A slow-moving frontal system will stretch and weaken as it passes through the Cascades late Saturday morning. Offshore flow elevates snow levels for the Cascades' west slopes as the front approaches with light to moderate rain and snow. SSW winds don't favor the passes and east slopes of the Cascades; instead, the majority of the precipitation focuses on the Olympics and Mt Baker areas. Precipitation becomes showery with some cooling and a gradual shift toward SW winds.
Light to moderate showers continue as temperatures cool Saturday night. Once again, a shift toward SSW winds targets the volcanoes and southern Olympics with more sustained precipitation.
Precipitation increases for the remainder of the Cascades on Sunday with moderate to locally strong winds and snow levels around 2000-3500 ft. With another mid-day frontal passage, expect showery weather in 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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Saturday
Light to moderate rain and snow becoming light to moderate rain and snow showers in the afternoon.
Saturday
Night
Light to moderate rain and snow showers.
Saturday
Moderate rain and snow developing and becoming showery in the afternoon.
Saturday
Night
Moderate rain and snow showers.
Saturday
Light rain and snow developing and becoming showery in the afternoon.
Saturday
Night
Light to moderate rain and snow showers.
Saturday
Light rain and snow developing and becoming showery in the afternoon.
Saturday
Night
Light to moderate rain and snow showers.
Saturday
Light rain and snow developing and becoming showery in the afternoon. Light to moderate E-SE Pass level and ridgeline winds becoming W-SW in the afternoon.
Saturday
Night
Light snow showers. Light to moderate ridgeline and light winds switching E at the Pass during the evening.
Saturday
Light rain and snow developing and becoming showery in the afternoon. Light to moderate E-SE Pass level and ridgeline winds becoming W-SW in the afternoon.
Saturday
Night
Light snow showers. Light to moderate ridgeline and light winds switching E at the Pass during the evening.
Saturday
Light rain and snow developing and becoming showery in the afternoon.
Saturday
Night
Light to occasionally moderate rain and snow showers.
Saturday
Light rain and snow developing and becoming showery in the afternoon.
Saturday
Night
Light to occasionally moderate rain and snow showers.
Saturday
Light rain and snow developing and becoming showery in the afternoon.
Saturday
Night
Light to occasionally moderate rain and snow showers.
Saturday
Light rain and snow developing and becoming showery in the afternoon.
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).