SnowBrains Forecast: Over 2 Feet of Snow for the PNW This Week

This forecast was created at 7:30 a.m. PST on Monday, November 3, 2025.

A wet and windy week targets the Pacific Northwest, featuring two main waves. The early week is marked by light to moderate snow in Washington, followed by a warmer, wetter midweek push, and finally, a stronger late-week frontal passage that cools the northern tier and improves snow quality. Expect the highest totals at higher, wind-exposed peaks, with the best snow quality late Thursday into Friday in Washington and coastal British Columbia as snow levels fall; Oregon trends warmer with denser snow for much of the week. All listed resorts remain closed, so this pattern primarily builds early-season snowpack up high ahead of late November and early December openings.

Monday into Tuesday brings a cooler start in Washington with light to moderate mountain snow before a quick warm-up, while Oregon stays relatively warm and wet. Snow levels are expected to remain near 3,600–4,600 feet around Stevens Pass and Crystal Mountain through Monday night, allowing a few inches to accumulate before temperatures rise on Tuesday. Snow-to-liquid ratios (SLRs) in this window run roughly 7–10:1 at Stevens and 9–11:1 early at Crystal before slipping toward 6–7:1 as warmer air arrives, so snow quality starts fair and trends denser. Crystal Mountain collects about 9–11 inches through Tuesday night with breezy ridge-tops and occasional gusts into the 30s mph, while Stevens adds roughly 3–4 inches with lighter winds. Farther south, Timberline picks up about 5–6 inches Monday into Tuesday with SLRs mostly 6–8:1 and snow levels 5,600–6,400 feet, so accumulations favor the upper mountain; Snoqualmie Pass squeezes out 1–2 inches Monday night with a marginal 3,900-foot snow level and a ~6:1 SLR, which is on the wetter side.

Tuesday night to Thursday brings a warm-front surge, accompanied by widespread precipitation, high snow levels in Oregon, and mid-to-high snow levels in Washington. In Oregon, Timberline and Mt. Bachelor typically see snow levels of 6,300–6,800 feet on Wednesday and Thursday, with SLRs mostly 4–7:1, indicating dense “right-side-up” snow only at the highest terrain. Ridge-top winds become a headline on Wednesday, with exposed peaks at Bachelor and Timberline seeing strong gusts that can exceed 70–80 mph at times, while valley winds are lower. In Washington, Crystal’s midweek period is mixed, with snow levels ranging from 5,200 to 5,800 feet and SLRs near 6–8:1, so accumulations favor the upper mountain; Stevens stays relatively quiet until later Thursday. North of the border, Whistler’s long Tuesday night to Saturday sequence begins with snow levels 4,300–4,700 feet and SLRs generally 5–7:1, yielding modest, somewhat dense snow early in the run.

Late Thursday into Friday is the strongest round, and cooling behind the front improves snow quality for Washington and coastal BC, while Oregon remains borderline but trending better. In Washington, snow levels fall through the 4,000s into the low to mid-3,000s by Friday night at Stevens and Baker, and SLRs tick up into the 9–11:1 range, so the late-week snow turns noticeably drier. Crystal’s SLRs improve into the 8–11:1 range Thursday night through Friday night with snow levels stepping down from roughly 5,100 to 3,400 feet; Stevens runs near 7–10:1 with 4,500 to 3,200 feet, and Baker finishes coolest with 3,700 to ~3,100 feet and SLRs topping out near 10:1. Whistler trends cooler too, with snow levels down toward 3,800 Friday and 3,200–2,700 feet by Friday night to Saturday, and SLRs inching into 8–11:1 late for a better finish. Oregon cools some but stays higher than Washington, with Timberline around 4,900–5,100 feet Friday and SLRs improving into the upper single digits to near 9:1 by Friday night; Bachelor slips from ~6,000 to ~5,700 feet with SLRs 8–10:1 late, so quality improves at the summit while mid-mountain remains on the dense side.

Saturday trends quieter with lighter leftovers, and another active stretch looks likely next week. Model guidance favors continued storminess along the West Coast in the 6–10 day window, with precipitation generally above average and temperatures near to slightly above average in the Pacific Northwest. This implies more snow for the high country, but with fluctuating snow levels. During the 8–14-day period, the pattern remains progressive, with additional troughs approaching from the northwest. The odds still lean wet for the PNW, with near-normal temperatures on average. Therefore, watch for windows of cooler air behind each front to deliver the best quality, especially for Washington and coastal BC. All highlighted resorts are still closed, so this stretch primarily builds upper-elevation base ahead of Whistler’s planned Nov 21 opening, Mt Baker’s Nov 21 target, and late-November openings at Bachelor and Crystal.

Resort Forecast Totals

• Crystal Mountain, WA – 18″–26″ total (9″–11″ Mon (11/03) – Tue night (11/04) + 9″–15″ Wed night (11/05) – Fri night (11/07))
• Timberline, OR – 15″–22″ total (5″–6″ Mon (11/03) – Tue (11/04) + 10″–16″ Wed (11/05) – Fri night (11/07))
• Whistler, BC – 13″–20″ Tue night (11/04) – Sat (11/08)
• Mt Bachelor, OR – 9″–14″ Wed (11/05) – Fri night (11/07)
• Stevens Pass, WA – 9″–14″ total (3″–4″ Mon (11/03) – Tue night (11/04) + 6″–9″ Thu night (11/06) – Sat (11/08))
• Mt Baker, WA – 7″–12″ Thu night (11/06) – Sat (11/08)
• Snoqualmie Pass, WA – 1″–2″ Mon night (11/03)