Issued: 6:49 AM PST Tuesday, February 9, 2021
by Dennis D'Amico

Jump to: Weather Forecast I Precipitation I Snow Level I 5000' Temps I Ridgeline Winds I

Weather Synopsis

Stratus covers much of the Cascades this morning while our region is under cool NW flow aloft.  You may see a few flurries today in the central and northern Cascades but otherwise dry conditions are expected. Temperatures are quite chilly, mountain weather stations are generally in the teens to even single digits across the region. The stratus will start to break up this afternoon but low-level moisture should be capped from a full-on breakout. Mostly cloudy phrasing transitions to partly sunny from north to south across the Cascades and then to mostly sunny down at Mt Hood. The Mt Hood area has a few passing high clouds this morning that should peter out this afternoon. 

After a quiet Tuesday night, a weak upper-level disturbance should drop SE towards our region in NW flow aloft. There is still some inconsistency with forecast guidance but hedge your bets on increasing clouds over Washington state during the day on Wednesday with light snow developing for the Olympics, and central and north Cascades in the afternoon.  

Since the short term is relatively benign we'll look ahead a bit.  Fraser outflow that has been dripping colder air from the interior of Canada into northern Washington will start to increase Wed night. A low pressure system approaching the Oregon coast will also increase cross Cascade gradients and offshore easterly flow. This should produce locally windy conditions across much of the Cascades. As a warm frontal feature impacts Mt Hood Wednesday night, there is still a great deal of uncertainty with how much moisture lifts north into Washington during the day. Either way, prepare for cold weather with 5000' temperatures in the single digits to even below zero before any wind chill is factored in.  

Weather Forecast

Olympics
West North
West Central
West South
Stevens Pass
Snoqualmie Pass
East North
East Central
East South
Mt. Hood
Use dropdown to select your zone
Tuesday Partly to mostly sunny.
Tuesday Night Partly cloudy.
Tuesday Cloudy in the morning then mostly cloudy in the afternoon. Slight chance of light snow showers.
Tuesday Night Mostly cloudy.
Tuesday Cloudy in the morning then mostly cloudy in the afternoon. Slight chance of light snow showers.
Tuesday Night Mostly cloudy.
Tuesday Mostly cloudy in the morning becoming partly sunny in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night Partly cloudy.
Tuesday Cloudy in the morning then mostly cloudy in the afternoon. Slight chance of light snow showers.
Tuesday Night Mostly cloudy.
Tuesday Cloudy in the morning then partly to mostly cloudy in the afternoon. Slight chance of light snow showers.
Tuesday Night Mostly cloudy.
Tuesday Cloudy in the morning then mostly cloudy in the afternoon. Slight chance of light snow showers.
Tuesday Night Mostly cloudy.
Tuesday Cloudy in the morning then partly to mostly cloudy in the afternoon. Slight chance of light snow showers.
Tuesday Night Partly to mostly cloudy.
Tuesday Cloudy in the morning then partly sunny in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night Partly to mostly cloudy.
Tuesday Periods of high clouds this morning. Mostly sunny in the afternoon. Moderate to occasionally strong ridgeline winds.
Tuesday Night Partly cloudy.

Precipitation (in)

