Weather Synopsis for Thursday & Friday

It's another cold morning with mountain temperatures dipping into the single digits and low teens across region. Today marks the end of our 10 day run of below-normal temperatures and freezing levels with change on the horizon. Similar to yesterday, there's a pesky area of stratus clouds in the Strait of Juan de Fuca that extends over the west slopes of the Cascades from the Canadian border to I-90 with patchier areas of low cloud elsewhere in valleys and Passes.  All of the low clouds should break up and lift somewhat today, with plenty of sunshine down south and along the east slopes and partly to mostly sunny skies for the West North/West Central/Stevens/Olympic zones in the afternoon. Ridgeline winds will be light to locally moderate out of the WNW and freezing levels will rise to 3000-4500'. 

Brief upper level ridging over the area on Thursday will flatten and shift east tonight allowing high and mid clouds from a warm front to push over the area with thicker clouds for northern sections and patchier skies further south.  Clouds will thicken on Friday in the same geographic pattern and milder air will begin to enter the area. Freezing levels will rise to 7000' down near Mt Hood and 4000-4500' in the north. Southerly winds will become strong over the Olympics and northwest Cascades during the day and these same areas will see bouts of light to occasionally moderate rain and snow while other areas stay dry on Friday.