© Pete Saloutos/Panoramic Images (Washington Title Image Large)
North Cascades Climate
The North Cascades receive high levels of precipitation, from 60 to 160 inches per year as rain or snow, mostly between October and April. Snow, often 20 feet deep, covers the high elevations many months of the year.
The Mt. Baker Ski Area holds the record for the most snowfall ever measured in the United States in a single season. It reported 1,140 inches (95 feet) of snowfall for the 1998-99 snowfall season.
At middle elevations snowpacks fluctuate through the winter, while little snow accumulates in the lowest valleys.
For details of this ecoregion within Washington, click a subheading in the left column.
View the more general description of this ecoregion in North America
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