SnowBrains Forecast: Up to Five Feet of Snow for the PNW Next Week

An active Pacific storm track keeps the Pacific Northwest in a snowy, windy pattern through Friday, with several waves stacking up meaningful mountain snowfall. Snow levels will swing with each pulse, so expect alternating periods of dense, moisture-laden snow and colder shots with lighter turns. The focus shifts north as the week goes on, putting the North Cascades and the Coast Mountains in the best position for the biggest totals. Exposed ridges and upper lifts will also deal with frequent wind. After Friday, the guidance turns less consistent and generally quieter, with smaller, hit-and-miss refreshers.

Snow ramps up early Saturday and stays active through Sunday, delivering 3″-14″ for most resorts by Sunday night. The models are converging on the Saturday start and a second push on Sunday, while they show more spread on peak intensity, how long the heaviest band lingers, and how much ridge wind mixes in. Snow levels start low early Saturday, then climb into the 3,000-5,000 feet range by Saturday afternoon and Sunday, with a brief shot at around 5,500-6,000 feet in the warmest solutions. That puts Whistler village and Snoqualmie closer to the line at times, while the higher volcano terrain stays solidly snow. SLRs generally run 10-14:1 with pockets of 7-10:1 in the warmest bursts, so expect fairly dense snow overall with a few nicer windows when colder air filters in. Ridge winds look like a consistent factor, commonly 25-40 mph with gusts capable of reaching 50-65 mph on the most exposed peaks.

Sunday night through Tuesday brings the highest-impact stretch, adding another 7″-21″ to the mountains in repeated rounds of heavy precipitation. The models agree on a very wet setup and frequent snowfall, while they diverge on the placement of the narrow heaviest band and the exact timing of the strongest bursts by roughly 6-18 hours. Snow levels also carry meaningful spread, especially Monday into early Tuesday, when warm air can push snow levels up into the 4,500-6,500 feet range for a time, then drop them back toward 2,000-4,000 feet as colder air works in. That evolution shows up clearly in the SLRs, which mostly sit in the 7-12:1 range, pointing to dense snow and occasional upside when SLRs creep into the 12-14:1 range late in the cycle. Wind guidance stays aligned on breezy to windy ridges, with many solutions showing sustained winds 25-40 mph and peak gust potential in the 50-75 mph range, especially on the higher volcanoes.

Wednesday through Friday keeps the conveyor belt running, with Washington and British Columbia favored for an additional 9″-32″ while Oregon trends closer to 2″-7″. At this lead time, the models still converge on a colder snow line, generally 1,500-3,500 feet, and they diverge more on where the strongest midweek burst sets up and how quickly it tapers late Friday. Snow quality improves with that colder profile, with SLRs commonly in the 10-14:1 range and a few windows above 14:1, so the best turns should come when the colder showers line up with lighter winds. Wind remains part of the story on exposed terrain, and some guidance points to very strong ridge gusts late Friday at the volcanoes, which could limit upper-mountain comfort and access. Late next weekend into early March looks milder overall, with precipitation chances favoring Washington more than Oregon, and several solutions showing longer breaks between systems.

Resort Forecast Totals Sat 2/21 – Fri 2/27

• Mt Baker – 37″-63″
• Stevens Pass – 28″-48″
• Timberline – 27″-42″
• Whistler – 26″-42″
• Snoqualmie Pass – 19″-33″
• Crystal Mountain – 18″-31″
• Mt Bachelor – 13″-21″