Northwest Daily Snow

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By Alan Smith, Meteorologist Posted 2 years ago December 3, 2021

Fun begins Saturday with a storm for Washington

Summary

A snowy pattern will arrive at last over the PNW this weekend and next week. The first storm will bring snow to WA on Saturday. The second storm will bring snow to a larger portion of the PNW on Sunday night & Monday. A third storm will arrive around Wed 12/8. Cold temps and low snow levels can be expected for the most part.

Short Term Forecast

The pattern of warm atmospheric river events is over with and a much colder and snowier pattern awaits for the next couple of weeks.

Dry conditions will prevail on Friday, but then we have two storms arriving during the next 5 days to talk about.

Saturday Storm:

The first storm will primarily impact Washington from early Saturday morning through late Saturday evening with only a little bit of moisture extending south of the Oregon border.

Overall, the storm has trended stronger for the Washington Cascades and Inland NW/Idaho Panhandle and snow levels will be below base areas for all of these regions. Northern Oregon will be on the fringe of this system and will only see some light snow. Snow levels will also be much higher at Mt. Hood – as high as 6,000 feet.

Timing-wise, snow will quickly pick up in intensity over the Olympics and Northern Cascades on Saturday morning.

Snow will then extend into the Southern Washington Cascades and will also spread eastward into the Inland NW and pick up in intensity on Saturday afternoon.

Snow will persist across both the WA Cascades and Inland NW into Saturday evening before tapering off later in the night.

Despite the short duration, moderate to heavy snow totals are likely throughout the WA Cascades as well as the Idaho Panhandle resorts. Snow quality will be good (i.e. low density) as well given the cold air in place. 

Sunday Night - Monday Storm:

A stronger storm remains on track for Sunday night on Monday, but question marks persist regarding the exact storm track and where the heaviest snow will fall.

Weather models continue to struggle with consistency on the track, but overall, more widespread snow is likely with this storm across both Washington and Oregon (as well as Northern Idaho). 

Right now, the areas most likely to see heavy snow from this storm include the Olympic Peninsula (Hurricane Ridge), Southern WA Cascades (Crystal, White Pass), Northern OR Cascades (Mt. Hood), and the Blue Mountains and Wallowa Mountains in Southeast WA & Northeast OR.

See the projected northwest to southeast storm track from one of the "middle of the road" model solutions.

 

We'll see how things look over the coming days, as some models are also projecting a more northerly solution that would bring heavier snowfall to the Northern WA Cascades and Idaho Panhandle. 

The good news is that this will be another cold storm, and most areas will see low snow levels as a result. It then becomes a matter of where the heaviest snow will fall. 

Extended Forecast

Another storm will arrive from the northwest around Tuesday night (12/7) - Wednesday (12/8). All mountain regions of the PNW will be in play to receive snow from this storm, but as with the previous storm, we'll have to get more dialed on the exact storm track to see which regions will be the most favored. 

Looking farther out, the main storm track will shift south late next week but weaker disturbances could bring additional snow showers next Thursday (12/9) and Friday (12/10). 

It looks like we will see a break with mostly dry conditions during the weekend of 12/11-12/12. However, the 10-15 day outlook looks promising as all of the longer-range models are projecting an active pattern with a trough of low pressure setting up over the PNW with above-average precipitation and colder-than-average temperatures favored.

Thanks so much for reading! Next update on Sunday (12/5).

ALAN SMITH

About Our Forecaster

Alan Smith

Meteorologist

Alan Smith received a B.S. in Meteorology from Metropolitan State University of Denver and has been working in the private sector since 2013. When he’s not watching the weather from the office, Alan loves to spend time outdoors skiing, hiking, and mountain biking, and of course keeping an eye on the sky for weather changes while recreating.

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