Weather
A solid midweek Cascade storm is the main story, with the biggest snowfall centered on Oregon from Wednesday through Thursday before the Pacific Northwest flips into a much warmer and mostly dry spring pattern for the weekend and early next week. Confidence is best from Wednesday morning, April 1, through late Thursday, April 2, when timing is well aligned and most of the meaningful snow falls. Expect the deepest refresh at Timberline and Mt. Bachelor, a more moderate Washington and Whistler storm, and a windy period on the Oregon volcanoes before conditions turn sunnier, milder, and more freeze-thaw driven heading into the weekend.
The midweek storm arrives in two steps, with snow already underway in Oregon early Wednesday and the Washington Cascades filling in later Wednesday into Wednesday night. Guidance is converging well on that timing and is reasonably tight on intensity, with the main spread tied to how long the heavier rates last in Oregon and how high snow levels briefly push before colder air filters in. Snow levels generally run around 2,000-4,500 feet in Washington and briefly 4,500-5,800 feet in Oregon before falling to roughly 1,500-3,500 feet by Thursday, so the snow starts dense to moderate and improves late, with SLRs mostly in the 8-13 range in Oregon and 5-12 farther north. Expected snowfall for Wednesday through Thursday comes in around 14-19 in at Timberline, 17-22 in at Mt. Bachelor, 8-10 in at Stevens Pass, and 4-5 in at Whistler. Wind impacts also line up best in Oregon, where higher terrain gusts push into the 50-70 mph range, while Washington ski areas stay breezy but generally less disruptive.
Showers wind down Thursday afternoon and Thursday night, then the pattern settles quickly into dry, warmer weather through at least Monday. Guidance is tightly clustered on weaker winds, sunnier skies, and a pronounced warming trend, so confidence stays high on a shift from storm snow to classic spring conditions. Friday should start firmer after a colder night, then soften by midday, and by the weekend many mid-mountain temperatures are pushing well into the 40s with some lower and mid elevations reaching the 50s. Expect the best surface quality in the mornings after a refreeze and progressively softer, heavier turns each afternoon, especially at the lower-elevation Washington areas. Snoqualmie Pass remains temporarily closed, so its midweek 6-8 in matters more for coverage than immediate lift-served skiing.
Forecast confidence drops again by Tuesday and Wednesday next week as the otherwise warm ridge tries to fend off a weaker Pacific wave. This is where timing, intensity, snow levels, and wind impacts start to diverge meaningfully: some solutions bring a modest refresh to the Washington Cascades and Whistler with snow levels mostly near 2,000-4,000 feet, while others keep the ridge stronger and limit snowfall to brief, light showers. The most realistic outcome right now is a conservative 2-8 in potential for the northern Cascades and Whistler, with roughly 1-4 in in the Oregon Cascades if that wave materializes, plus a brief uptick in wind at the higher volcanoes. Beyond that, the broader pattern still leans warmer and drier than normal deeper into next week rather than toward another prolonged storm cycle.
Resort Forecast Totals (Wed Apr 01 – Thu Apr 02)
- Mt. Bachelor – 17-22 in
- Timberline – 14-19 in
- Stevens Pass – 8-10 in
- Snoqualmie Pass – 6-8 in
- Crystal Mountain – 6-7 in
- Mt. Baker – 6-7 in
- Whistler – 4-5 in
