MOUNTAIN WEATHER FORECAST

Stevens Pass Mountain Weather Forecast

Date: Monday, March 2, 2020

Current Observations:

24hr Precipitation: 1” snow / .06 SWE

Temperature profile: 27 base / 24 upper mtn

Pass level winds: Westerly, 10-15 with gusts

Barometer: Steady 1019

Sky: Light snow showers

Radar: Moderate precip west of the Cascade Crest

The Forecast: Windy with a warming trend and increasing precip today, snow ending Tuesday morning then ramping up again Tuesday night.  

The Science: Yesterday’s barely noticeable high pressure has flattened out in the Pacific, allowing strong WNW flow to ride over the top of it bringing an ill-defined disturbance to the Pacific NW this morning. This will be the first in a series of storms to impact Washington over the coming days.

A warming trend and strong west winds will be the most noticeable features during the day today, with precip amounts increasing tonight. Precip type “should” remain snow at Pass level, but a raindrop or two mixed in is not out of the question.

The next system arrives Tuesday night with a cooling trend and an additional round of moderate to heavy snow thru Wednesday morning.

Long Range: High pressure briefly builds Wednesday afternoon and crosses the region Thursday for what looks to be a dry day. A colder low pressure system approaches Friday with light to moderate snow likely at the end of the week.

Confidence: Good.

Values from 4am today through 4am tomorrow.

Precipitation: Today 24hr water: .75-1.0  snow: 8-12” at ridgetops, possibly less at Pass level Tomorrow’s 24hr water: .75-1.0  snow: 8-10” Trend and Timing: Light snow today, becoming moderate to occasionally heavy tonight. Mostly dry Tuesday with moderate to heavy snow Tuesday night.

Temperature: Low: 24   High: 33 Freezing level: 4500’ Trend and Timing:    Warming trend Monday afternoon, then cooling back down Tuesday.

Winds Base: W10-15 Ridge Top: W 30-40 with higher gusts Trend and Timing: Moderate to strong winds should continue today and tonight.