Weather
Light to modest early week snow refreshes the Washington and Oregon Cascades, with the biggest boost focused on Mount Baker, before a quieter midweek and a warmer, wetter pattern building late in the period. A weak system Monday night into Tuesday drops a few inches of mid-density snow on the northern Washington crest and around an inch or so elsewhere, with snow levels generally near 3,000 to 4,000 feet and all featured resorts remaining closed and quietly building base. A second small wave Wednesday night into Thursday mainly targets Mount Baker with a couple more inches while the rest of the Cascade passes and high Oregon terrain stay mostly dry. Farther out, the pattern transitions toward above normal temperatures and precipitation for the Pacific Northwest into mid December, favoring ongoing base-building at mid and upper elevations but with an increasing chance of denser snow or mixed precipitation near the lower passes.
The first system from Monday night into Tuesday is a weak but useful base-building event that brings the most snow to the northern Washington Cascades while leaving the rest of the region with lighter accumulations. At Mount Baker, snow levels around 3,100 to 3,300 feet keep precipitation all snow from the 3,500 foot base upward, with roughly 3 inches of mid-density snow expected by late Tuesday as snow-to-liquid ratios hover near 10:1. Stevens Pass, near 4,000 feet, picks up close to 2 inches from the same wave with similar 10:1 ratios and temperatures in the upper 20s to near 30 degrees, producing reasonably supportive but not ultra-light snow on the still-closed slopes. Crystal Mountain and Timberline each see about an inch of new snow, while Snoqualmie Pass gets around an inch of wetter, heavier snow as snow levels hover near 3,500 to 3,700 feet and snow-to-liquid ratios dip into the 6 to 7:1 range at pass level. Winds are generally light to moderate across Washington, but higher Oregon ridgelines near Timberline turn breezy Monday night with ridge-top gusts pushing into the 40 mile per hour range, continuing to shape the early season snowpack rather than providing a notable individual powder event.
After this first wave passes, Tuesday night and most of Wednesday look relatively quiet with a ridge briefly restoring drier weather before a second, modest system brushes the region Wednesday night into Thursday. This midweek disturbance focuses mainly on the far northern Cascades, adding roughly 3 inches of additional snow at Mount Baker as snow levels dip toward 2,800 to 3,400 feet and snow-to-liquid ratios remain in the 9 to 11:1 range, keeping snow coverage solid from base to summit. Farther south at Stevens Pass, Crystal Mountain, Snoqualmie Pass, and Timberline, this second wave brings little if any additional accumulation, so early week totals of about 2 inches at Stevens and near 1 inch elsewhere remain the story. Temperatures through midweek stay seasonable, mainly in the 20s and low 30s at mid-mountain, which helps preserve the fresh snow on these closed terrain pods as areas prepare for openings like the planned December 5 start at Stevens Pass.
Looking beyond Thursday, guidance points toward a more active, warmer, and generally wetter pattern for the Pacific Northwest into the 6 to 14 day period, including a large system rolling in on Friday. Large-scale flow favors ridging just offshore with a steady train of Pacific systems riding into Washington and Oregon, yielding above normal temperatures and above normal precipitation probabilities for both states through roughly mid December. That setup should support recurring bouts of higher elevation snow for the Cascade crest while snow levels trend higher overall, so lower passes like Snoqualmie may see more mixed rain and dense snow at times compared to the colder start of the week. Farther north and at the higher bases of Stevens Pass, Crystal Mountain, Timberline, and especially Mount Baker and Whistler, this pattern is more favorable for continued snowpack building, even if individual waves bring variable snow quality depending on exact snow levels. Overall, expect the quiet early week refresh to evolve into a more consistently stormy regime that gradually deepens the base ahead of broader regional openings.
Resort Forecast Totals
- Mt Baker – 5″–6″ total (3″ Mon night (12/01) – Tue (12/02) + 2″–3″ Wed night (12/03) – Thu (12/04))
- Stevens Pass – 2″–3″ Mon night (12/01) – Tue night (12/02)
- Snoqualmie Pass – 1″–2″ Mon night (12/01) – Tue (12/02)
- Timberline – 1″ Mon night (12/01) – Tue night (12/02)
- Crystal Mountain – 1″ Mon night (12/01) – Tue night (12/02)
