Northwest Daily Snow

Short Term Forecast

Forecast for Western Washington:

An initial wave arrived early Thursday morning with snow totals as of 5am Thursday including 5" at White Pass, 3" at Mt. Baker, 3" at Alpental, and 2" at Crystal Mountain.

Snow showers on Thursday morning will give way to a relative lull around midday, then snowfall rates will pick up again on Thursday afternoon as a cold front arrives. Snow levels will peak at 3,000-3,500 feet ahead of the front, then will fall to 500-1,000 feet overnight behind the front with heavy snow falling overnight.

Snowfall rates will become lighter on Friday morning, then will pick up again on Friday afternoon and Friday night across all areas with the heaviest snow around Snoqualmie Pass/Alpental. Snow levels will also remain low Friday-Friday night, generally ranging from 500-2,000 feet with snow possibly even mixing in down to sea level at times.

Upper mountain winds during this storm will be out of the west/southwest ahead of the front on Thursday, then will become west/northwest behind the front from Thursday night through Friday night. Winds will be relatively light to moderate for most of this event with the highest gusts on Thursday afternoon and Friday afternoon.

Two-day snow totals from Thursday morning through Saturday morning will range from 6-12 inches for most ski resorts in the Cascades, while Alpental and the upper slopes of Snoqualmie will see higher amounts of 10-18 inches.

Hurricane Ridge will also pick up 6-12 inches on the north side of the Olympics, while the east side of the Cascades will see downslope winds with limited moisture, resulting in only a trace to 2 inches of snow at Mission Ridge.

A trailing disturbance arriving from the west/northwest will result in additional snow shower activity on Saturday and to a lesser extent Sunday night. Lingering moisture and daytime instability will result in additional snow showers on Sunday as well, though activity will be more spotty and variable compared to Saturday.

Snow levels will remain low on both Saturday and Sunday, ranging from 500-2,000 feet. Winds will also be light both days.

Additional snow totals on Saturday-Sunday will range from 2-5 inches at most ski resorts and a trace to 2 inches at Mission Ridge.

As for skiing conditions, Friday morning through Saturday morning looks like the best window. Overall, conditions should stay good through the entire weekend, but sunshine peaking through in between snow showers will impact more exposed terrain on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. 

Forecast for Eastern Washington/Northern Idaho:

Snow showers are filling in from south to north on Thursday morning and will increase in coverage through Thursday afternoon. Snow levels will peak at 3,500-4,500 feet on Thursday afternoon with rain mixing in near the bases of some ski resorts.

Snow showers will become more widespread on Thursday night as a cold front moves through and snow levels will fall to valley bottoms.

Off-and-on snow showers will continue throughout the day on Friday before tapering off to flurries on Friday night. Snow levels will peak at around 2,500 feet on Friday afternoon.

Upper mountain winds during this storm will be out of the west/southwest on Thursday and Thursday night, then will become westerly on Friday. Winds will be relatively light to moderate for most of this event with the highest gusts on Thursday afternoon and Friday afternoon.

Two-day snow totals from Thursday morning through Saturday morning will range from 4-8 inches at Lookout Pass, 3-6 inches at Silver Mountain and Schweitzer, and 2-4 inches at Mt. Spokane and 49º North. Snowfall will be heavier across Southeast Washington where Bluewood can expect 6-14 inches.

A trailing disturbance arriving from the west/northwest will result in additional snow shower activity on Saturday and to a lesser extent Sunday night. Lingering moisture and daytime instability will result in additional snow showers on Sunday as well, though activity will be more spotty and variable compared to Saturday.

Snow levels will remain low on both Saturday and Sunday, ranging from valley bottoms to 2,500 feet. Winds will also be light both days. Additional snow totals on Saturday-Sunday will range from a trace to 3 inches.

As for skiing conditions, Friday will be the best day with leftovers lingering through the weekend. Keep in mind, this storm will likely not be enough to cover up crust layers, except maybe at Bluewood.

Forecast for Oregon:

An initial wave arrived on Wednesday night with new snow totals on Thursday morning including 7" at Timberline, 3" at Willamette Pass, 2" at Hood Meadows, 2" at Hoodoo, 1" at Hood Skibowl, and 1" at Mt. Bachelor.

Snowfall rates will be on the lighter side through about midday Thursday, then snowfall rates will pick up on Thursday afternoon as a cold front arrives. Snow levels will peak at 3,000-3,500 feet ahead of the front, then will fall to 500 feet or lower overnight behind the front with heavy snow falling overnight.

Heavy snow will continue from Friday morning through Friday night before decreasing a bit by early Saturday morning. Snow levels will also remain low Friday-Friday night, generally ranging from 300-1,500 feet with snow mixing in down to sea level at times.

Upper mountain winds during this storm will be out of the west/southwest ahead of the front on Thursday, then will become west/northwest behind the front from Thursday night through Friday night. Winds will become strong on Thursday afternoon as the cold front moves through before decreasing on Thursday night. A secondary peak in wind speeds can be expected on Friday afternoon, but not as strong compared to Thursday.

Two-day snow totals from Thursday morning through Saturday morning will range from 14-28 inches for ski resorts in the Cascades from Mt. Hood to Willamette Pass, while Mt. Ashland will see comparatively lighter amounts of 6-12 inches. The Blue Mountains including Anthony Lakes will also pick up 6-12 inches.

A trailing disturbance arriving from the west/northwest will result in additional snow shower activity on Saturday and to a lesser extent Sunday night. Lingering moisture and daytime instability will result in additional snow showers on Sunday as well, though activity will be more spotty and variable compared to Saturday.

Snow levels will remain low on both Saturday and Sunday, ranging from 500-2,000 feet. Winds will also be light to moderate both days.

Additional snow totals on Saturday-Sunday will range from 4-8 inches across the Cascades and 1-3 inches across the Blue Mountains.

As for skiing conditions, Friday morning through Saturday morning looks like the best window and conditions will be deep. Overall, conditions should stay good through the entire weekend, but sunshine peaking through in between snow showers will impact more exposed terrain on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. 

Extended Forecast

A break in the pattern is expected on Monday (March 27) with highs ranging from the mid 20s to low 30s. The next storm will then arrive on Monday night and Tuesday (March 28) with snow levels expected to stay low in areas that receive snow.

Oregon is likely to be impacted the most by this storm, but there are still question marks on the storm track and whether or not impacts also extend northward into Washington. The extent of the storm track will also influence whether or not the Mt. Hood resorts receive moderate/heavy snow, or if the heavier snow remains confined further south to areas like Willamette, Bachelor, and Mt. Ashland.

If the storm does track far enough north, then southeast winds rotating around the center of the storm could potentially lead to some upslope slow along the eastern side of the Cascades, including Mission Ridge. We'll see how things look as we get closer.

Looking further out, we may see a break around Wednesday (March 29), then another storm is possible around March 30th-31st. An active pattern is also expected to continue into the first week of April with temperatures remaining colder than average.

Thanks so much for reading! Next update on Saturday (March 25).

ALAN SMITH