Weather Synopsis for Friday & Saturday

The Pacific Northwest gets a break between weather systems. A deformation zone tapers off near the Oregon/Washington border with light snow ending around Mt St Helens by around 9 AM. This feature will continue to bring cloud cover which currently covers the southern 2/3 of our region. These clouds should shift northward as the day progresses as a shortwave ridge moves amplifies over the region. Temperatures started cold throughout the region, but temperatures should warm rapidly over the Olympics and for areas not exposed to the E flow. The Olympics could have freezing levels up to 6500 ft by the afternoon, while an inversion around Mt Baker suggests the warming will occur first at middle elevations.

E winds will ramp up into the moderate range for most areas near the Cascade Crest as ESE winds increase ahead of an approaching warm front and deep offshore low draws flow through the mountain gaps. The strongest winds will be near and just west of the passes with strong to extreme gusts possible in areas exposed to this flow pattern, such as around N Bend. The E winds likely peak Friday evening and very gradually decrease through Saturday, but continue to expect moderate winds in favored areas into the first half of the weekend.

Saturday's warm front arrives from the south with light snow developing first for Mt Hood, the Olympics, and along the E slopes of the Cascades. Snow levels will be near valley bottoms for the E slopes and passes, but range from 3000-5500 ft for warming areas further west.