Weather
This forecast was created at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 4, 2025.
A midweek punch of cold, stormy weather will deliver widespread new snow across the Pacific Northwest, with the biggest totals focused on the Washington Cascades and the Oregon volcanoes. Snow starts with a lighter Sunday night into Monday refresh as snow levels step down, then ramps up sharply Tuesday through Thursday with multiple waves of steadier, heavier snowfall and generally pass-friendly snow levels. Snow quality trends best during the colder midweek core, then turns denser late as snow levels rise into Thursday night and Friday. Winds are a major story at the Oregon volcanoes during the Tuesday–Thursday window, while Whistler stays relatively steady with lighter but consistent snowfall. Beyond this stretch, the broader pattern leans warmer and drier across the region, favoring fewer storms and less new snow.
Sunday night–Monday brings a modest opener that gradually cools the mountains while keeping snowfall fairly light overall. Snow levels slide down from roughly 3,500–4,500 feet early toward about 2,500–3,000 feet by Monday, keeping most precipitation snow at the passes, with a wetter feel at times when temperatures hover near freezing. Totals in this first phase are generally modest, but open areas still get a useful refresh: Timberline and Mt Bachelor pick up a quick hit with mostly solid quality (SLRs generally in the 13–15:1 range), while Snoqualmie Pass and Stevens Pass add lighter accumulations with more mixed quality (often near 10–13:1). Crystal Mountain’s early snow is limited but fairly good-quality for the amount (around the mid-teens SLRs). Winds are not extreme at most Washington passes early, but exposed terrain is already breezy at higher elevations.
Tuesday–Wednesday is the main event, with back-to-back systems driving the heaviest snowfall and the best powder window for open resorts. Snow levels drop and largely hold below pass level, commonly around 1,000–2,000 feet in Washington during the colder pulses, which is well below the bases at Snoqualmie Pass (3,140 feet), Stevens Pass (4,061 feet), and Crystal Mountain (4,400 feet). This is when totals stack quickly, with the Washington Cascades broadly landing in the 20″–40″+ neighborhood by the end of the stretch depending on location, and the North Cascades standing out even higher (32″–47″ at Mt Baker). Snow quality midweek is generally decent to good: many periods run in the 11–15:1 range (fair to fluffy), though there are also denser bursts (roughly 8–10:1 at times). Winds increase, especially in Oregon, where Timberline will see very strong west winds with peak gusts near 100 mph, and Mt Bachelor also runs quite windy (gusts frequently 50–80 mph), which can affect the on-mountain experience even as snowfall piles up.
Thursday–Friday keeps snow going but trends milder late, with rising snow levels and a gradual shift toward denser snow quality. Lingering snow continues Thursday with additional accumulations, then snow levels climb into Thursday night and Friday (often pushing into the 2,600–3,700 feet range in Washington and higher in Oregon), which can edge lower elevations toward heavier, wetter snow. This late-phase warmth shows up in snow quality too, with SLRs slipping toward the denser end at times (including single-digit ratios in spots). Whistler remains a steady producer through the week, with snow levels low midweek (often under 1,500 feet and briefly near a few hundred feet) and SLRs frequently in the 14–16:1 range during the best window, before snow levels rise late week and quality trends heavier. After this storm cycle, the medium-range pattern favors above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation across Washington and Oregon, pointing toward a quieter, drier stretch with fewer meaningful reloads.
Resort Forecast Totals
- Mt. Baker – 32″–47″ Sun (01/04) – Fri night (01/09)
- Stevens Pass – 28″–42″ Sun night (01/04) – Fri night (01/09)
- Timberline – 26″–39″ total (4″–6″ Sun night (01/04) – Mon night (01/05) + 21″–34″ Tue (01/06) – Fri (01/09))
- Snoqualmie Pass – 23″–35″ Sun night (01/04) – Fri (01/09)
- Crystal Mountain – 15″–23″ total (2″–3″ Sun night (01/04) – Mon (01/05) + 13″–20″ Tue (01/06) – Fri (01/09))
- Mt Bachelor – 14″–21″ total (3″–4″ Sun night (01/04) – Mon night (01/05) + 10″–16″ Tue (01/06) – Thu night (01/08))
- Whistler – 13″–20″ Mon night (01/05) – Fri night (01/09)
