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Weather Synopsis for Thursday & Thursday
A broad weather system passing through California and Oregon on Wednesday produced moderate snow for Mt. Hood with up to 12 inches of snow accumulating through early Thursday morning. Only very light amounts of snow clipped the south and central Washington Cascades. Easterly winds which were moderate from Mt. Hood up to Snoqualmie Pass Wednesday have eased and switched to light westerly above treeline.
An upper level trough will dig off the California coast through the short term period, turning the flow aloft more northerly. Leftover and isolated light showers Thursday morning should give way to a general clearing trend although some clouds may stay banked up along the east slopes and near the Cascade Passes in particular. The Pacific Northwest will stay cold through the short term with some arctic air beginning to creep down the east slopes of the Cascades and through the Fraser Valley beginning Thursday night.
Friday looks like a fair weather day with cold temperatures, generally light winds and mostly sunny skies.
Weather Forecast
Washington Cascades near and west of the crest including Stevens, Snoqualmie, and White Passes
| Thursday Morning |
Cloudy with scattered very light snow showers. |
| Thursday Afternoon |
Becoming partly to mostly sunny. More clearing north Cascades and west of Cascade Passes. |
| Thursday Night |
Mostly clear except areas of low clouds and fog. |
| Friday |
Mostly sunny. |
| Friday Night |
Increasing high clouds overnight. |
Olympics
| Thursday Morning |
Partly to mostly cloudy with isolated very light snow showers. |
| Thursday Afternoon |
Mostly sunny. |
| Thursday Night - Friday Morning |
Partly cloudy, becoming mostly cloudy overnight with light snow showers developing along the north slopes of the Olympics. |
| Friday Afternoon |
Becoming mostly sunny. |
| Friday Night |
Increasing high clouds overnight. |
East slopes of the Washington Cascades
| Thursday Morning |
Cloudy with scattered very light snow showers. |
| Thursday Afternoon |
Partly to mostly cloudy. |
| Thursday Night |
Becoming mostly clear except areas of low clouds and fog. Very cold NE Cascades. |
| Friday |
Mostly sunny. |
| Friday Night |
Increasing high clouds overnight. |
Mt. Hood Area
| Thursday Morning |
Cloudy with scattered very light snow showers. |
| Thursday Afternoon |
Becoming partly to mostly sunny. |
| Thursday Night |
Mostly clear. |
| Friday |
Mostly sunny. |
| Friday Night |
Increasing high clouds overnight. |
Issued: 7:11 AM PST Thursday, December 15, 2016
Snow/Freezing Level (ft)
| Hurricane Ridge | Mt. Baker | Washington Pass | Leavenworth | Stevens Pass | Snoqualmie Pass | Mt. Rainier, Crystal & White Pass | Mt. Hood | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday | Snow Level * | 500' | 0' | 0' | ' | ' | 500' | ' | 1000' |
| Thursday Night - Friday Night | Freezing Level * | 0' | 0' | 0' | ' | ' | 0' | ' | 0' |
| Hurricane Ridge | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Thursday |
Snow Level 500' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Thursday Night - Friday Night |
Freezing Level 0' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Mt. Baker | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Thursday |
Snow Level 0' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Thursday Night - Friday Night |
Freezing Level 0' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Washington Pass | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Thursday |
Snow Level 0' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Thursday Night - Friday Night |
Freezing Level 0' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Leavenworth | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Thursday |
Snow Level ' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Thursday Night - Friday Night |
Freezing Level ' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Stevens Pass | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Thursday |
Snow Level ' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Thursday Night - Friday Night |
Freezing Level ' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Snoqualmie Pass | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Thursday |
Snow Level 500' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Thursday Night - Friday Night |
Freezing Level 0' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Mt. Rainier & Crystal | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Thursday |
Snow Level ' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Thursday Night - Friday Night |
Freezing Level ' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Mt. Hood | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Thursday |
Snow Level 1000' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Thursday Night - Friday Night |
Freezing Level 0' (Easterly Flow *) |
* Easterly flow in the Cascade Passes can cause locally lower Snow or Freezing levels than areas further west.
Freezing Level is when no precipitation is forecast.
Precipitation Forecast
| Thursday | Thursday | |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Ridge | LT 0.10 | LT 0.10 |
| Mt Baker Ski Area | LT 0.10 | LT 0.10 |
| Washington Pass | LT 0.10 | LT 0.10 |
| Stevens Pass | LT 0.10 | LT 0.10 |
| Snoqualmie Pass | LT 0.10 | LT 0.10 |
| Mission Ridge | LT 0.10 | LT 0.10 |
| Crystal Mt | LT 0.10 | LT 0.10 |
| Paradise | LT 0.10 | LT 0.10 |
| White Pass | LT 0.10 | LT 0.10 |
| Mt Hood Meadows | LT 0.10 | LT 0.10 |
| Timberline | LT 0.10 | LT 0.10 |
LT = less than; WE or Water equivalent is the liquid water equivalent of melted snow in hundredths of inches. As a rough approximation 1 inch of snow = about .10 inches WE, or 10 inches of snow = about 1 inch WE.
