Jump to: Weather Forecast I Snow/Freezing Level I Precipitation I Free Winds 5k I Free Winds 9k
Weather Synopsis for Saturday & Wednesday
The Pacific Northwest will continue in a benign weather pattern through the weekend. Free air freezing levels have jumped into the 6000-8000 foot range west of the Cascades. However strong temperature inversions and cold easterly flow have made for some interesting differences in temperatures throughout the range. The top of Alpental was over 20F warmer than the base this morning! Little change in freezing levels is expected today but skies should be mostly sunny. East winds will be breezy in the Passes today.
A weak front offshore will split as it reaches the Washington Coast tonight but it should spread high clouds over the region through Sunday morning. Another mostly sunny afternoon is expected on Sunday. Temperature inversions will persist but the air mass over the Cascades including Mt. Hood will continue to moderate.
Expect a transition to a stormier and milder weather pattern starting Monday evening and extending through the middle of next week.
Weather Forecast
Washington Cascades near and west of the crest including Stevens, Snoqualmie, and White Passes
| Saturday |
Mostly sunny. Moderating temperatures except colder with strong temperature inversions sheltered valleys and near Cascade Passes. |
| Saturday Night - Sunday Morning |
Partly to mostly cloudy with periods of high clouds. |
| Sunday Afternoon |
Mostly sunny. Milder except colder with temperature inversions sheltered valleys and near Cascade Passes. |
| Sunday Night |
Becoming partly cloudy with increasing high clouds overnight. |
Olympics
| Saturday |
Mostly sunny. Moderating temperatures except colder with strong temperature inversions sheltered valleys. |
| Saturday Night - Sunday Morning |
Partly to mostly cloudy with periods of high clouds. |
| Sunday Afternoon |
Mostly sunny. |
| Sunday Night |
Becoming partly cloudy with increasing high clouds overnight. |
Mt. Hood Area
| Saturday |
Mostly sunny. Moderating temperatures except colder with strong temperature inversions lower mountain. |
| Saturday Night - Sunday Morning |
Partly to mostly cloudy with periods of high clouds. |
| Sunday Afternoon |
Mostly sunny. Milder. |
| Sunday Night |
Becoming partly cloudy with increasing high clouds overnight. |
East slopes of the Washington Cascades
| Saturday |
Mostly sunny except areas of low clouds lower slopes and valleys. Moderating temperatures in the alpine. Colder with strong temperature inversions lower slopes. |
| Saturday Night - Sunday Morning |
Partly to mostly cloudy with periods of high clouds. |
| Sunday Afternoon |
Mostly sunny except areas of low clouds lower slopes and valleys. Moderating temperatures but continued colder temperatures with strong temperature inversions lower slopes. |
| Sunday Night |
Becoming partly cloudy with increasing high clouds overnight. |
Issued: 7:16 AM PST Saturday, January 14, 2017
Snow/Freezing Level (ft)
| Hurricane Ridge | Mt. Baker | Washington Pass | Leavenworth | Stevens Pass | Snoqualmie Pass | Mt. Rainier, Crystal & White Pass | Mt. Hood | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday | Freezing Level * | 6500' | 5000' | 1000' | ' | ' | 4500' | ' | 2500' |
| Sunday Night - Sunday Morning | Snow Level * | 6000' | 4000' | 2000' | ' | ' | 4500' | ' | 4000' |
| Sunday Afternoon - Sunday Night | Snow Level * | 6000' | 4500' | 3000' | ' | ' | 6000' | ' | 7000' |
| Hurricane Ridge | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday |
Freezing Level 6500' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Sunday Night - Sunday Morning |
Snow Level 6000' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Sunday Afternoon - Sunday Night |
Snow Level 6000' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Mt. Baker | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday |
Freezing Level 5000' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Sunday Night - Sunday Morning |
Snow Level 4000' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Sunday Afternoon - Sunday Night |
Snow Level 4500' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Washington Pass | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday |
Freezing Level 1000' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Sunday Night - Sunday Morning |
Snow Level 2000' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Sunday Afternoon - Sunday Night |
Snow Level 3000' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Leavenworth | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday |
Freezing Level ' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Sunday Night - Sunday Morning |
Snow Level ' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Sunday Afternoon - Sunday Night |
Snow Level ' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Stevens Pass | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday |
Freezing Level ' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Sunday Night - Sunday Morning |
Snow Level ' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Sunday Afternoon - Sunday Night |
Snow Level ' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Snoqualmie Pass | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday |
Freezing Level 4500' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Sunday Night - Sunday Morning |
Snow Level 4500' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Sunday Afternoon - Sunday Night |
Snow Level 6000' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Mt. Rainier & Crystal | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday |
Freezing Level ' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Sunday Night - Sunday Morning |
Snow Level ' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Sunday Afternoon - Sunday Night |
Snow Level ' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Mt. Hood | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday |
Freezing Level 2500' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Sunday Night - Sunday Morning |
Snow Level 4000' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Sunday Afternoon - Sunday Night |
Snow Level 7000' (Easterly Flow *) |
* Easterly flow in the Cascade Passes can cause locally lower Snow or Freezing levels than areas further west.
Freezing Level is when no precipitation is forecast.
