Our little front is really fizzling this morning with precipitation already turning to post-frontal showers. The upper-level trough responsible for this round of rain and snow has split sending most of its energy north and south of our region. This should result in scattered to isolated showers for locations near and west of the Crest with the activity tapering into the afternoon and evening. The big question mark for the day will be the skies. Lingering low-level moisture and onshore flow should continue to push clouds up into the mountains from the West. Not surprisingly, this means the best chance for sunshine will be in places along the east slopes of the Cascades, Hurricane Ridge, and Mt Hood. That doesn't mean you won't see the sun in other locations. However, you're more like to encounter patches of blue sky rather than significant clearing.
A high-pressure ridge will start to build over the region Friday night and should help put an end to any leftover showers. Look for low-level clouds in the mountain valleys and passes particularly near and west of the Cascade crest.
Cool and dry northerly flow will set us up for a nice start to the weekend in the mountains. Passing mid and high clouds should result in filtered sunshine for most locations. With periods of sun, generally light winds, and cool temperatures, Saturday looks quite pleasant across our region.
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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Friday
Isolated showers. Skies becoming partly to mostly sunny. Light to moderate SW winds decreasing.
Friday
Night
A few isolated showers in the evening possible, then drying and clearing.
Friday
Rain and snow showers primarily in the morning. A few sun breaks possible in the afternoon. Light to moderate SW winds decreasing.
Friday
Night
A few isolated showers in the evening, then drying. Low clouds in the mountain valleys and passes.
Friday
Rain and snow showers primarily in the morning. Mostly cloudy skies with a few sun breaks possible. Light to moderate SW winds decreasing.
Friday
Night
A few isolated showers in the evening, then drying. Low clouds in the mountain valleys.
Friday
Rain and snow showers primarily in the morning. Sun breaks possible in the afternoon especially near the Crest.
Friday
Night
A few passing isolated showers. Low clouds in the mountain valleys and passes.
Friday
Rain and snow showers primarily in the morning. A few sun breaks possible. Light westerly winds.
Friday
Night
A few passing showers possible in the evening then drying. Low clouds in the mountain valleys and passes. Light westerly winds turning NW.
Friday
Rain and snow showers primarily in the morning. A few sun breaks possible during the day. Light to moderate W winds decreasing.
Friday
Night
A few sprinkles possible in the evening then drying. Low clouds in the mountain valleys and passes. Light W winds turning NW.
Friday
A few isolated showers near the crest. Skies becoming partly to mostly sunny. Light to moderate W winds decreasing.
Friday
Night
A few sprinkles possible in the evening near the crest, then drying. Low clouds in the mountain valleys and passes.
Friday
A few isolated showers near the crest. Skies becoming partly to mostly sunny. Light to moderate W winds.
Friday
Night
Low clouds in the mountain valleys and passes. Dry.
Friday
A few isolated showers near the crest. Skies becoming partly to mostly sunny.
Friday
Night
Low clouds in the mountain valleys and passes.
Friday
A few isolated showers especially in the morning. Skies becoming partly to mostly sunny. Moderate W winds decreasing significantly by mid day.
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).