MOUNTAIN WEATHER FORECAST

Time and Day: 1100 Wednesday

The Snapshot:  Light snow showers with sun breaks today.  Mixed snow and rain can be anticipated tonight with dry and partially clear conditions developing tomorrow.   Rain in likely Friday night and Saturday.

The Science:  Good sport this morning with 22” of new snow and tricky avalanche conditions on the upper mountain.  Another system is approaching the coast today and will bring another round of snow vs. rain tonight into early tomorrow.  However, models have this system moving through quickly and thus, the mountains will not likely see significant precipitation.  Post frontal winds will be something to watch for as these next few fronts come and go.  

A high-pressure ridge between storms will bring a mostly dry weather with clear periods for tomorrow and most of Friday.  A warm air mass creeping up from the south will slowly raise freezing levels to +- 5000’ by the end of the week with mild temperatures persisting through the weekend.   

The Long Range:  A low-pressure system developing off the Oregon Coast will shift the storm track southerly and warm for the weekend.  A series of rain events can be expected starting Friday night and lasting through the weekend.

Precipitation Ending at 4am: Today 24hr water = .25-.5  Snow = 0-2  (maybe 1-2” more on upper mt) Tomorrow’s 24hr water = .10 snow = 0 Trend and Timing: Snow showers will persist through the night with precipitation tapering off mid-morning.  The upper mountain could see an inch or two more.

24hr temperature ending at 4 am tomorrow:                                        Low: 30    High:  40 Freezing level: 4000’ – 5500.' Trend and Timing:    Rising freezing levels coupled with good daytime warming will push surface temperatures into the 40’s this afternoon.   Freezing levels will remain above Pass level through the weekend.

24hr Winds (mph) ending at 4 am tomorrow: Base:  0-5 W  Ridge Top: 5-10 SSE  shifting W Trend and Timing: Pass level winds will be light and mostly from the west.  Southerly flow aloft will shift westerly tomorrow morning and remain gusty.

jM