6 to 10 day weather Northwest- Cascades

The Northwest continues under of a trough of low pressure that will be off our coast at times over the next 6 to 10 day period. Thus, the weather patterns for the July 31to August 4 period will feature below normal temperatures. However, with these patterns we will have some days that are above average but this cool weather regime will be the main theme.
The map below depicts this cool pattern as this has the mean position of the 500 mb map (18,000 to 19,000 foot level) which has the trough of low pressure off the Washington Coast. This feature, the trough of low pressure, tends to control the weather patterns to a large extent. This forecast was issued on July 26, 2011.

KUOW Hike of the Week- Friday July 22

This weekend will bring dry and mostly sunny conditions for the West and East Cascades. The reason that this hike in the Teanaway region (near Cle Elum) is suggested is that there isn't any snow and the wildflowers are at their peak. Also this hike offers some great views of the Stuart Mountain range. This hike is the Johnson-Medra Trail.

Photo below is Lupine and Indian Paintbrush photo by Karen Sykes

Photo below is hiker enjoying the wildflowers photo by Karen Sykes
Photo below is a view of some of the Stuart Range photo by Don Cairns
Photo below is Lupine photo by Karen Sykes

Trail directions: Drive I-90 and exit in Cle Elum (exit 85) and take State Route 970 east and drive 7 miles and then turn left on Teanaway Road which then becomes North Fork Teanaway then at 12.5 miles is the 29 Pines Campground and so slightly to the right onto Forest Service Road 9737 which is a gravel road. Then go drive about 4 miles and you come to Beverly Campground and continue a short distance past this camp and you will see a very small parking area on the right and park here as the Jonhson-Medra Trail (number 1383) is to your left. If you have driven to the end of the road you have driven too far.

Trail stats: 2300 foot gain and 8 miles round trip

Directions and trail stats are our best estimate however please have a good local map and or a GPS unit

Weather 7 to 10 day for the Northwest

Will the cool pattern to continue? Only 3 days has the average temperature in Seattle been at least 2 degrees above normal. Also during this period the average temperature departure from normal has been 1.2 degrees (F) below normal. Why? The map below is a 500 mb chart (at about 18,000 to 19,000 foot level) and this has a trough of low pressure just to our north and this is for the date July 28. This has been the weather theme for much of the summer as a trough of low pressure has been anchored over the Northwest and this usually brings below normal temperatures and above normal precipitation.
The standard joke use to be summer in Seattle begins July 5 well this year it was 84 on July 6 so maybe summer ended on July 6.

7 to 10 day weather for the Northwest

The map below is the 500 mb map (at about 18,000 to 19,000 foot level). The forecast is for July 25 and the forecast indicates a trough of low pressure once again off the Washington Coast. The net impact of this pattern is cool and wet. This for some reason has been a constant weather theme this summer.

KUOW Hike of the Week July 8

The weekend forecast is calling for some low clouds at times for the West Cascades. Also many of the popular trials in the West Cascades snow covered to some extend. So for more sun and more snowfree hikes the East Cascades is a good bet. Thus the Jungle Creek Hike in the Teanaway region (close to Cle Elum) would be a good option.
Rock Mt Trail- East of Stevens Pass

Photo below is Penstemon

Photo below is hiker enjoying mountain views to the southwest

Driving Directions to Rock Mt Trail
From Seattle drive to Stevens Pass via US 2, continue east about 8.5 miles, pass highway maintenance sheds (left) and just past milepost 73 turn left onto a gravel road to trailhead parking, elevation 2,600 feet, no facilities. A NW Forest Pass is not required for this hike. Allow about 2 hours, 15 minutes drive time from Seattle.
Trail Stats
From US 2 to Rock Mountain it is about 4,200 feet gain and 11 miles roundtrip.

Jungle Creek Trail- Near Cle Elum
Photo below is Columbine

Photo below view of Mt Stuart

Driving directions to Jungle Creek Trail
From Seattle drive east on I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass to Exit 85, east of Cle Elum. Cross over the freeway overpass and turn north (right) onto State Route 970 (north). Continue about five miles and turn left onto Teanaway River Road and continue until the pavement ends (about 13 miles), at 29 Pines Campground. Turn left just beyond the campground on Road 9701 (Jungle Creek Road) and continue about 1.5 miles to the road where it is blocked by a washout. Walk to the trailhead (indicated by a post on the right hand side of the road) about a half-mile from the washout, no facilities.
Trail stats:
From the Jungle Creek washout to the Jungle Creek trailhead and up to the 4,500 foot trail junction with the Way Creek/Johnson Creek trail it is about 6 miles round trip with about 1,500 feet elevation gain.

Photos and driving directions and trails stats provided by Karen Sykes

Weather Outlook 8 to 14 day Seattle - Northwest

The 8 to 14 day forecast from July 13 to July 19 is indicating average temperatures and normal precipitation and precipitation is normally very low this time of the year. For instance Seattle only gets 0.79 inches of rain for the entire month of July.

The map below is the average position of the 500 mb chart (about 19,000 feet level) and is map is indicating a flat ridge of high pressure over the West Coast which brings close to average temperatures