Winter Storm Warning for Washington Today = 18" of Snow for Mt. Baker Ski Area, 32" for Olympic Mts, & Up to 95" for Mt. Baker Proper

Hopefully the Mt. Baker area is looking like this tomorrow... — Hopefully the Mt. Baker area is looking like this tomorrow…

NOAA is calling for wild weather for Washington through the next 5 days.

A Winter Storm Warning is forecasting 6-18″ of Snow in North Cascade mountains in the next 24 hours with Snow Levels down to 3,000-feet

Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic Mountains is forecast to see 20-32″ of snow which could be a “Top 5 Single Snowfall Event for Hurricane Ridge!” – NOAA

Mt. Baker Ski Area got 24″ of snow in the past 48 hours, they have a 26″ base, they’re forecast to see up to 22″ of snow in the next 3 days, and they are hoping to open on Thursday, Nov. 19th

Up to 95″ of Snow are forecast for 10,781′ Mt. Baker in the next 4 days

Up to 22′ waves on the Washington coast today

PINK = Winter Storm Warning. GREEN = Flood Watch — PINK = Winter Storm Warning. GREEN = Special Weather Statement warning of Landslides.

– A Winter Storm Warning is calling for 6-18″ of snow for the Cascade mountains of Washington between now and 10am Sunday.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...6 TO 18 INCHES OF SNOW THROUGH SUNDAY
  MORNING. - NOAA Seattle, WA today

20-32″ of snow for Olympic Mountains and 8-16″ of snow for the North Cascades. These are the two regions with the Winter Storm Warning today.

– Snow levels will begin at 4,000-4,500′ today before dropping down to 3,000′ on Sunday Morning. Snow levels will be around 4,000′ during when the bulk of the precipitation comes through.

* SNOW LEVEL...4000 TO 4500 FEET TODAY AND TONIGHT...FALLING TO
  3000 FEET SUNDAY MORNING. - NOAA Seattle, WA today

Very high snow probabillity for the Mt. Baker area (see RED) on Sunday.

– Mt. Baker Ski Area got 24″ of snow in the past 48 hours, they currently have a 26″ base at Heather Meadows, they are forecast to see up to 11-22″ of snow in the next 3 days, and they are hoping to open on Thursday, November 19th.

Good news; we came through the rain event yesterday fairly unscathed and the temperatures dropped last night and we received 10 inches of new snow! This brings our base at Heather Meadows to 26 inches, and with NOAA forecasting up to 14 inches of additional new snow by tomorrow we could have 35-40 inches of snow at Heather Meadows by the end of the weekend.

So we will assess the conditions Monday and get an updated forecast on the warm front and make a tentative decision on a possible opening for Thursday Nov. 19th! – Mt. Baker ski area today

Mt. Baker ski area, WA today. photo: mt. baker

– 10,781-foot Mt. Baker is forecast to see up to 95-inches of snow in the next 4 days.

MODELS INDICATE THAT PRECIP WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES OVER THE NORTH
PART TONIGHT...ENOUGH TO BRING POTENTIALLY 10-20 INCHES TO HURRICANE
RIDGE AND UP TO 14 INCHES TO THE MOUNT BAKER AREA. - NOAA Seattle, WA today

14-inches of liquid precip would equal around 14-feet of snow…

: Add it up! Up to 95″ of snow forecast for 10,781′ Mt. Baker in the next 4 days.

– Breaking waves will be 19- 25′ tall today on the Washington coast.

* COMBINED SEAS...WEST SWELL 15 TO 18 FEET AT 16 TO 18 SECONDS...
SUBSIDING TO 12 TO 14 FEET LATER TODAY. - NOAA Seattle, WA today

19-22' waves for the WA coast today. image: noaa — 19-22′ waves for the WA coast today. image: noaa

***

Please be careful out there this weekend and early next week, Washington. Please stay away from the coast, avoid flooded roadways, and avoid landslide prone areas. This storm is going to be very powerful and you do not want to get caught out in this one.

We’re very excited about Mt. Baker ski area potentially opening up next Thursday. We will be bringing you weekly conditions from Mt. Baker all season long.

***