Jump to: Weather Forecast I Snow/Freezing Level I Precipitation I Free Winds 5k I Free Winds 9k I Extended Weather
Weather Synopsis for Saturday & Wednesday
A weak upper level trough will pass through the area today. Periods of high clouds should give way to increasing sunshine by late afternoon. Freezing levels will be on the rise, especially for the central Washington Cascades and south to Mt. Hood.
A deep upper low of the Alaska/BC coast will dig south overnight through Sunday as a 110 kt jet becomes aimed into Washington State. A developing and fast moving frontal system will reach the Olympics and northwest Cascade early Sunday morning, with light snow spreading southward during the morning hours. This system will bring a quick increase in generally light snowfall through mid-day along the west slopes of the Cascades. A Puget Convergence Zone looks likely to form in the afternoon hours near Stevens Pass and shift more toward Snoqualmie Pass in the evening. Much colder air will be ushered into the region, with snow levels barely changing or even lowering during the day on Sunday despite the calendar flipping into April. Mt. Hood will see a slower onset of precipitatoin and cooling relative to areas further north.
Snow showers should ease somewhat but still continue Sunday night as the flow veers to NW.
Weather Forecast
Olympics
| Saturday | Partly to mostly cloudy with periods of high clouds becoming mostly sunny late in the afternoon. |
| Saturday Night | Partly cloudy becoming mostly cloudy after midnight. Light snow developing late tonight. |
| Sunday | Light snow becoming showers in the afternoon. Colder. |
| Sunday Night | Mostly cloudy with scattered light snow showers. |
Washington Cascades near and west of the Crest including Stevens, Snoqualmie and White Passes
| Saturday | Partly to mostly cloudy with periods of high clouds becoming mostly sunny late in the afternoon. Milder central and south Cascades. |
| Saturday Night | Partly cloudy becoming mostly cloudy after midnight. Light snow developing Mt. Baker area late tonight. |
| Sunday | Light snow spreading southward in the morning, becoming light to occasionally moderate in the afternoon. Heaviest snow in developing convergence zone central Cascades in the afternoon. Colder. |
| Sunday Night | Light to occasionally moderate snow showers, heaviest snow in convergence zone central Cascades in the evening. |
East Slopes of the Washington Cascades
| Saturday | Partly to mostly cloudy with periods of high clouds becoming mostly sunny late in the afternoon. Milder central-east and southeast Cascades. |
| Saturday Night | Partly cloudy becoming mostly cloudy late tonight. |
| Sunday | Light snow spreading southward in the morning. Snowfall becoming occasionally moderate near developing convergence zone central Cascades in the afternoon. Colder. |
| Sunday Night | Light snow showers in the evening, becoming mostly cloudy with scattered showers after midnight. |
Mt. Hood
| Saturday | Partly to mostly cloudy with periods of high clouds becoming mostly sunny late in the afternoon. Mild. |
| Saturday Night | Partly cloudy. |
| Sunday | Becoming cloudy with light snow developing mid-day. |
| Sunday Night | Light to moderate snow showers. Colder. |
Issued: 2:36 PM PDT Saturday, March 31, 2018
Snow/Freezing Level (ft)
| Hurricane Ridge | Mt. Baker | Washington Pass | Leavenworth | Stevens Pass | Snoqualmie Pass | Mt. Rainier, Crystal & White Pass | Mt. Hood | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon | Freezing Level | 5500' | 5500' | 5000' | ' | ' | 6000' | ' | 7000' |
| Saturday Night | Freezing Level | 4000' | 3500' | 3000' | ' | ' | 4000' | ' | 5000' |
| Sunday Morning | Snow Level | 2500' | 2500' | 2500' | ' | ' | 2500' | ' | 4500' |
| Sunday Afternoon | Snow Level | 2000' | 2000' | 2500' | ' | ' | 2500' | ' | 4000' |
| Sunday Night | Snow Level | 500' | 500' | 500' | ' | ' | 500' | ' | 1000' |
| Hurricane Ridge | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon |
Freezing Level 5500' |
| Saturday Night |
Freezing Level 4000' |
| Sunday Morning |
Snow Level 2500' |
| Sunday Afternoon |
Snow Level 2000' |
| Sunday Night |
Snow Level 500' |
| Mt. Baker | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon |
Freezing Level 5500' |
| Saturday Night |
Freezing Level 3500' |
| Sunday Morning |
Snow Level 2500' |
| Sunday Afternoon |
Snow Level 2000' |
| Sunday Night |
