Snow causes spinouts, closes stretches of I-90 in Cascades

Snow and ice made Thanksgiving travel through the Cascade passes difficult Tuesday, with eastbound I-90 traffic shut down in two places because of spinouts.

Tuesday morning saw freezing rain on Snoqualmie Pass, which quickly escalated to several inches of snow falling as the day continued.

Truckers urge caution with snowy conditions on Snoqualmie Pass

The issues started when large crowds were expected on eastbound I-90 for Thanksgiving travel.

Washington State Patrol (WSP) shut down a stretch of I-90 near Ellensburg Tuesday afternoon and another section at North Bend in the evening after multiple spinouts on the road caused trouble for drivers.

Westbound I-90 remained open, but WSP required all drivers to have either all-wheel drive or chains on their tires.

We are seeing very extreme weather conditions across I-90 from the summit all the way to Vantage. Please, please, please have traction tires and follow the restrictions. https://t.co/gO5sSbuGx2

— Snoqualmie Pass (@SnoqualmiePass) November 22, 2022

While all of I-90 reopened around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday night, officials still warn drivers to be cautious and make sure that their cars have enough traction for the roads.

Washington Department of Transportation officials said they brought in extra plow crews to the passes because of the weather and the holiday traffic, but when snow falls at an inch per hour, it is difficult to keep up.

Snow is expected to be lighter Wednesday, but the Washington State Department of Transportation said they are still expecting high volumes of traffic on I-90 between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.