Another snowstorm heads for Cascades, mountain passes Thursday
Feb 18, 2021, 9:20 AM | Updated: 12:15 pm
A snowy Stevens Pass on Feb. 17, 2021. (Photo courtesy of WSDOT_East/Twitter)
(Photo courtesy of WSDOT_East/Twitter)
Another big snowstorm is bearing down on the Cascades and mountain passes Thursday afternoon.
According to National Weather Service meteorologist Jacob DeFlitch, the snow will fall heavily Thursday night into Friday morning. By the time it stops, all the passes will see around a foot of new snow, which will be on top of the four feet the mountains have already received in the last week.
Another weather system moving through will bring more mountain snow to the Cascades. Snoqualmie Pass could see another 12-18 inches, while Stevens Pass may receive 8-12 inches. Travel may become difficult at times, so make sure to check conditions before you go! #wawx pic.twitter.com/rCHcalFglT
— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) February 18, 2021
“Pretty much this afternoon through Friday morning, we’ll probably see amounts around a foot for both Snoqualmie and Stevens Pass, with the heaviest falling tonight into early Friday morning,” DeFlitch said.
White Pass could see the same amounts of new snow as well.
“Both the Cascades and Olympics are doing very well for this time of year on snowpack, so this is just going to add to it. And be to the delight of the skiers and snowboarders,” DeFlitch told KIRO Radio.
The NWS says it’ll snow on and off over the weekend in the mountains.
If you need to drive across the passes, try to do it early Thursday or put it off until late Friday afternoon.
“Tonight will probably be the peak of it, so travel could be challenging at times because, during that time, we’re looking at around 6-8 inches within that 12 hour period,” DeFlitch said.
Another round of heavy mountain snow is expected today into Friday. Difficult travel conditions expected over the Cascade passes. Make sure to check @wsdot road conditions before you go! #wawx pic.twitter.com/ycOzxiw0Jk
— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) February 18, 2021
Interstate 90 across Snoqualmie Pass in both directions was closed overnight Monday, and remained closed until about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. The closure stretched eastbound from milepost 34 in North Bend to milepost 106 just west of Ellensburg, and westbound from milepost 70 near Easton.
The Washington State Department of Transportation had also closed US 2 over Stevens Pass at about 1 p.m. Tuesday for the rest of the day in both direction due to heavy snow and avalanche danger. US 2 did not reopen until 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, with chains required.
KIRO Radio’s Frank Shiers contributed to this report.
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