Unseasonably cold temperatures continue in the short term, but most locations continue to moderate slightly. Light E flow should continue through the mountain gaps. We're seeing temperatures Tuesday seeing more temperatures in our mountains now in the teens and low twenties. Deep valley locations east of the Cascade Crest and through some mountain gaps remain downright frigid. Mazama remains in the negative single digits with light winds and clear skies.
Light snow showers along the west slopes of the Cascades from around Snoqualmie Pass southward should end in most locations early this morning as the weak low responsible continues to move southward over northern California. NNW flow continues across the region with high temperatures in most locations expected to be only marginally warmer than Tuesday. Parts of the North Cascades should experience some sunshine early in the day before clouds increase during the afternoon ahead of another wave approaching the area.
This feature slides southward from interior British Columbia into eastern Washington Tuesday night and should kick off another round of light snow for the Cascades. We expect 2-3" of snow for the Cascades with 3-4" possible for east slopes of the Cascades and northern Olympics with upslope flow.
Snowfall generally lingers into early Wednesday south of I-90 and continues at Mt. Hood for the first half of the day. Most of Washington State can expect full sunshine on Wednesday with clearing for Mt. Hood by the afternoon. Temperatures should be similar to Tuesday.
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
Mostly cloudy with snow flurries possible early in the day.
Tuesday
Night
Light snow.
Tuesday
Mostly clear in the morning, becoming mostly cloudy in the afternoon.
Tuesday
Night
Very light snow during the evening hours.
Tuesday
Mostly clear to start, then becoming mostly cloudy.
Tuesday
Night
Very light snow developing.
Tuesday
Light snow showers ending early, then becoming mostly cloudy.
Tuesday
Night
Cloudy in the evening with light snow overnight.
Tuesday
Mostly cloudy with snow flurries possible early in the day.
Tuesday
Night
Cloudy in the evening with light snow overnight.
Tuesday
Light snow flurries ending by around 8 AM, then becoming mostly cloudy.
Tuesday
Night
Cloudy in the evening with light snow overnight.
Tuesday
Mostly clear early with bitterly cold temperatures, particularly in deep valleys. Becoming partly cloudy later in the day.
Tuesday
Night
Light snow ending by morning.
Tuesday
Partly to mostly cloudy with snow flurries ending early in the day.
Tuesday
Night
Overcast in the evening with light snow overnight.
Tuesday
Mostly cloudy with snow flurries ending by mid-morning.
Tuesday
Night
Increasing clouds in the evening with light snow overnight.
Tuesday
Periods of light snow through mid-morning, then becoming mostly cloudy. Strong wind gusts possible early.
Tuesday
Night
Increasing clouds in the evening with light snow possible 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).