Tuesday Tuesday Night Wednesday
4 am - 4 pm 4 pm - 4 am 4 am - 4 pm
Hurricane Ridge 0 0 LT 0.10
Mt Baker Ski Area 0 0 LT 0.10
Mt. Loop - Barlow Pass 0 0 LT 0.10
Stevens Pass 0 0 LT 0.10
Snoqualmie Pass 0 0 LT 0.10
Crystal Mt 0 0 0
Paradise 0 0 0
White Pass 0 0 0
Washington Pass 0 0 LT 0.10
Mission Ridge 0 0 0
Salmon la Sac - Gallagher Head 0 0 0
Tieton River - Darland Mt. 0 0 0
Mt Hood Meadows 0 0 0
Timberline 0 0 0
Hurricane Ridge Precipitation (in)
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday LT 0.10
Mt Baker Ski Area Precipitation (in)
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday LT 0.10
Mt. Loop - Barlow Pass Precipitation (in)
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday LT 0.10
Stevens Pass Precipitation (in)
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday LT 0.10
Snoqualmie Pass Precipitation (in)
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday LT 0.10
Crystal Mt Precipitation (in)
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Paradise Precipitation (in)
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
White Pass Precipitation (in)
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Washington Pass Precipitation (in)
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday LT 0.10
Mission Ridge Precipitation (in)
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Salmon la Sac - Gallagher Head Precipitation (in)
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Tieton River - Darland Mt. Precipitation (in)
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Mt Hood Meadows Precipitation (in)
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0
Timberline Precipitation (in)
Tuesday 0
Tuesday Night 0
Wednesday 0

Snow Level (ft)

Tuesday Morning Tuesday Afternoon Tuesday Evening Tuesday Night Wednesday Morning Wednesday Afternoon
Olympics 1000' 2000' 1000' 500' 1000' 2000'
West North 500' 1500' 500' 0 500' 1000'
West Central 500' 1500' 500' 0 500' 1500'
West South 500' 2000' 500' 0 500' 2500'
Stevens Pass 500' 1500' 500' 0 500' 1500'
Snoqualmie Pass 500' 1500' 500' 0 500' 1500'
East North 0 1500' 500' 0 500' 1000'
East Central 0 1500' 500' 0 500' 1000'
East South 0 2000' 500' 0 1000' 2000'
Mt. Hood 1500' 2500' 2000' 1500' 2000' 3500'
Olympics Elevation
Tuesday Morning 1000'
Tuesday Afternoon 2000'
Tuesday Evening 1000'
Tuesday Night 500'
Wednesday Morning 1000'
Wednesday Afternoon 2000'
West North Elevation
Tuesday Morning 500'
Tuesday Afternoon 1500'
Tuesday Evening 500'
Tuesday Night 0'
Wednesday Morning 500'
Wednesday Afternoon 1000'
West Central Elevation
Tuesday Morning 500'
Tuesday Afternoon 1500'
Tuesday Evening 500'
Tuesday Night 0'
Wednesday Morning 500'
Wednesday Afternoon 1500'
West South Elevation
Tuesday Morning 500'
Tuesday Afternoon 2000'
Tuesday Evening 500'
Tuesday Night 0'
Wednesday Morning 500'
Wednesday Afternoon 2500'
Stevens Pass Elevation
Tuesday Morning 500'
Tuesday Afternoon 1500'
Tuesday Evening 500'
Tuesday Night 0'
Wednesday Morning 500'
Wednesday Afternoon 1500'
Snoqualmie Pass Elevation
Tuesday Morning 500'
Tuesday Afternoon 1500'
Tuesday Evening 500'
Tuesday Night 0'
Wednesday Morning 500'
Wednesday Afternoon 1500'
East North Elevation
Tuesday Morning 0'
Tuesday Afternoon 1500'
Tuesday Evening 500'
Tuesday Night 0'
Wednesday Morning 500'
Wednesday Afternoon 1000'
East Central Elevation
Tuesday Morning 0'
Tuesday Afternoon 1500'
Tuesday Evening 500'
Tuesday Night 0'
Wednesday Morning 500'
Wednesday Afternoon 1000'
East South Elevation
Tuesday Morning 0'
Tuesday Afternoon 2000'
Tuesday Evening 500'
Tuesday Night 0'
Wednesday Morning 1000'
Wednesday Afternoon 2000'
Mt. Hood Elevation
Tuesday Morning 1500'
Tuesday Afternoon 2500'
Tuesday Evening 2000'
Tuesday Night 1500'
Wednesday Morning 2000'
Wednesday Afternoon 3500'

5000' Temperatures (°F)

