Snow falls across Puget Sound

Several inches of new snow Saturday night brought a flurry of snowman-building, sledding and other winter fun before Monday when the forecast called for rain and milder temperatures into the rest of the week.

By Sunday, nearly 3 inches fell at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the heaviest snowfall in a single day at that location in about two years. Parts of southwest Washington got hammered with as much as 5 inches or more in south Thurston County and some parts of Lewis County.

“We don’t get this too often. People are excited,” said Josh Smith, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle.

Smith said temperatures are expected to rise above freezing by late Sunday.

High avalanche danger prompted officials at Mount Rainier National Park to close the gate to Paradise at Longmire on Sunday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.