Weekend storm to bring high winds, mountain snow

Forecasters say a storm will blow into Washington Saturday with strong winds on the coast and Puget Sound region and snow in the mountains down to the highway passes.

The National Weather Service says a passing cold front could bring 50 mph wind gusts on the north coast, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and northwest interior while parts of the southwest interior and Puget Sound area could be hit by wind gusts in the 40s.

Forecasters say both Snoqualmie and Stevens passes could have 6 inches of snow by mid-day Sunday.

But the Summit at Snoqualmie is going to need a lot more than that before opening the slopes to skiers.

“I think it’s going to get a lot of people excited about the upcoming season,” said Guy Lawrence with Summit at Snoqualmie. “We obviously are expecting some snow at the base level, which would be awesome, but I don’t think it’s necessarily enough to get us open.”

Lawrence said they’re hoping for at least 2 1/2 feet of nice, wet snow to open around Thanksgiving.

Eastern Washington also will have mountain snow and winds Saturday, with gusts up to 40 mph possible over the Columbia Basin.

If you’re headed up to the mountains, you may now use snow tires. As of Nov. 1, studded tires are legal on Washington roadways.

The department says drivers at higher elevations should use traction tires and carry chains. When chains are required on passes, studded tires alone will not meet the requirement unless your vehicle is an all-wheel drive vehicle.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.