Tuesday Tuesday Night
Max / Min Max / Min
Olympics 21 / 10 14 / 9
West North 16 / 8 9 / 2
West Central 18 / 11 14 / 8
West South 24 / 10 15 / 10
Stevens Pass 21 / 11 14 / 7
Snoqualmie Pass 20 / 9 13 / 8
East North 16 / 8 10 / 3
East Central 20 / 9 13 / 10
East South 25 / 9 16 / 12
Mt. Hood 29 / 14 21 / 19
Olympics 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Tuesday 21 / 10
Tuesday Night 14 / 9
West North 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Tuesday 16 / 8
Tuesday Night 9 / 2
West Central 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Tuesday 18 / 11
Tuesday Night 14 / 8
West South 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Tuesday 24 / 10
Tuesday Night 15 / 10
Stevens Pass 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Tuesday 21 / 11
Tuesday Night 14 / 7
Snoqualmie Pass 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Tuesday 20 / 9
Tuesday Night 13 / 8
East North 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Tuesday 16 / 8
Tuesday Night 10 / 3
East Central 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Tuesday 20 / 9
Tuesday Night 13 / 10
East South 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Tuesday 25 / 9
Tuesday Night 16 / 12
Mt. Hood 5000' Temperature Forecast
(Max / Min)
Tuesday 29 / 14
Tuesday Night 21 / 19

Ridgeline Winds (mph)

Tuesday Morning Tuesday Afternoon Tuesday Evening Tuesday Night
Olympics SW 0-10 W 0-10 W 0-10 W 5-15
West North W 0-10 SW 5-15 SW 0-10 W 5-15
West Central W 0-10 WSW 5-15 WSW 5-15 W 10-20
West South W 0-10 W 5-15 WSW 5-15 W 10-20
Stevens Pass W 0-10 W 5-15 WSW 0-10 W 5-15
Snoqualmie Pass W 5-15 W 5-15 WSW 5-15 W 10-20
East North WSW 5-15 W 5-15 W 5-15 W 10-20
East Central W 5-15 W 10-20 WSW 5-15 W 10-20
East South W 0-10 W 5-15 W 5-15 W 10-20
Mt. Hood W 10-20 W 10-20 W 10-20 W 15-25
Olympics Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Tuesday Morning SW 0-10
Tuesday Afternoon W 0-10
Tuesday Evening W 0-10
Tuesday Night W 5-15
West North Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Tuesday Morning W 0-10
Tuesday Afternoon SW 5-15
Tuesday Evening SW 0-10
Tuesday Night W 5-15
West Central Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Tuesday Morning W 0-10
Tuesday Afternoon WSW 5-15
Tuesday Evening WSW 5-15
Tuesday Night W 10-20
West South Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Tuesday Morning W 0-10
Tuesday Afternoon W 5-15
Tuesday Evening WSW 5-15
Tuesday Night W 10-20
Stevens Pass Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Tuesday Morning W 0-10
Tuesday Afternoon W 5-15
Tuesday Evening WSW 0-10
Tuesday Night W 5-15
Snoqualmie Pass Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Tuesday Morning W 5-15
Tuesday Afternoon W 5-15
Tuesday Evening WSW 5-15
Tuesday Night W 10-20
East North Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Tuesday Morning WSW 5-15
Tuesday Afternoon W 5-15
Tuesday Evening W 5-15
Tuesday Night W 10-20
East Central Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Tuesday Morning W 5-15
Tuesday Afternoon W 10-20
Tuesday Evening WSW 5-15
Tuesday Night W 10-20
East South Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Tuesday Morning W 0-10
Tuesday Afternoon W 5-15
Tuesday Evening W 5-15
Tuesday Night W 10-20
Mt. Hood Ridgeline Winds (mph)
Tuesday Morning W 10-20
Tuesday Afternoon W 10-20
Tuesday Evening W 10-20
Tuesday Night W 15-25

Jump to: Weather Forecast I Precipitation I Snow Level I 5000' Temps I Ridgeline Winds I

Previous forecast from Feb 8, 2021

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).

The label LT, is shorthand for ‘less than’.