A ridge of high pressure continues to yield quiet weather across the Pacific Northwest. Monday night, 5000 ft temperatures were much warmer west of the Cascade Crest than to the east where a cold pool strengthened. Hurricane Ridge stayed above freezing throughout the night with temperatures rising to 38F by Tuesday morning. Areas with light winds developed inversion conditions overnight. Easterly low-level and northerly upper-level flow aloft brought some moderate winds to high elevation stations at Mission Ridge, Alpental, and Mt. Hood. These winds should ease and gradually become light during the morning hours as the ridge axis moves over the region and gradually shifts flow westerly at all levels during the afternoon. The wind shift should allow some milder air to displace some of the colder air pooled east of the Cascades. Thin mid-level clouds should bring filtered sunshine throughout the region on Tuesday.
The mid-level clouds should increase as a weakening cold front pushes from NNW to SSE across the region Tuesday night. The frontal system sent its energy into central and northern British Columbia on Tuesday. Areas of northern Washington could see some very light rain or snow and Washington State can expect some cooling behind the front Tuesday night into Wednesday.
Wednesday should be seasonably cool across Washington State but remains mild further south at Mt. Hood. Westerly flow should maintain partly to mostly cloudy skies across the region.
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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Tuesday
Thin mid-level clouds and filtered sunshine.
Tuesday
Night
Cloudy with a slight chance of very light rain or snow after midnight.
Tuesday
Thin mid-level clouds and filtered sunshine.
Tuesday
Night
Cloudy with a chance of light rain or snow after midnight.
Tuesday
Thin mid-level clouds and filtered sunshine.
Tuesday
Night
Clouds lowering with a slight chance of very light rain or snow after midnight.
Tuesday
Thin mid-level clouds and filtered sunshine.
Tuesday
Night
Thin mid-level clouds thickening toward morning.
Tuesday
Thin mid-level clouds and filtered sunshine.
Tuesday
Night
Thin mid-level clouds thickening after midnight with a slight chance of very light snow.
Tuesday
Thin mid-level clouds and filtered sunshine.
Tuesday
Night
Thin mid-level clouds thickening after midnight with a slight chance of very light rain or snow.
Tuesday
Thin mid-level clouds and filtered sunshine.
Tuesday
Night
Thin mid-level clouds thickening after midnight with a slight chance of very light snow.
Tuesday
Thin mid-level clouds and filtered sunshine.
Tuesday
Night
Thin mid-level clouds thickening in the early morning hours.
Tuesday
Thin mid-level clouds and filtered sunshine.
Tuesday
Night
Thin mid-level clouds possibly thickening in the early morning hours.
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).