11/12/2012 Mountain Weather Forecast

General Discussion:
The Stevens Pass telemetry shows 13" of new snow over night, a nice start. The final band of moisture will move east of the mountains today with just light showers and warmer temperatures left over.

Long-term:
Another round of rain and or snow is expected tomorrow night with hopefully a few more inches of snow added to the mix. The freezing level will hover at or slightly above the base area. Hopefully the upper mountain will continue to receive snow. This pattern of light passing showers with warm, although seasonally average, temperatures will continue for the rest of the week.

Longer Range Outlook:
The low pressure system in the Gulf of Alaska will continues to develop. The current models have the leading edge of the storm entering the PNW sometime early Saturday morning. This is a large system that has a probability of bringing a significant amount of precipitation to the region. Will it be rain or snow and just how much? It is too far out to have much confidence in the models, so, these questions will be answered as we get closer to the weekend.

24hr Accumulative Precipitation Totals Starting at Noon Today:
“Water by midnight= .10
“Of additional water by 4am= >.10
“Of additional water by 12pm= >.10

24hr (12pm-12pm) Inches of Water = >.25

24hr (12pm-12pm) Inches of Snow = 1-2

Trend and Timing:
Light snow and or rain showers will taper off today with sun breaks possible. Light precipitation will continue tomorrow morning with the next front moving through sometime late afternoon.

24hr Base Area Temperatures (F) Starting at Noon Today:
Low: 30 High: 36
Freezing level: 3500’ 4500’

Trend and Timing:
Warm air from the west will override the cooler air trapped on the east slopes today. Freezing levels are expected to rise to 4500 or 5000’.

24hr Winds Speed (mph)/Direction Starting at Noon Today
Base: 5-10 W
Ridge Top: 5-10 W

Trend and Timing:
WSW flow will begin today and continue through the middle of the week.