Jump to: Weather Forecast I Snow/Freezing Level I Precipitation I Free Winds 5k I Free Winds 9k I Extended Weather
Weather Synopsis for Saturday & Monday
A longwave trough axis is centered over the West Coast Saturday morning. Light snow that had rotated up from the south Friday out ahead of the trough, generally produced 2-4 inches of new snow throughout the Olympics and Cascades, except locally up to 9 inches for Mt. Baker through early Saturday morning. As the trough slowly passes through today, scattered snow showers should mostly be confined to the west slopes. Most areas will see a partial clearing trend Saturday afternoon, except with clouds staying banked up mainly against the west slopes of the central and south Washington Cascades.
Christmas Day looks mostly sunny and cold. An upper ridge will move over the PNW on Monday providing us with a dry day with fairly light winds.
An incoming Pacific frontal system will spread high clouds over the area Sunday night but precipitation should hold off until Monday.
Weather Forecast
Olympics
| Saturday |
Partly sunny with isolated light snow showers. |
| Saturday Night |
Mostly clear. |
| Sunday |
Mostly sunny. |
| Sunday Night |
Becoming cloudy overnight. |
Washington Cascades
| Saturday |
Mostly cloudy with isolated light snow showers. Partial clearing this afternoon, especially north Cascades and east slopes. |
| Saturday Night |
Partly cloudy. |
| Sunday |
Mostly sunny. Areas of low clouds in the morning. |
| Sunday Night |
Increasing high clouds overnight. |
Mt. Hood Area
| Saturday |
Partly to mostly cloudy. Isolated snow showers. |
| Saturday Night |
Partly cloudy. |
| Sunday |
Mostly sunny. Areas of low clouds in the morning. |
| Sunday Night |
Increasing high clouds overnight. |
Issued: 2:26 PM PST Saturday, December 24, 2016
Snow/Freezing Level (ft)
| Hurricane Ridge | Mt. Baker | Washington Pass | Leavenworth | Stevens Pass | Snoqualmie Pass | Mt. Rainier, Crystal & White Pass | Mt. Hood | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday | Snow Level | 1000' | 500' | 0' | ' | ' | 500' | ' | 1000' |
| Saturday Night - Sunday Night | Freezing Level | 1000' | 0' | 0' | ' | ' | 0' | ' | 500' |
| Hurricane Ridge | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday |
Snow Level 1000' |
| Saturday Night - Sunday Night |
Freezing Level 1000' |
| Mt. Baker | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday |
Snow Level 500' |
| Saturday Night - Sunday Night |
Freezing Level 0' |
| Washington Pass | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday |
Snow Level 0' |
| Saturday Night - Sunday Night |
Freezing Level 0' |
| Leavenworth | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday |
Snow Level ' |
| Saturday Night - Sunday Night |
Freezing Level ' |
| Stevens Pass | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday |
Snow Level ' |
| Saturday Night - Sunday Night |
Freezing Level ' |
| Snoqualmie Pass | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday |
Snow Level 500' |
| Saturday Night - Sunday Night |
Freezing Level 0' |
| Mt. Rainier & Crystal | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday |
Snow Level ' |
| Saturday Night - Sunday Night |
Freezing Level ' |
| Mt. Hood | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday |
Snow Level 1000' |
| Saturday Night - Sunday Night |
Freezing Level 500' |
* 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
| Monday | Monday | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 0.25 | 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: 2:26 PM PST Saturday, December 24, 2016
Free Winds at 5000' (mph)
| Hurricane Ridge | Mt. Baker | Stevens to Snoqualmie Pass | Mt. Rainier | Mt. Hood | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon - Saturday Night | NE 0 - 10 | NE 5 - 15 | NW 0 - 10 | --- - | NW 5 - 15 |
| Sunday - Sunday Night | VAR 0 - 10 | W 0 - 10 | VAR 0 - 10 | --- - | VAR 0 - 10 |
| Hurricane Ridge | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon - Saturday Night | NE 0 - 10 |
| Sunday - Sunday Night | VAR 0 - 10 |
| Mt. Baker | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon - Saturday Night | NE 5 - 15 |
| Sunday - Sunday Night | W 0 - 10 |
| Stevens and Snoqualmie Pass | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon - Saturday Night | NW 0 - 10 |
| Sunday - Sunday Night | VAR 0 - 10 |
| Mt. Rainier | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon - Saturday Night | --- - |
| Sunday - Sunday Night | --- - |
| Mt. Hood | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon - Saturday Night | NW 5 - 15 |
| Sunday - Sunday Night | VAR 0 - 10 |
| Hurricane Ridge | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon - Saturday Night | NE 0 - 10 |
| Sunday - Sunday Night | VAR 0 - 10 |
| Mt. Baker | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon - Saturday Night | NE 5 - 15 |
| Sunday - Sunday Night | W 0 - 10 |
| Stevens and Snoqualmie Pass | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon - Saturday Night | NW 0 - 10 |