Snow Level 500' |
| Washington Pass | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon |
Freezing Level 5000' |
| Saturday Night |
Freezing Level 3000' |
| Sunday Morning |
Snow Level 2500' |
| Sunday Afternoon |
Snow Level 2500' |
| Sunday Night |
Snow Level 500' |
| Leavenworth | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon |
Freezing Level ' |
| Saturday Night |
Freezing Level ' |
| Sunday Morning |
Snow Level ' |
| Sunday Afternoon |
Snow Level ' |
| Sunday Night |
Snow Level ' |
| Stevens Pass | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon |
Freezing Level ' |
| Saturday Night |
Freezing Level ' |
| Sunday Morning |
Snow Level ' |
| Sunday Afternoon |
Snow Level ' |
| Sunday Night |
Snow Level ' |
| Snoqualmie Pass | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon |
Freezing Level 6000' |
| Saturday Night |
Freezing Level 4000' |
| Sunday Morning |
Snow Level 2500' |
| Sunday Afternoon |
Snow Level 2500' |
| Sunday Night |
Snow Level 500' |
| Mt. Rainier & Crystal | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon |
Freezing Level ' |
| Saturday Night |
Freezing Level ' |
| Sunday Morning |
Snow Level ' |
| Sunday Afternoon |
Snow Level ' |
| Sunday Night |
Snow Level ' |
| Mt. Hood | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon |
Freezing Level 7000' |
| Saturday Night |
Freezing Level 5000' |
| Sunday Morning |
Snow Level 4500' |
| Sunday Afternoon |
Snow Level 4000' |
| Sunday Night |
Snow Level 1000' |
* 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 0.25 |
| Mt Baker Ski Area | LT 0.10 | 0 - 0.75 |
| Washington Pass | LT 0.10 | LT 0.25 |
| Stevens Pass | LT 0.10 | 0 - 1.00 |
| Snoqualmie Pass | LT 0.10 | 0 - 1.00 |
| Mission Ridge | LT 0.10 | LT 0.10 |
| Crystal Mt | LT 0.10 | 0.25 - 0.50 |
| Paradise | LT 0.10 | 0.75 - 1.00 |
| White Pass | LT 0.10 | 0.50 - 0.75 |
| Mt Hood Meadows | LT 0.10 | 0 - 0.75 |
| Timberline | LT 0.10 | 0 - 1.00 |
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: 2:36 PM PDT Saturday, March 31, 2018
Free Winds at 5000' (mph)
| Hurricane Ridge | Mt. Baker | Stevens to Snoqualmie Pass | Mt. Rainier | Mt. Hood | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon | S 0 - 10 | VAR 0 - 10 | W 0 - 10 | --- - | W 0 - 10 |
| Saturday Night | SW 5 - 15 | SW 5 - 15 | SW 5 - 15 | --- - | SW 5 - 15 |
| Sunday Morning | SW 10 - 20 | SW 10 - 20 | SW 10 - 20 | --- - | WSW 10 - 20 |
| Sunday Afternoon | W 15 - 25 | WSW 15 - 25 | SW 15 - 25 | --- - | WSW 20 - 30 |
| Sunday Night | W 10 - 20 | W 5 - 15 | WSW 15 - 30 | --- - | W 25 - 35 |
| Hurricane Ridge | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon | S 0 - 10 |
| Saturday Night | SW 5 - 15 |
| Sunday Morning | SW 10 - 20 |
| Sunday Afternoon | W 15 - 25 |
| Sunday Night | W 10 - 20 |
| Mt. Baker | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon | VAR 0 - 10 |
| Saturday Night | SW 5 - 15 |
| Sunday Morning | SW 10 - 20 |
| Sunday Afternoon | WSW 15 - 25 |
| Sunday Night | W 5 - 15 |
| Stevens and Snoqualmie Pass | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon | W 0 - 10 |
| Saturday Night | SW 5 - 15 |
| Sunday Morning | SW 10 - 20 |
| Sunday Afternoon | SW 15 - 25 |
| Sunday Night | WSW 15 - 30 |
| Mt. Rainier | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon | --- - |
| Saturday Night | --- - |
| Sunday Morning | --- - |
| Sunday Afternoon | --- - |
| Sunday Night | --- - |
| Mt. Hood | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon | W 0 - 10 |
| Saturday Night | SW 5 - 15 |
| Sunday Morning | WSW 10 - 20 |
| Sunday Afternoon | WSW 20 - 30 |
| Sunday Night | W 25 - 35 |
| Hurricane Ridge | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon | S 0 - 10 |
| Saturday Night | SW 5 - 15 |
| Sunday Morning | SW 10 - 20 |
| Sunday Afternoon | W 15 - 25 |
| Sunday Night | W 10 - 20 |
| Mt. Baker | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon | VAR 0 - 10 |
| Saturday Night | SW 5 - 15 |
| Sunday Morning | SW 10 - 20 |
| Sunday Afternoon | WSW 15 - 25 |
| Sunday Night | W 5 - 15 |
| Stevens and Snoqualmie Pass | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon | W 0 - 10 |
| Saturday Night | SW 5 - 15 |
| Sunday Morning | SW 10 - 20 |
| Sunday Afternoon | SW 15 - 25 |
| Sunday Night | WSW 15 - 30 |
| Mt. Rainier | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon | --- - |
| Saturday Night | --- - |
| Sunday Morning | --- - |
| Sunday Afternoon | --- - |
