A cold front is arriving in the mountains this morning and bringing periods of heavier rain and snow across the region. Moderate to strong winds will create stormy conditions for places like Mt Baker, Mt Hood, Mt Rainier, and the Mountain Loop Hwy areas. Once the front passes, temperatures will slowly cool and allow snow levels to gradually drop back down the mountainsides. The near-steady precipitation will turn more showery throughout the day. An unstable upper atmosphere and the strong March sun will combine to create some convective showers in the afternoon. This could result in periods of locally intense precipitation, gusty winds, and graupel. It also means you may see a few moments of sunshine peaking through the clouds.
Post frontal showers continue to linger into the evening, but overall, we're on a drying trend. Low level clouds will keep most mountain valleys and passes rather socked in overnight. However, higher in the terrain, you may see clearer skies and more stars.
Just as the low clouds and fog start to burn off Tuesday morning, stratus will push up into the region from the south. This will result in generally cloudy skies near and south of I90. Locations further north should see plenty of sunshine by the afternoon.
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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Monday
Rain and snow in the morning becoming showery with cooling. Sun breaks possible in the afternoon. Light to moderate SW winds.
Monday
Night
Isolated showers. Partly cloudy. Light to moderate SW winds decreasing.
Monday
Stormy in the morning becoming showery in the afternoon. A few sun breaks possible. Moderate SW winds.
Monday
Night
Scattered showers decreasing overnight. Light to moderate W winds turning SW.
Monday
Stormy in the morning becoming showering during the day. A few sun breaks possible. Light to moderate SW winds increasing.
Monday
Night
Scattered showers decreasing overnight. Moderate to strong SW winds decreasing.
Monday
Stormy in the morning becoming showery in the afternoon. A few sun breaks possible. Light to moderate SW winds turning WSW.
Monday
Night
Isolated shower possible. Partly to mostly cloudy. Moderate W winds decreasing.
Monday
Rain and snow in the morning becoming showery in the afternoon. A few sun breaks possible. Light E flow turning west during the morning. Ridgetop winds becoming W light to moderate.
Monday
Night
Isolated showers possible. Partly to mostly cloudy. Moderate W winds decreasing.
Monday
Rain and snow in the morning becoming showery in the afternoon. A few sun breaks possible. Light E flow turning W in the morning. Light to moderate S ridge top winds turning W.
Monday
Night
Isolated showers decreasing. Partly to mostly cloudy. Moderate W winds.
Monday
Rain and snow in the morning becoming showery in the afternoon. Light to moderate S winds turning W.
Monday
Night
Isolated showers near the crest. Partly to mostly cloudy. Moderate W winds.
Monday
Rain and snow in the morning becoming showering in the afternoon. A few sun breaks possible. Moderate SW winds increasing and turning W.
Monday
Night
Isolated showers in the evening, then drying. Partly to mostly cloudy. Moderate to strong W winds.
Monday
Rain and snow in the morning becoming showery in the afternoon. A few sun breaks possible. Moderate to strong SW winds turning W.
Monday
Night
Isolated showers in the evening, then drying. Partly to mostly cloudy. Moderate W winds.
Monday
Stormy in the morning with very strong and gusty SW winds. Becoming more showery later in the day with a few sun breaks possible.
Monday
Night
Isolated showers in the evening, then drying. Partly to mostly cloudy. Moderate to strong W winds decreasing significantly.
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).