| Sunday - Sunday Night | VAR 0 - 10 |
| Mt. Rainier | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon - Saturday Night | --- - |
| Sunday - Sunday Night | --- - |
| Mt. Hood | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon - Saturday Night | NW 5 - 15 |
| Sunday - Sunday Night | VAR 0 - 10 |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon | NNE 0 - 10 | NNE 0 - 10 | N 5 - 15 | --- - | NW 15 - 25 |
| Saturday Night | NE 0 - 10 | NE 0 - 10 | NE 0 - 10 | --- - | NW 0 - 10 |
| Sunday | W 5 - 15 | W 5 - 15 | W 0 - 10 | --- - | NW 0 - 10 |
| Sunday Night | W 10 - 20 | W 5 - 15 | W 10 - 20 | --- - | W 5 - 15 |
| Mt. Baker | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon | NNE 0 - 10 |
| Saturday Night | NE 0 - 10 |
| Sunday | W 5 - 15 |
| Sunday Night | W 10 - 20 |
| Washington Pass | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon | NNE 0 - 10 |
| Saturday Night | NE 0 - 10 |
| Sunday | W 5 - 15 |
| Sunday Night | W 5 - 15 |
| Stevens and Snoqualmie Pass | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon | N 5 - 15 |
| Saturday Night | NE 0 - 10 |
| Sunday | W 0 - 10 |
| Sunday Night | W 10 - 20 |
| Mt. Rainier | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon | --- - |
| Saturday Night | --- - |
| Sunday | --- - |
| Sunday Night | --- - |
| Mt. Hood | Direction - Speed |
|---|---|
| Saturday Afternoon | NW 15 - 25 |
| Saturday Night | NW 0 - 10 |
| Sunday | NW 0 - 10 |
| Sunday 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.
Issued: 2:26 PM PST Saturday, December 24, 2016
Extended Weather Synopsis for Monday night through Monday
A strong westerly jet will drive a strong frontal system into the area Monday night. Clouds will increase and lower on Monday with light precipitation developing for the Olympics and Washington Cascades during the daylight hours but likely holding off until at Mt. Hood until Monday evening. Alpine winds should ramp up quickly Monday afternoon out of the west or southwest.
An occluded front will pass through late Monday night making for a stormy night with snow levels slightly rising. It's unclear if enough warm air will work inland for a brief period of rain or freezing rain for Snoqualmie Pass and White Pass early Monday morning. Moderate to locally heavy orographic showers should persist Tuesday through Tuesday night with strong NW flow. An upper level ridge builds along the West Coast on Wednesday, lifting the jet stream and storm track into B.C as showers taper off over the PNW.
Extended Weather
Olympics, Washington Cascades and Mt. Hood
Cloudy with light rain and snow developing north Cascades and Olympics and slowly spreading south. Cloudy at Mt. Hood. Alpine winds increasing Monday afternoon.
Stormy. Slight warming trend.
Moderate to locally heavy rain and snow showers along the Olympics, west slopes of the Cascades and Mt. Hood. Light to moderate rain and snow showers east slopes of the Cascades, heaviest near the crest. Cooling trend. Windy.
Mostly cloudy with light to occasionally moderate rain and snow showers. Winds decreasing.
Mostly cloudy with scattered light rain and snow showers.
Extended Snow/Freezing Levels
| Mt. Baker | Snoqualmie Pass | Mt. Hood | Easterly Flow * | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Snow Level | 1500' - 2500' | 1500' - 2500' | 2000' - 3000' | * |
| Monday Night - Tuesday Morning | Snow Level | 2000' - 3000' | 2500' - 3500' | 3500' - 4500' | * |
| Tuesday Afternoon | Snow Level | 1500' - 2500' | 2000' - 3000' | 3000' - 4000' | |
| Tuesday Night - Wednesday | Snow Level | 500' - 1500' | 1000' - 2000' | 2500' - 3500' |
| Mt. Baker | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Monday |
Snow Level 1500' - 2500' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Monday Night - Tuesday Morning |
Snow Level 2000' - 3000' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Tuesday Afternoon |
Snow Level 1500' - 2500' |
| Tuesday Night - Wednesday |
Snow Level 500' - 1500' |
| Snoqualmie Pass | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Monday |
Snow Level 1500' - 2500' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Monday Night - Tuesday Morning |
Snow Level 2500' - 3500' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Tuesday Afternoon |
Snow Level 2000' - 3000' |
| Tuesday Night - Wednesday |
Snow Level 1000' - 2000' |
| Mt. Hood | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Monday |
Snow Level 2000' - 3000' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Monday Night - Tuesday Morning |
Snow Level 3500' - 4500' (Easterly Flow *) |
| Tuesday Afternoon |
Snow Level 3000' - 4000' |
| Tuesday Night - Wednesday |
Snow Level 2500' - 3500' |
* 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.
Jump to: Weather Forecast I Snow/Freezing Level I Precipitation I Free Winds 5k I Free Winds 9k I Extended Weather
Previous forecast from Dec 24, 2016
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