NOAA: 20-30″ of Snow for Washington Wed-Fri | Mt. Baker = 188″ of Snowfall & 114″ Base Already…

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Mt. Baker ski area. December 11h, 2015. photo: Brad Andrew
Mt. Baker ski area. December 11h, 2015. photo: Brad Andrew

Mt. Baker ski area has recieved more snowfall than anywhere else in North America this season, 188″, and they have the deepest snowpack in North America, 114″.  Both those numbers are about to go up.  Way up.

NOAA is currently forecasting 20-30″ of snow to fall in Washington’s Cascades tomorrow.  Snow levels in the north Cascades will begin at 1,500-feet, before rising to 4,000-feet late Thursday night, then falling back down to around 3,000-feet.

“Snow will move into the Cascades from the south Wednesday night, and may become heavy at times Thursday and Thursday night. Snow accumulations of 1 to 3 feet are possible by Friday. The snow level will start around 1500 feet Wednesday night, then rise to around 4500 feet Thursday night, then fall down to 3000 feet by Friday. However, the snow level will remain at the surface in the passes through Thursday night, making travel difficult.” – NOAA Seattle, WA today

image: noaa, today
image: noaa, today

NOAA is forecasting 20-30″ of snowfall Wednesday – Friday in the Cascades.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS FROM LATE
  WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT WILL LIKELY RANGE FROM 20
  TO 30 INCHES.
Mt. Baker ski area. December 14th, 2015. photo: Ryan Schoen
Mt. Baker ski area. December 14th, 2015. photo: Ryan Schoen

NOAA is forecasting snow levels to bounce around a bit but stay just low enough to make things very snowy at Washington ski resorts.  Mt. Baker lives between 3,000 and 5,000 feet and Crystal Mountain lives between 4,400 and 7,000 feet.

* SNOW LEVELS...AROUND 1500 FEET WILL RISE TO 3000 FEET IN THE
  NORTH CASCADES AND 6000 FEET AROUND MOUNT RAINIER LATE THURSDAY
  NIGHT. SNOW LEVELS WILL REMAIN AT THE SURFACE IN THE PASSES
  THROUGH LATE THURSDAY NIGHT. SNOW LEVELS EARLY FRIDAY OF AROUND
  4000 FEET WILL FALL BACK TO AROUND 3000 FEET LATE FRIDAY
  AFTERNOON.
Mt. Baker ski area. December 14th, 2015. photo: Ryan Schoen
Mt. Baker ski area. December 14th, 2015. photo: Ryan Schoen

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY for WASHINGTON:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
310 PM PST TUE DEC 15 2015

CASCADES OF WHATCOM AND SKAGIT COUNTIES-
CASCADES OF SNOHOMISH AND KING COUNTIES-
CASCADES OF PIERCE AND LEWIS COUNTIES-
...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY EVENING THROUGH
FRIDAY MORNING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SEATTLE HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM
WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY
MORNING.

* TIMING...SNOW WILL DEVELOP FROM THE SOUTH WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND
  WILL LIKELY BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES THURSDAY INTO THURSDAY NIGHT.
  HEAVY SNOW MAY CONTINUE THROUGH MIDDAY FRIDAY.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS FROM LATE
  WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT WILL LIKELY RANGE FROM 20
  TO 30 INCHES.

* SNOW LEVELS...AROUND 1500 FEET WILL RISE TO 3000 FEET IN THE
  NORTH CASCADES AND 6000 FEET AROUND MOUNT RAINIER LATE THURSDAY
  NIGHT. SNOW LEVELS WILL REMAIN AT THE SURFACE IN THE PASSES
  THROUGH LATE THURSDAY NIGHT. SNOW LEVELS EARLY FRIDAY OF AROUND
  4000 FEET WILL FALL BACK TO AROUND 3000 FEET LATE FRIDAY
  AFTERNOON.

* MAIN IMPACT...TRAVEL INTO THE CASCADES OR ACROSS THE PASSES WILL
  LIKELY BECOME DIFFICULT THURSDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT OR
  FRIDAY.

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