| Sunday Night | --- - |
| Mt. Hood | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon | W 0 - 10 |
| Saturday Night | SW 5 - 15 |
| Sunday Morning | WSW 10 - 20 |
| Sunday Afternoon | WSW 20 - 30 |
| Sunday Night | W 25 - 35 |
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 Afternoon | WSW 10 - 20 | SW 5 - 15 | WSW 10 - 20 | --- - | W 10 - 20 |
| Saturday Night | SW 20 - 30 | SW 20 - 30 | SW 25 - 35 | --- - | W 15 - 30 |
| Sunday Morning | WSW 20 - 30 | WSW 20 - 30 | SW 35 - 45 | --- - | W 30 - 40 |
| Sunday Afternoon | SW 25 - 35 | WSW 25 - 35 | WSW 35 - 45 | --- - | WSW 45 - 55 |
| Sunday Night | W 10 - 20 | NW 20 - 30 | WNW 30 - 40 | --- - | WSW 45 - 55 |
| Mt. Baker | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon | WSW 10 - 20 |
| Saturday Night | SW 20 - 30 |
| Sunday Morning | WSW 20 - 30 |
| Sunday Afternoon | SW 25 - 35 |
| Sunday Night | W 10 - 20 |
| Washington Pass | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon | SW 5 - 15 |
| Saturday Night | SW 20 - 30 |
| Sunday Morning | WSW 20 - 30 |
| Sunday Afternoon | WSW 25 - 35 |
| Sunday Night | NW 20 - 30 |
| Stevens and Snoqualmie Pass | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon | WSW 10 - 20 |
| Saturday Night | SW 25 - 35 |
| Sunday Morning | SW 35 - 45 |
| Sunday Afternoon | WSW 35 - 45 |
| Sunday Night | WNW 30 - 40 |
| Mt. Rainier | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon | --- - |
| Saturday Night | --- - |
| Sunday Morning | --- - |
| Sunday Afternoon | --- - |
| Sunday Night | --- - |
| Mt. Hood | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon | W 10 - 20 |
| Saturday Night | W 15 - 30 |
| Sunday Morning | W 30 - 40 |
| Sunday Afternoon | WSW 45 - 55 |
| Sunday Night | WSW 45 - 55 |
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.
Issued: 2:36 PM PDT Saturday, March 31, 2018
Extended Weather Synopsis for Wednesday night through Wednesday
The upper level trough will slide east over Idaho/Montana on Monday but seasonally cool NW flow aloft will remain over our area. Additional showers should be rather light on Monday and mainly confined to the west slopes of the Cascades, but snow levels will remain quite low for early April. Rather flat upper level ridging will build along the west coast through Tuesday, providing us with about a 24 hour period of dry weather. However, clouds will not completely clear out of the region as a fast developing frontal system offshore spreads increasing clouds over the area by Tuesday afternoon. Light rain and snow will spread over the area Tuesday night and may intensify on Wednesday. While the timing of precipitation is uncertain, this does look to be the beginning of a warming trend that will stretch into late next week.
Extended Weather
Olympics, Washington Cascades and Mt. Hood Area
Extended Snow/Freezing Levels
| Mt. Baker | Snoqualmie Pass | Mt. Hood | Easterly Flow * | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Snow Level | 1000' - 2000' | 1500' - 2500' | 2000' - 3000' | |
| Monday Night | Freezing Level | 1000' - 2000' | 1000' - 2000' | 1500' - 2500' | |
| Tuesday | Freezing Level | 3500' - 4500' | 4000' - 5000' | 5500' - 6500' | |
| Tuesday Night | Snow Level | 2000' - 3000' | 3000' - 4000' | 3500' - 4500' | |
| Wednesday | Snow Level | 4000' - 5000' | 4000' - 5000' | 5000' - 6000' |
| Mt. Baker | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Monday |
Snow Level 1000' - 2000' |
| Monday Night |
Freezing Level 1000' - 2000' |
| Tuesday |
Freezing Level 3500' - 4500' |
| Tuesday Night |
Snow Level 2000' - 3000' |
| Wednesday |
Snow Level 4000' - 5000' |
| Snoqualmie Pass | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Monday |
Snow Level 1500' - 2500' |
| Monday Night |
Freezing Level 1000' - 2000' |
| Tuesday |
Freezing Level 4000' - 5000' |
| Tuesday Night |
Snow Level 3000' - 4000' |
| Wednesday |
Snow Level 4000' - 5000' |
| Mt. Hood | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Monday |
Snow Level 2000' - 3000' |
| Monday Night |
Freezing Level 1500' - 2500' |
| Tuesday |
Freezing Level 5500' - 6500' |
| Tuesday Night |
Snow Level 3500' - 4500' |
| Wednesday |
Snow Level 5000' - 6000' |
* 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.
Jump to: Weather Forecast I Snow/Freezing Level I Precipitation I Free Winds 5k I Free Winds 9k I Extended Weather
Previous forecast from Mar 31, 2018
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.