Issued: 7:11 AM PST Thursday, December 15, 2016
Free Winds at 5000' (mph)
| Hurricane Ridge | Mt. Baker | Stevens to Snoqualmie Pass | Mt. Rainier | Mt. Hood | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday | NE 0 - 10 | NE 0 - 10 | E 0 - 10 | --- - | W 0 - 10 |
| Thursday Night - Friday Morning | NE 5 - 15 | NE 10 - 20 | E 0 - 10 | --- - | NE 0 - 10 |
| Friday Afternoon | N 0 - 10 | NE 5 - 15 | VAR 0 - 10 | --- - | VAR 0 - 10 |
| Friday Night | W 5 - 15 | W 5 - 15 | W 5 - 15 | --- - | W 5 - 15 |
| Hurricane Ridge | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Thursday | NE 0 - 10 |
| Thursday Night - Friday Morning | NE 5 - 15 |
| Friday Afternoon | N 0 - 10 |
| Friday Night | W 5 - 15 |
| Mt. Baker | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Thursday | NE 0 - 10 |
| Thursday Night - Friday Morning | NE 10 - 20 |
| Friday Afternoon | NE 5 - 15 |
| Friday Night | W 5 - 15 |
| Stevens and Snoqualmie Pass | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Thursday | E 0 - 10 |
| Thursday Night - Friday Morning | E 0 - 10 |
| Friday Afternoon | VAR 0 - 10 |
| Friday Night | W 5 - 15 |
| Mt. Rainier | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Thursday | --- - |
| Thursday Night - Friday Morning | --- - |
| Friday Afternoon | --- - |
| Friday Night | --- - |
| Mt. Hood | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Thursday | W 0 - 10 |
| Thursday Night - Friday Morning | NE 0 - 10 |
| Friday Afternoon | VAR 0 - 10 |
| Friday Night | W 5 - 15 |
| Hurricane Ridge | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Thursday | NE 0 - 10 |
| Thursday Night - Friday Morning | NE 5 - 15 |
| Friday Afternoon | N 0 - 10 |
| Friday Night | W 5 - 15 |
| Mt. Baker | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Thursday | NE 0 - 10 |
| Thursday Night - Friday Morning | NE 10 - 20 |
| Friday Afternoon | NE 5 - 15 |
| Friday Night | W 5 - 15 |
| Stevens and Snoqualmie Pass | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Thursday | E 0 - 10 |
| Thursday Night - Friday Morning | E 0 - 10 |
| Friday Afternoon | VAR 0 - 10 |
| Friday Night | W 5 - 15 |
| Mt. Rainier | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Thursday | --- - |
| Thursday Night - Friday Morning | --- - |
| Friday Afternoon | --- - |
| Friday Night | --- - |
| Mt. Hood | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Thursday | W 0 - 10 |
| Thursday Night - Friday Morning | NE 0 - 10 |
| Friday Afternoon | VAR 0 - 10 |
| Friday Night | W 5 - 15 |
Directions above indicate the direction the wind blows from on the 16-point cardinal scale. These winds indicate "free" winds, or those winds in the atmosphere not influenced by terrain. Topographical effects may produce greater or lower wind speeds in certain locations as well as significant variations in direction.
Free Winds at 9000' (mph)
| Mt. Baker | Washington Pass | Stevens to Snoqualmie Pass | Mt. Rainier | Mt. Hood | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday Morning | N 0 - 10 | VAR 0 - 10 | W 5 - 15 | --- - | W 15 - 25 |
| Thursday Afternoon | N 0 - 10 | N 0 - 10 | NNW 0 - 10 | --- - | W 5 - 15 |
| Thursday Night - Friday Morning | NNE 10 - 20 | N 15 - 25 | N 10 - 20 | --- - | N 10 - 20 |
| Friday Afternoon | N 10 - 20 | N 20 - 30 | N 15 - 30 | --- - | NNW 20 - 30 |
| Friday Night | NW 15 - 25 | NW 10 - 20 | NW 20 - 30 | --- - | NW 20 - 30 |
| Mt. Baker | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Thursday Morning | N 0 - 10 |
| Thursday Afternoon | N 0 - 10 |
| Thursday Night - Friday Morning | NNE 10 - 20 |
| Friday Afternoon | N 10 - 20 |
| Friday Night | NW 15 - 25 |
| Washington Pass | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Thursday Morning | VAR 0 - 10 |
| Thursday Afternoon | N 0 - 10 |
| Thursday Night - Friday Morning | N 15 - 25 |
| Friday Afternoon | N 20 - 30 |
| Friday Night | NW 10 - 20 |
| Stevens and Snoqualmie Pass | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Thursday Morning | W 5 - 15 |
| Thursday Afternoon | NNW 0 - 10 |
| Thursday Night - Friday Morning | N 10 - 20 |
| Friday Afternoon | N 15 - 30 |
| Friday Night | NW 20 - 30 |
| Mt. Rainier | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Thursday Morning | --- - |
| Thursday Afternoon | --- - |
| Thursday Night - Friday Morning | --- - |
| Friday Afternoon | --- - |
| Friday Night | --- - |
| Mt. Hood | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Thursday Morning | W 15 - 25 |
| Thursday Afternoon | W 5 - 15 |
| Thursday Night - Friday Morning | N 10 - 20 |
| Friday Afternoon | NNW 20 - 30 |
| Friday Night | NW 20 - 30 |
Directions above indicate the direction the wind blows from on the 16-point cardinal scale. These winds indicate "free" winds, or those winds in the atmosphere not influenced by terrain. Topographical effects may produce greater or lower wind speeds in certain locations as well as significant variations in direction.
Jump to: Weather Forecast I Snow/Freezing Level I Precipitation I Free Winds 5k I Free Winds 9k
Previous forecast from Dec 10, 2016
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.