A ridge of high pressure continues to build across the Pacific Northwest, bringing warm, dry weather and an increasing temperature trend. An upper low spinning southward well offshore will bring some high and mid-level cloud cover into the region at times. These clouds are more prevalent south of I-90 early Saturday and lifting N and E and should mostly dissipate by the afternoon. Another band of mid-level clouds could move into the southern portions of the forecast region late Saturday night into Sunday.
5000 ft temperatures hover around the freezing mark early Saturday and should rebound quickly into the upper 40s to mid-50s for high temperatures. Saturday night will be milder with lows in the upper 30s. The increasing temperature trend continues on Sunday with highs in the 50s. Throughout the period, SE winds and low-level E flow will keep temperatures slightly cooler along the east slopes of the Cascades. Mountain gaps such as Snoqualmie and White Pass should experience periods of moderate terrain-channeled E winds at times. The southern Washington Cascades are likely to experience an uptick in SE ridgeline winds late Saturday night through Sunday morning with winds easing as the day progresses.
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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Saturday
Partly cloudy with mid-level clouds transitioning to mostly sunny with a few high clouds later in the day.
Saturday
Night
Mostly clear with passing high clouds.
Saturday
Mostly sunny with a few passing high and mid-level clouds.
Saturday
Night
Mostly clear with a few high clouds.
Saturday
Partly cloudy with mid-level clouds transitioning to mostly sunny with a few high clouds later in the day.
Saturday
Night
Mostly clear with a few high clouds.
Saturday
Partly cloudy with mid-level clouds transitioning to mostly sunny with a few high clouds later in the day.
Saturday
Night
Mostly clear with a few high clouds.
Saturday
Partly cloudy with mid-level clouds transitioning to mostly sunny with a few high clouds later in the day. Light ridgeline and E wind at the Pass.
Saturday
Night
Mostly clear with a few high clouds.
Saturday
Partly cloudy with mid-level clouds transitioning to mostly sunny with a few high clouds later in the day. Moderate ridgeline and light to occasionally moderate E wind at the Pass.
Saturday
Night
Mostly clear with a few high clouds. Light ridgeline and E wind at the Pass.
Saturday
Partly cloudy with mid-level clouds transitioning to mostly sunny with a few high clouds later in the day.
Saturday
Night
Mostly clear with a few high clouds. Moderate ridgeline and E wind at the Pass.
Saturday
Partly cloudy with mid-level clouds transitioning to mostly sunny with a few high clouds later in the day.
Saturday
Night
Mostly clear with a few high clouds.
Saturday
Partly cloudy with mid-level clouds transitioning to mostly sunny with a few high clouds later in the day.
Saturday
Night
Mostly clear with a few high clouds.
Saturday
Partly cloudy with mid-level clouds transitioning to mostly sunny with a few high clouds later in the day.
Saturday
Night
Mostly clear with a few high clouds in the evening and some thicker mid-level clouds overnight.
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).