Precipitation Forecast
| Wednesday | Wednesday | |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Ridge | LT 0.10 | LT 0.10 |
| Mt Baker Ski Area | LT 0.10 | LT 0.10 |
| Washington Pass | LT 0.10 | LT 0.10 |
| Stevens Pass | LT 0.10 | LT 0.10 |
| Snoqualmie Pass | LT 0.10 | LT 0.10 |
| Mission Ridge | LT 0.10 | LT 0.10 |
| Crystal Mt | LT 0.10 | LT 0.10 |
| Paradise | LT 0.10 | LT 0.10 |
| White Pass | LT 0.10 | LT 0.10 |
| Mt Hood Meadows | LT 0.10 | LT 0.10 |
| Timberline | LT 0.10 | LT 0.10 |
LT = less than; WE or Water equivalent is the liquid water equivalent of melted snow in hundredths of inches. As a rough approximation 1 inch of snow = about .10 inches WE, or 10 inches of snow = about 1 inch WE.
Issued: 7:16 AM PST Saturday, January 14, 2017
Free Winds at 5000' (mph)
| Hurricane Ridge | Mt. Baker | Stevens to Snoqualmie Pass | Mt. Rainier | Mt. Hood | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday - Saturday Evening | SW 0 - 10 | SW 0 - 10 | ESE 10 - 20 | --- - | SE 5 - 15 |
| Saturday Night - Sunday | W 0 - 10 | W 0 - 10 | W 0 - 10 | --- - | VAR 0 - 10 |
| Sunday Night | SW 5 - 15 | SW 5 - 15 | SW 0 - 10 | --- - | W 0 - 10 |
| Hurricane Ridge | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday - Saturday Evening | SW 0 - 10 |
| Saturday Night - Sunday | W 0 - 10 |
| Sunday Night | SW 5 - 15 |
| Mt. Baker | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday - Saturday Evening | SW 0 - 10 |
| Saturday Night - Sunday | W 0 - 10 |
| Sunday Night | SW 5 - 15 |
| Stevens and Snoqualmie Pass | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday - Saturday Evening | ESE 10 - 20 |
| Saturday Night - Sunday | W 0 - 10 |
| Sunday Night | SW 0 - 10 |
| Mt. Rainier | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday - Saturday Evening | --- - |
| Saturday Night - Sunday | --- - |
| Sunday Night | --- - |
| Mt. Hood | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday - Saturday Evening | SE 5 - 15 |
| Saturday Night - Sunday | VAR 0 - 10 |
| Sunday Night | W 0 - 10 |
| Hurricane Ridge | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday - Saturday Evening | SW 0 - 10 |
| Saturday Night - Sunday | W 0 - 10 |
| Sunday Night | SW 5 - 15 |
| Mt. Baker | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday - Saturday Evening | SW 0 - 10 |
| Saturday Night - Sunday | W 0 - 10 |
| Sunday Night | SW 5 - 15 |
| Stevens and Snoqualmie Pass | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday - Saturday Evening | ESE 10 - 20 |
| Saturday Night - Sunday | W 0 - 10 |
| Sunday Night | SW 0 - 10 |
| Mt. Rainier | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday - Saturday Evening | --- - |
| Saturday Night - Sunday | --- - |
| Sunday Night | --- - |
| Mt. Hood | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday - Saturday Evening | SE 5 - 15 |
| Saturday Night - Sunday | VAR 0 - 10 |
| Sunday Night | W 0 - 10 |
Directions above indicate the direction the wind blows from on the 16-point cardinal scale. These winds indicate "free" winds, or those winds in the atmosphere not influenced by terrain. Topographical effects may produce greater or lower wind speeds in certain locations as well as significant variations in direction.
Free Winds at 9000' (mph)
| Mt. Baker | Washington Pass | Stevens to Snoqualmie Pass | Mt. Rainier | Mt. Hood | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday | W 5 - 15 | W 0 - 10 | W 0 - 10 | --- - | VAR 0 - 10 |
| Saturday Night | WSW 10 - 20 | WSW 5 - 15 | W 5 - 15 | --- - | W 0 - 10 |
| Sunday - Sunday Night | WNW 15 - 30 | NW 10 - 20 | NW 15 - 30 | --- - | NW 15 - 25 |
| Mt. Baker | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday | W 5 - 15 |
| Saturday Night | WSW 10 - 20 |
| Sunday - Sunday Night | WNW 15 - 30 |
| Washington Pass | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday | W 0 - 10 |
| Saturday Night | WSW 5 - 15 |
| Sunday - Sunday Night | NW 10 - 20 |
| Stevens and Snoqualmie Pass | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday | W 0 - 10 |
| Saturday Night | W 5 - 15 |
| Sunday - Sunday Night | NW 15 - 30 |
| Mt. Rainier | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday | --- - |
| Saturday Night | --- - |
| Sunday - Sunday Night | --- - |
| Mt. Hood | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday | VAR 0 - 10 |
| Saturday Night | W 0 - 10 |
| Sunday - Sunday Night | NW 15 - 25 |
Directions above indicate the direction the wind blows from on the 16-point cardinal scale. These winds indicate "free" winds, or those winds in the atmosphere not influenced by terrain. Topographical effects may produce greater or lower wind speeds in certain locations as well as significant variations in direction.
Jump to: Weather Forecast I Snow/Freezing Level I Precipitation I Free Winds 5k I Free Winds 9k
Previous forecast from Jan 10, 2017
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.