Cooldown and Chance of Snow This Week for the Pacific Northwest

Posted: September 19, 2023 3:00 pm

The Pacific Northwest will see its first shot of winter weather this week, including the chance of snowfall in the higher elevations of the region. Here is a look at what is on tap for this corner of the country.

Storm System From Canada Responsible for Shot of Winter Weather in Northwest

The weather is about to change in a hurry for the Northwest as a storm system plunges down from western Canada, bringing much cooler temperatures and the first shot of snow for higher elevations by the middle of the week. The areas most likely to see accumulating snowfall will be across the Cascade Mountains and into the northern fringe of the Sierra Nevada range. The top terrains of the northern Rocky Mountains may also get in on some of this snow action in the coming days.

The mercury will be on a downward trajectory for the entirety of the Northwest thanks to the surge of cooler air from Canada. This area of low pressure is forecast to make its appearance in the U.S. starting late Tuesday when it drops into the western portion of Washington.

The temperatures will be cold enough to support the development of snow in the northern Cascades. The snow level could dip to elevations just below 6,000 feet, spreading into the south and the east by Wednesday. This movement will bring the chance of snow to the mountains of Oregon.

Even in areas that do not see the snow, the temperatures will feel more like the middle of fall. For instance, the high temperature on Wednesday in Seattle will top out in the mid 60s with scattered rain showers in the forecast. Overnight lows will drop to the 50-degree mark in the Emerald City.

You will find a similar forecast on the other side of the Cascades in cities such as Spokane, Washington. By the end of the week, overnight lows are expected to plunge into the 40s in this part of the Evergreen State.

The cooler air will march to the south and hit cities like Portland, marking a change of about 20 degrees when compared to the highs last weekend. High temperatures will hit the freezing mark in Washington and Oregon at terrains of about 7,000 feet or higher.

Who Will See the Snow?

The snow is forecast to first begin to fall in the Wallowa Mountains and the Elkhart Mountains on Tuesday night in Oregon. The summits of Sacajawea Peak in northeastern Oregon and Idaho’s Borah Peak could see the snow by Wednesday.

Thursday’s snow forecast will center over the central and eastern portions of Oregon. Snowfall levels may fall as low as 6,000 feet once again. The snow levels in the northern Sierra will max out at about 7,000 to 9,000 feet.

This forecast is good news for winter sports enthusiasts hoping for an early start to ski season. Most ski resorts in the Cascades and Rockies typically open by early November. An early snowfall pattern will help to accelerate this timeline.

Travel disruptions due to the snow should be minimal with this early season system. This is because most of the snow will generally stay above pass level. However, this is the time of the year when it becomes prudent to check the forecast before heading out over these mountain passes. The weather can be unpredictable heading through the fall months and you will want to make sure that you are prepared for a variety of road conditions.

This storm system is forecast to move to the east into Nevada by Friday.

The temperatures across the Northwest will rebound quickly. Most communities will be back to seasonable weather for the middle of September by the weekend. For instance, Portland will climb to 77 degrees on Friday while Seattle lands at 72 degrees to bring the work week to a close. Conditions should be mostly dry for the weekend in these two major Northwest cities before the next chance of moisture fires up at the beginning of the week.

Did you find this content useful? Feel free to bookmark or to post to your timeline for reference later.

Recent Posts