Why are there so many closures on Snoqualmie Pass this season?
Feb 5, 2016, 10:07 PM | Updated: May 7, 2016, 10:08 pm
Emma from Sequim sent us an email about her recent and annoying drive to Ellensburg so we looked into her complaint to find out what was really going on.
My sister lives in Ellensburg and I visit her all of the time. Last year, I-90 was never closed and lately is seems like I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass is always closed! Should I just plan on taking a different route from now on?
Emma, Mother Nature is partially to blame on this one. You’re right, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation, I-90 wasn’t closed last winter.
But remember how terrible the ski season was? We barely received 80 inches of snow. So driving over the pass at that time didn’t wasn’t as trying. But this year, we’re seeing a totally different story.
December 2015 saw a total of 200 inches of snow at the pass — that’s taller than Seattle’s Fremont Troll — with 112 of those inches falling the last week of the month. It broke the historical snowfall record for a 7-day period. So far, Snoqualmie Pass has received over 300 inches of snow.
This has led to several extended I-90 closures for snow removal and avalanche danger. In addition to snow closures, two separate collisions involving fuel trucks required day-long closures to safely clean-up the flammable material. Not to mention, today’s semi accident which caused yet another closure.
Emma, you could choose a different route, such as Highway 2, but you’re still likely to hit winter snow problems, either way.
The moral of the story, check WSDOT’s Snoqualmie Pass page, and also with Chokepoints, before you plan to take a trip over the pass.
