered sunshine in the late afternoon. Light to moderate ridgeline and W wind at the Pass.
Wednesday
Night
Light snow showers, tapering off overnight. Light to moderate ridgeline and W wind at the Pass.
Wednesday
Slight chance of snow showers, with low-level clouds. Increasing sunshine in the late afternoon. Light to moderate ridgeline wind.
Wednesday
Night
Chance of light snow showers, turning partly cloudy overnight. Light to moderate ridgeline wind.
Wednesday
Chance of light snow showers. Low-level clouds, with filtered sunshine in the afternoon. Light to moderate ridgeline wind.
Wednesday
Night
Slight chance of snow showers in the early evening, turning partly cloudy overnight. Light to moderate ridgeline wind.
Wednesday
Chance of light snow showers. Low-level clouds, with filtered sunshine in the afternoon. Light to moderate ridgeline wind.
Wednesday
Night
Slight chance of snow showers in the early evening, turning partly cloudy overnight. Light to moderate ridgeline wind.
Wednesday
Snow showers, with a chance of filtered sunshine in the afternoon. Moderate to strong ridgeline wind.
Wednesday
Night
Snow showers, tapering off through the night. Low-level clouds turning partly cloudy. Moderate to strong ridgeline wind.
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).