A low pressure system positioned offshore lifted a warm front over our region last night, bringing mostly high clouds into the area and locally some light snow and gusty winds for the Mt Baker area. We'll see a mix of high clouds this morning give way to something between filtered sunshine and sunny skies later this morning through early afternoon. Snow/freezing levels will be quite warm ahead of the frontal system, with freezing levels ranging from 5500-8000' (warmest south). A slow moving and N-S oriented occluded front will approach the coast later today, increasing high clouds for the Olympics, Mt Hood, and areas further west of the Cascade crest.
Light precipitation will move inland with the front Saturday night. However, it will be the trailing upper level shortwave trough that passes through southern WA/northern OR on Sunday morning that delivers more moderate precipitation for the Mt. Hood area, and much lighter showers for areas further north.
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
Mostly cloudy with periods of filtered sunshine. Chance or light rain or snow late. Winds becoming strong in the afternoon.
Saturday
Night
Cloudy with light rain or snow developing in the evening.
Saturday
Cloudy in the morning with a chance of light rain or snow, then mostly cloudy with periods of filtered sunshine in the afternoon. Strong ridgeline winds.
Saturday
Night
Cloudy with light to occasionally moderate rain or snow developing overnight.
Saturday
Mostly cloudy in the morning, becoming partly sunny in the afternoon.
Saturday
Night
Cloudy with light rain or snow developing overnight.
Saturday
Partly sunny with periods of filtered sunshine, then clouds increasing late in the afternoon. Moderate to strong ridgeline winds.
Saturday
Night
Cloudy with light to occasionally moderate rain or snow developing overnight.
Saturday
Mostly cloudy in the morning, becoming partly sunny in the afternoon. Light west winds at Pass level.
Saturday
Night
Cloudy with light rain or snow developing overnight. Light east winds at Pass level.
Saturday
Mostly cloudy in the morning, becoming partly sunny in the afternoon. Light west winds at Pass level.
Saturday
Night
Cloudy with light rain or snow developing overnight. Light east winds at Pass level.
Saturday
Mostly cloudy in the morning with filtered sunshine, then partly to mostly sunny in the afternoon.
Saturday
Night
Cloudy with light rain or snow developing overnight.
Saturday
Partly to mostly cloudy in the morning with filtered sunshine, then partly to mostly sunny in the afternoon.
Saturday
Night
Cloudy with light rain or snow developing overnight.
Saturday
Mostly sunny with periods of filtered sunshine in the morning.
Saturday
Night
Cloudy with light rain or snow developing overnight.
Saturday
Partly sunny with periods of filtered sunshine, then clouds increasing late in the afternoon. Moderate to strong ridgeline winds.
Saturday
Night
Light to occasionally moderate rain and snow developing. Strong ridgeline winds.
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).