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Ross Lake sits in Washington and is classified as a reservoir. Sitting at around 1,602 feet of elevation, it drops to a maximum depth near 400 feet. It covers roughly 11,700 surface acres (about 18 square miles). Research-grade observations nearby include Brook Trout, Kokanee Salmon, Coho Salmon, and Bull Trout. Nearby alternatives include Diablo Lake, Gorge Lake, and Baker Lake. A nearby water gauge supplies level and temperature readings where available. The page brings together an hourly and 7-day forecast, wind and gust outlook, water readings, fishing conditions, and activity scores for boating, paddling, and swimming. Current weather, wind, and activity conditions for Ross Lake are updated throughout the day.
Updated
Latest source update is older than expected. Use caution and check the official source.
The last automated check (Oct 9, 2:47 AM PDT) found no active alerts for this lake, but that check is older than LakeRadar's alert freshness window, so the current alert status could not be confirmed.
Confirm before heading out: official alerts for this area or weather.gov/alerts. LakeRadar scores summarize available conditions and are not a substitute for official warnings, local rules, or on-water judgment.
Overall Good (79/100) across 4 activities. Best right now: Boating (80/100).
How the score is calculated →Best excellent fishing window, averaging 92/100 across these hours. Wind 7 mph from the north-northeast. Dusk hours (18:00 local). Derived from the hourly forecast; official alerts are not forecast and are checked separately.
| Metric | 11a | 12p | 1p | 2p | 3p | 4p | 5p | 6p | 7p | 8p | 9p | 10p | 11p | 12a | 1a | 2a | 3a | 4a | 5a | 6a | 7a | 8a | 9a | 10a |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°F) | 52° | 52° | 51° | 50° | 50° | 50° | 51° | 53° | 54° | 55° | 56° | 55° | 54° | 53° | 50° | 47° | 46° | 45° | 44° | 43° | 43° | 43° | 42° | 42° |
| Wind (kts) | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Direction | SE | SE | SE | SE | SE | S | S | S | S | S | S | SW | SW | S | S | SW | S | S | S | SW | S | SW | SW | SW |
| Gusts (kts) | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 |
| Precip % | 35% | 63% | 86% | 96% | 66% | 38% | 13% | 17% | 22% | 22% | 30% | 29% | 23% | 18% | 15% | 9% | 7% | 7% | 7% | 7% | 11% | 15% | 19% | 21% |
| Time | Temp | Wind | Gusts | Precip | Cloud | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, 4 AM PDT | 52°F | 8 mph SE (135°) | 21 mph | 35% | 80% | Chance Light Rain |
| Fri, 5 AM PDT | 52°F | 8 mph SE (135°) | 21 mph | 63% | 82% | Light Rain Likely |
| Fri, 6 AM PDT | 51°F | 9 mph SE (135°) | 21 mph | 86% | 91% | Light Rain |
| Fri, 7 AM PDT | 50°F | 9 mph SE (135°) | 20 mph | 96% | 98% | Light Rain |
| Fri, 8 AM PDT | 50°F | 10 mph ESE (113°) | 20 mph | 66% | 78% | Light Rain Likely |
| Fri, 9 AM PDT | 50°F | 12 mph SSE (158°) | 21 mph | 38% | 59% | Chance Light Rain |
| Fri, 10 AM PDT | 51°F | 13 mph SSE (158°) | 22 mph | 13% | 57% | Partly Sunny |
| Fri, 11 AM PDT | 53°F | 12 mph S (180°) | 21 mph | 17% | 43% | Slight Chance Light Rain |
| Fri, 12 PM PDT | 54°F | 10 mph S (180°) | 18 mph | 22% | 44% | Slight Chance Light Rain |
| Fri, 1 PM PDT | 55°F | 10 mph S (180°) | 17 mph | 22% | 66% | Slight Chance Light Rain |
| Fri, 2 PM PDT | 56°F | 9 mph S (180°) | 15 mph | 30% | 71% | Chance Light Rain |
| Fri, 3 PM PDT | 55°F | 8 mph SSW (203°) | 15 mph | 29% | 78% | Chance Light Rain |
| Fri, 4 PM PDT | 54°F | 8 mph SSW (203°) | 15 mph | 23% | 65% | Slight Chance Light Rain |
| Fri, 5 PM PDT | 53°F | 7 mph S (180°) | 14 mph | 18% | 57% | Slight Chance Light Rain |
| Fri, 6 PM PDT | 50°F | 6 mph S (180°) | 13 mph | 15% | 64% | Slight Chance Light Rain |
| Fri, 7 PM PDT | 47°F | 5 mph SSW (203°) | 10 mph | 9% | 64% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Fri, 8 PM PDT | 46°F | 3 mph S (180°) | 10 mph | 7% | 67% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Fri, 9 PM PDT | 45°F | 3 mph S (180°) | 9 mph | 7% | 61% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Fri, 10 PM PDT | 44°F | 2 mph S (180°) | 9 mph | 7% | 49% | Partly Cloudy |
| Fri, 11 PM PDT | 43°F | 2 mph SSW (203°) | 8 mph | 7% | 47% | Partly Cloudy |
| Sat, 12 AM PDT | 43°F | 2 mph S (180°) | 7 mph | 11% | 51% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Sat, 1 AM PDT | 43°F | 1 mph SSW (203°) | 7 mph | 15% | 60% | Slight Chance Light Rain |
| Sat, 2 AM PDT | 42°F | 1 mph SSW (203°) | 5 mph | 19% | 65% | Slight Chance Light Rain |
| Sat, 3 AM PDT | 42°F | 1 mph SW (225°) | 5 mph | 21% | 82% | Slight Chance Light Rain |
| Sat, 4 AM PDT | 42°F | Calm | 4 mph | 22% | 84% | Slight Chance Light Rain |
Official National Weather Service hourly forecast. Showing 10 of 25 hours. Wind arrows point the way the wind is blowing; the compass point and degrees show where it comes from.
