Snow in the Mountains and Wet

The rapid transition to cool, wet conditions occurred yesterday, with temperatures in Seattle declining from 80F on Tuesday to 58F in Wednesday.   Major cooling.

Cool and wet enough so that substantial snow fell above 5000 ft (see Paradise and Crystal Mountain cam imagery below).

During the past 48 hrs, there have been large amounts of precipitation in the Cascades, with one location near the Spada Lake reservoir getting almost 4 inches!  Lots of precipitation to moisten the crops in eastern Washington.

The cool/wet weather is not over.  A very potent front is now approaching our coast (see current satellite image below).  Cold/unstable air is behind it (area with clouds and openings on the left side of the image).

Below is the forecast precipitation total through Sunday morning.  

Substantial amounts (1-4 inches) on the western side of the Cascades and near the crest.  Substantial amounts on the SW side of the Olympics.

Temperatures will be low enough that substantial snowfall will occur above 5000 ft (see below).

This precipitation is very well timed and will push up river levels on the eastern side of the Cascades, which have been lagging due to below-normal snowpack (see below for the Yakima River)

The fact that the Yakima Reservoirs are now full and will remain full for the next several weeks bodes well for the water supply this summer.