Weather
This forecast was created at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, December 24, 2025.
A warm, windy Christmas Eve system gives way to a colder, higher-quality reload Thursday night through Friday, before precipitation tapers into a drier weekend. The first round peaks Wednesday into early Thursday with elevated snow levels (near 6,000–7,000 feet early) and denser snow where it stays all snow, then a sharper cool down Thursday night and Friday drops snow levels to around 0–1,500 feet in the Cascades and Coast Mountains with improving snow quality and the best accumulations for the North Cascades and Whistler. Winds are a recurring theme, with several periods of strong ridgetop gusts that could affect exposed lifts. Late December through early January is warmer than normal overall, with continued chances for Pacific precipitation, with the best odds for a more active pattern favoring the broader West, especially British Columbia.
Christmas Eve System (Wed–Thu) starts relatively mild with snow levels running high before gradually lowering, so snowfall favors higher elevations and can be dense at times. Early in the window, snow levels hover around 6,000–7,000 feet in the broader Cascades before dropping through Wednesday night into Thursday, helping places like Timberline and Mt Bachelor stay mostly snow while lower-elevation areas flirt with wetter phases. Snow quality during this first round is generally dense to moderate, with SLRs often around 9–12:1 (and briefly worse near the Canadian border), so expect a heavier feel where temperatures are closer to freezing. Winds are notable, mainly along exposed ridgelines in Oregon, where strong gusts will affect the on-mountain experience.
Thursday Night–Friday Cold Reload is the best window for classic winter turns, with sharply lower snow levels and lighter snow ratios in the North Cascades and Coast Mountains. As colder air moves in, snow levels drop to roughly 0–1,500 feet, and SLRs trend upward into the 13–17:1 range for many periods from the Washington Cascades to Whistler, indicating much better, fluffier snow quality than the prior warm phase. This is also when the steadiest accumulations stack up, with Whistler and the North Cascades picking up the most meaningful totals while central Oregon adds lighter follow-up snow. Wind remains a consideration, with some of the strongest gusts in the forecast window scheduled for this timeframe at higher elevations, which can keep upper-mountain conditions more rugged even as snow quality improves.
Saturday Taper and Beyond brings a quieter finish to the short-term window, followed by a warmer-than-normal late-December to early-January signal, with continued chances for precipitation across the West. Snow showers fade into Saturday with only minor additional accumulation in the Cascades and Coast Mountains, and overall conditions trend calmer as the pattern briefly dries out. Looking at the 6–10 and 8–14 day periods, temperatures are above normal across Washington and Oregon, and the broader West shows an active precipitation signal, which can keep storms in the mix but also increases the odds of higher snow levels at times. The best potential for more frequent, higher-confidence storminess appears favored north of the border, so British Columbia has a slightly better setup for sustained action than much of the Pacific Northwest heading into the New Year.
Resort Forecast Totals
- Mt Baker – 13″–18″ total (3″–4″ Wed (12/24) – Wed night (12/24) + 10″–14″ Thu (12/25) – Sat (12/27))
- Whistler – 12″–17″ total (6″–8″ Wed (12/24) – Wed night (12/24) + 6″–9″ Thu night (12/25) – Fri night (12/26))
- Timberline – 11″–15″ Wed (12/24) – Sat night (12/27)
- Stevens Pass – 8″–12″ Thu (12/25) – Sat (12/27)
- Snoqualmie Pass – 6″–8″ Thu night (12/25) – Sat night (12/27)
- Mt Bachelor – 6″–8″ Wed night (12/24) – Sat (12/27)
- Crystal Mountain – 4″–6″ Thu (12/25) – Sat (12/27)