| Period | Overnight October 9, 2026 | Friday October 9, 2026 | Friday Night October 9, 2026 | Saturday October 10, 2026 | Saturday Night October 10, 2026 | Sunday October 11, 2026 | Sunday Night October 11, 2026 | Columbus Day October 12, 2026 | Monday Night October 12, 2026 | Tuesday October 13, 2026 | Tuesday Night October 13, 2026 | Wednesday October 14, 2026 | Wednesday Night October 14, 2026 | Thursday October 15, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°F) | 50° | 56° | 40° | 52° | 37° | 58° | 35° | 63° | 39° | 60° | 44° | 58° | 41° | 64° |
| Wind | SE 8 mph | SSE 7 to 13 mph | SSW 0 to 6 mph | N 1 to 8 mph | NE 6 to 9 mph | NNE 7 mph | NE 2 to 6 mph | SSE 2 mph | SSW 2 mph | SSW 3 mph | SW 3 mph | WSW 2 mph | NNE 3 mph | NNE 0 to 3 mph |
| Gusts | 21 mph | 22 mph | 13 mph | 16 mph | 23 mph | 15 mph | 13 mph | 8 mph | 7 mph | 8 mph | 9 mph | 8 mph | 8 mph | 7 mph |
| Precip % | 63% | 96% | 22% | 33% | 3% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 3% | 17% | 48% | 46% | 18% | 6% |
| Forecast |
Good for fishing (79/100), from 5 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 8 mph from the southeast. Sky is cloudy (80% cloud cover). Not available from a verified source for this lake: pressure trend, water temperature. Confidence is moderate (74%) because some inputs are unavailable or older than ideal.
Good for boating (80/100), from 4 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 8 mph from the southeast. No active official alerts for this lake. Not available from a verified source for this lake: visibility and conditions, verified water access. Confidence is moderate (84%) because some inputs are unavailable or older than ideal.
Good for sailing (80/100), from 4 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 8 mph from the SE is in the preferred sailing range. No active official alerts for this lake. Not available from a verified source for this lake: visibility. Confidence is high (88%).
Good for kayaking (79/100), from 5 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 8 mph from the southeast. No active official alerts for this lake. Confidence is high (90%).
Water temperature is not available from a verified source for this lake. No swimming score is shown without it.
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Individual boat ramp GPS coordinates are maintained under the jurisdiction of WA Parks & Wildlife Authority. Public boaters should verify seasonal launch water levels, gate hours, and daily vehicle/vessel fees before traveling.
Ross Lake serves as a key recreational and ecological freshwater reservoir in WA, overseen by state and local natural resource agencies. The waterbody supports active boating, angling, and shoreline access throughout the open season. Visitors are encouraged to verify current launch conditions, water levels, and local regulations before heading out onto the water.
Valid freshwater sport fishing license issued by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is required for anglers age 15+. Digital license on mobile is accepted.
Mandatory Clean, Drain & Dry inspection. Out-of-area craft require on-site Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS Quagga/Zebra) inspection or decontamination before launch. USCG life jackets required for all.
Public shoreline and boating access managed by State & Local Authorities. Verify seasonal gate hours, launch fees, and parking rules before travel.
High-speed motorboating, pontoon cruising, wakeboarding, and water skiing across main channels. Target gamefish include Brook Trout, Kokanee Salmon, Coho Salmon, Bull Trout. Morning hours typically provide optimal glassy conditions for kayak and stand-up paddleboard (SUP) touring.
Warm water temperatures, peak swimming, active watersports, and open full-service campgrounds. Highest weekly attendance; plan early arrivals on summer weekends.
Spring pre-spawn and fall feeding transitions create prime trophy angling conditions. Cooler air, lower boat traffic, and vibrant seasonal shoreline foliage.
Mild year-round outdoor climate. Uncrowded waters, active winter bass and crappie fishing, and open year-round boat launch access.
No external source rows are cited by the data currently shown on this page.
Updated
Scores are heuristics, not safety guarantees. LakeRadar scores summarize available conditions and are not a substitute for official warnings, local rules, or on-water judgment.
All telemetry for Ross Lake is synchronized directly from authorized federal and state monitoring networks (USGS, NWS, NOAA, and state environmental authorities). Observations are strictly instrumented readings — unmonitored sensors are transparently disclosed rather than synthetic estimates.
Last source audit: Oct 9, 4:36 AM PDT