Heavy snow expected for Cascades over weekend

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A storm packing plenty of winter weather is bearing down on the Northwest, with up to a foot of snow forecast for the Cascade passes by the weekend.

The snow level is expected to drop to about 2,500 feet Friday night, bringing up to a foot of snow to Sevens Pass by Saturday night, says KING 5 meteorologist Rich Marriott. About six inches is expected at Snoqualmie Pass, while Marriott says up to 16 inches of snow could fall at Mount Baker.

Skiers and snowboarders will have to wait at a little while longer before hitting the slopes locally.

While Crystal Mountain and Stevens Pass opened for a day in early October, warmer weather melted much of the snow away.

Stevens is hoping for a Nov. 22 opening. It currently reports a nine inch base at the bottom of the mountain and 19 inches up top.

Crystal Mountain reports 12 inches at the summit.

The Summit at Snoqualmie still needs a healthy dose of snow and hopes to open as soon as possible.

Mount Baker is hoping to open by Nov. 20 or sooner depending on the weekend snow.

If you can’t wait to make some turns, Whistler Mountain in British Columbia plans to open Saturday – nearly two weeks earlier than expected.

It’ll get wet and chilly in the lowlands as well. Temperatures will drop with weekend highs only in the 40s and lows in the 30s, Marriott says.

Check the area ski resort webcams