What is expected to be the snowiest week of the year following an otherwise dismal winter is lifting spirits of those who love or rely on snow in the Pacific Northwest.
The expected arrival of a foot or more of fresh powder almost every day through Friday in the Washington Cascades has skiers and snowboarders rejoicing and salivating, though the dump is expected to fall far short of dragging the state out of its deep snow drought.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the National Weather Service was forecasting 30 to 48 inches of new snow at Snoqualmie Pass through Friday; 34 to 62 inches at the Mt. Baker Ski Area; 42 to 68 inches at Stevens Pass; and 107 to155 inches — that’s roughly 9 to 15 feet — at Paradise on Mount Rainier.
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The weather service has issued a winter storm watch through Saturday morning and a blizzard warning for Wednesday night for the Washington Cascades.
Ski areas are calling it “Miracle March.”
“All aboard the storm train! We’ve got your ticket to ride. Next stop: party town!” the Mt. Baker Ski Area website said on Tuesday.
“We are getting a significant amount of snowfall — you know, measured in feet — through the end of the week,” National Weather Service forecaster Jeff Michalski said. “Good news there for some late-season snowpack.”
Statewide, snowpack averaged just 50% of normal levels as of March 10, according to the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service. In Oregon, it averaged just 29%.
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Several skiers cross in front of the webcam view at the snowy summit west base area at The Summit at Snoqualmie on March 10, 2026.
The Northwest’s snowpack, vital for not just winter sports but also irrigation, hydropower, salmon, and soil moisture that helps avoid extreme forest fires, is expected to remain far below normal, even with feet of new snow.
“It will help, but it’s not the March miracle,” Washington Deputy State Climatologist Karin Bumbaco said of the expected week of snowstorms. “It’s still highly unlikely that we will end the season with near-normal snowpack because it would require consistent record-breaking snowfall throughout the month.”
Washington has had slightly higher-than-normal amounts of precipitation this winter, but abnormally warm temperatures have sent more rain than snow to many mountain areas.
Bumbaco said the five-month period from October through February was the state’s third warmest since record keeping began in 1895.
With the global climate changing rapidly due to fossil fuel pollution, scientists say we should expect more warm winters like this one.
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The eagerly anticipated new snow could be short-lived, with warmer temperatures and rain expected to hit the mountains after the weekend.
The National Weather Service is forecasting an atmospheric river of warm rain to hit Washington and southern British Columbia for three days starting Monday.
“The precipitation in the mountains is going to be primarily rain instead of snow,” Michalski said of the expected atmospheric river.
Heavy rain falling on fresh snow could both eat into at the snowpack and put the region at risk for immediate flooding.
