Our region sits at the western edge of a trough over the northern plains. A weak front lingers over northern Oregon. Light snowfall should gradually decrease and should end during the afternoon hours at Mt. Hood as the front continues to sag southward. Drying northerly flow aloft has moved into most of the region with low-level light E flow. Expect clear skies in the north with a mix of clouds and sun over southern Washington. Temperatures start chilly with widespread 10s and low 20s in mountain locations. Washington Pass base dropped one degree early Wednesday morning.
Lingering clouds across the southern parts of the forecast region should clear early Wednesday evening, leaving clear skies and cold temperatures overnight. A few thin high clouds start moving into northern Washington during the early morning hours. High and mid-level clouds should expand and gradually thicken across the region on Thursday.
Temperatures should be slightly below normal for early March throughout the forecast period.
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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Wednesday
Low clouds below 4000 ft dissipate by mid-morning, leaving mostly sunny skies.
Wednesday
Night
Clear and cold with a few thin high clouds moving in during the early morning hours.
Wednesday
Mostly sunny with isolated clouds in the afternoon.
Wednesday
Night
Clear and cold with high clouds moving in during the early morning hours.
Wednesday
Scattered clouds with isolated snow flurries early in the day.
Wednesday
Night
Clear and cold with a few thin high clouds moving in during the early morning hours.
Wednesday
Scattered clouds with isolated snow showers most likely on the volcanoes in the afternoon.
Wednesday
Night
Clear and cold.
Wednesday
More sun than clouds with a slight chance of snow flurries. Light E wind at the Pass.
Wednesday
Night
Clear and cold.
Wednesday
More sun than clouds with a slight chance of snow flurries. Light E wind at the Pass.
Wednesday
Night
Clear and cold.
Wednesday
Mostly sunny.
Wednesday
Night
Clear and cold with a few thin high clouds moving in during the early morning hours.
Wednesday
Scattered clouds with isolated snow showers.
Wednesday
Night
Clear and cold.
Wednesday
Partly cloudy with isolated snow showers.
Wednesday
Night
A few clouds during the evening, then becoming clear and cold.
Wednesday
Decreasing periods of light snow with partially clearing skies by the end of the day.
Wednesday
Night
A few clouds during the evening, then becoming clear and cold.
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).