A modified arctic frontal boundary has moved through the region with cold, dry modified arctic air filtering into the region. E and NE continue to decrease across the region from north to south. In Washington State ridgeline winds should be in the light to moderate range, however strong winds linger through at least the morning hours at Mt. Hood before decreasing into the moderate range late in the day. NE winds through the Fraser River gap should continue to decrease but expect blustery conditions through the morning in western Watcom County. Temperatures in the single digits and teens should warm into the mid to upper teens in most areas during the day with sunny skies.
Sunday night will be cold, but not quite as cold as Saturday night. Upper-level winds shift northerly and ridgeline winds regain a westerly component in some areas.
After a cold start on Monday, expect increasing high clouds with mid-level clouds arriving in northern areas as weak systems round the offshore ridge into British Columbia. Mountain temperatures should rise into the low to mid-20s in many areas, but remain well below seasonal norms.
Weather Forecast
Olympics
West North
West Central
West South
Stevens Pass
Snoqualmie Pass
East North
East Central
East South
Mt. Hood
Use dropdown to select your zone
Sunday
Sunny and cold.
Sunday
Night
Clear and cold.
Sunday
Sunny and cold.
Sunday
Night
Clear and cold.
Sunday
Sunny and cold.
Sunday
Night
Clear and cold.
Sunday
Sunny and cold.
Sunday
Night
Clear and cold.
Sunday
Sunny and cold. Moderate ridgeline winds becoming light. Light E winds at the Pass.
Sunday
Night
Clear and cold. Light ridgeline and E wind at the Pass.
Sunday
Sunny and cold. Moderate ridgeline winds becoming light. Light E winds at the Pass.
Sunday
Night
Clear and cold. Light ridgeline and E wind at the Pass.
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).