A warm front has already started to spread light rain showers across the Puget Sound this morning. Precipitation will slowly make its way into the mountains throughout the day and eventually reach areas east of the Cascade crest. For most locations, this will be a rain event. However, very cold air remains entrenched in the east-side valleys from near US 2 north to the Canadian border. As much warmer air pushes over the mountains, these locations could see a change from snow to sleet or even freezing rain. Eventually, valley temperatures should rise above 32F/0C and allow rain to impact nearly our entire forecast region.
Showers will taper into the evening before a trailing cold front quickly passes over the Pacific Northwest. Look for the winds out ahead of the front to turn more southerly and increase significantly. Places like Hurricane Ridge, Mt Baker, Mission Ridge, Crystal Mt, and Mt Hood could see strong and gust winds overnight and into Monday morning. This will correspond with the heaviest bands of rain, as precipitation favors the volcanoes. However, with such strong winds and a southerly component to the storm, rain should easily push over the Cascade crest to places further east. The storm will continue well into Monday, with the front finally passing over the mountains sometime mid-morning. While temperatures will slowly cool, only the tops of the highest peaks could see any real snow. Sadly, for the rest of the region, this will result in more rain.
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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Sunday
Cloudy with light rain showers throughout the day. Light to moderate SW winds increasing the afternoon.
Sunday
Night
Rain showers increasing overnight with strong and gusty winds.
Sunday
Cloudy with light rain showers. Light SW winds becoming moderate.
Sunday
Night
Rain showers increasing overnight could be moderate to heavy at times. Strong and gust S winds developing.
Sunday
Cloudy with light rain showers. SW winds becoming light to moderate.
Sunday
Night
Rain showers increasing overnight, could be moderate at times. Moderate SW winds becoming S
Sunday
Light rain showers, heaviest near the volcanoes. Light to moderate SW winds.
Sunday
Night
Rain showers increasing overnight, especially for locations near the volcanoes. Winds becoming moderate to strong and gusty.
Sunday
Cloudy with rain showers particularly in the afternoon. Light E flow developing at pass level.
Sunday
Night
Cloudy with rain showers increasing overnight. Light E flow at pass level. Ridgetop winds becoming S light to moderate.
Sunday
Cloudy with rain, particularly in the afternoon. Light E flow at pass level. Light to moderate SW ridgetop winds.
Sunday
Night
Cloudy with rain showers increasing overnight. Light E flow at pass level. Moderate SW ridgetop winds becoming S.
Sunday
Cloudy with showers particularly in the afternoon. Chance of freezing rain or sleet in the valleys. Light to moderate SW winds decreasing.
Sunday
Night
Cloudy with showers increasing overnight. SW winds becoming S moderate to strong.
Sunday
Cloudy with showers particularly in the afternoon. Chance of freezing rain or sleet in some locations near and north of Hwy2. Moderate W winds decreasing.
Sunday
Night
Cloudy with showers increasing overnight. SW winds becoming S moderate to strong.
Sunday
Cloudy with rain showers. Light to moderate W winds becoming SW.
Sunday
Night
Cloudy with rain showers. Winds becoming strong and gusty overnight.
Sunday
Cloudy with rain showers. Moderate to strong W winds becoming SW.
Sunday
Night
Cloudy with isoalted showers. Winds increasing overnight and becoming strong and gusty.
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).