Brrr...we're in for a cold one today. Mountain temperatures are in the single digits to below zero Fahrenheit this morning. The good news is that temperatures will warm into the teens this afternoon under sunny skies. Ridgeline winds are in the light to moderate range, so be prepared for a little extra chill on top of the already frigid temperatures. We're on the backside of a broad upper level trough with northerly flow aloft. This is translating to slightly stronger ridgeline winds near the Canadian border where winds should spend more time in the moderate range.
We'll see some temperature moderation west of the crest tomorrow, with freezing levels bumping up into the 2000-3000' range Wednesday afternoon. All other areas near and east of the Cascade crest will see similarly cold conditions on Wednesday. E-SE winds may start to increase Wednesday afternoon as a weather system approaches from the west.
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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Tuesday
Sunny. Cold. Light to occasionally moderate ridgeline winds.
Tuesday
Night
Clear. Cold. Light to occasionally moderate ridgeline winds.
Tuesday
Sunny. Cold. Light to moderate ridgeline winds, strongest west of Mt Baker.
Tuesday
Night
Clear. Cold. Light to moderate ridgeline winds, strongest west of Mt Baker.
Tuesday
Sunny. Cold. Light ridgeline winds.
Tuesday
Night
Clear. Cold. Light ridgeline winds.
Tuesday
Sunny. Cold. Light to moderate ridgeline winds.
Tuesday
Night
Clear. Cold. Light to moderate ridgeline winds.
Tuesday
Sunny. Cold. Light to moderate E ridgeline and Pass level winds.
Tuesday
Night
Clear. Cold. Light to moderate E ridgeline and Pass level winds.
Tuesday
Sunny. Cold. Light to moderate E ridgeline and Pass level winds.
Tuesday
Night
Clear. Cold. Light to moderate E ridgeline and Pass level winds.
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).