Happy New Year! Here's some 2022 trivia to start the day, which mountain weather station has the warmest temps this morning? It's Camp Muir at 10 kft whom spent much of yesterday below zero, has popped up to 22F as relatively warmer air aloft has moved in. That's because our cold trough has exited to the east, and a weakening ridge will briefly pass over the area today. Mountain temperatures are generally in the single digits to teens elsewhere. We'll see some temperature moderation for areas west of the Cascade crest, Mt Hood, and the Olympics with little change elsewhere. High clouds from a warm front positioned well to our north will drape over the area today, with filtered sunshine near the Oregon/Washington border transitioning to overcast closer to the Canadian border. Some moderate WNW alpine winds for the central/north Cascades are most likely to mix down for the higher peaks near the crest and for areas further east, like the Chiwakums.
The frontal system currently in the Gulf of Alaska will very slowly work its way south tonight and tomorrow. Look for heavy snow to develop over the Olympics and northwest Cascades mid-day Sunday as S-SW winds west of the crest ramp up late tonight through Sunday afternoon. The cross-Cascade offshore gradients will produce strong east winds for the Snoqualmie, Stevens and White Passes late tonight through Sunday as well. The Olympics will see the most warming tomorrow with cold air entrenched over the region. Stormy conditions will develop everywhere Sunday night into Monday.
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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Saturday
Overcast with mid and high clouds. Chance of light snow late.
Saturday
Night
Cloudy with periods of light snow. Winds becoming strong overnight.
Saturday
Overcast with mid and high clouds. Chance of light snow late.
Saturday
Night
Cloudy with periods of light snow. Winds becoming strong overnight.
Saturday
Mostly cloudy with periods of mid and high clouds.
Saturday
Night
Cloudy with a chance of snow late. Winds becoming strong overnight.
Saturday
Partly to mostly cloudy with periods of high clouds and filtered sunshine.
Saturday
Night
Partly cloudy, then overcast with mid and high clouds after midnight. Winds becoming strong overnight.
Saturday
Mostly cloudy with periods of high clouds. Light to moderate east winds at Pass level. Light to moderate west winds at ridgeline.
Saturday
Night
Mostly cloudy, then overcast with mid and high clouds in the evening. Moderate east winds at Pass level.
Saturday
Partly to mostly cloudy with periods of high clouds and filtered sunshine. Light to moderate east winds at Pass level. Light to moderate west winds at ridgeline.
Saturday
Night
Mostly cloudy, then overcast with mid and high clouds in the evening. Moderate east winds at Pass level.
Saturday
Overcast with mid and high clouds.
Saturday
Night
Cloudy with a chance of snow late.
Saturday
Partly to mostly cloudy with periods of high clouds and filtered sunshine. Strong ridgeline winds.
Saturday
Night
Partly cloudy, then becoming overcast with mid and high clouds in the evening.
Saturday
Partly sunny with periods of high clouds.
Saturday
Night
Partly cloudy, then becoming overcast with mid and high clouds late.
Saturday
Partly sunny with periods of high clouds.
Saturday
Night
Partly cloudy, then becoming overcast with mid and high clouds late.
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).