Lying east of the Cascade crest, the area around Switchback Peak is a bit drier than areas to the west. Summers can bring warm temperatures and occasional thunderstorms. Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel northeast toward the Cascade Mountains. As fronts approach the North Cascades, they are forced upward by the peaks of the Cascade Range, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the Cascades (Orographic lift). As a result, the North Cascades experiences high precipitation, especially during the winter months in the form of snowfall. With its impressive height, Switchback Peak can have snow on it in late-spring and early-fall, and can be very cold in the winter. Precipitation runoff on the west side of the mountain drains into Lake Chelan via Prince Creek, whereas the east side of the mountain drains into tributaries of the Methow River.