Weather
Interstate 90 over Snoqualmie Pass remains completely shut down through at least Wednesday morning after almost 5-feet of fresh snow fell in just two days. Crews will reassess conditions at that point and determine if the pass can reopen in either direction. WSDOT initially announced on Twitter that the pass was going to be closed for an undetermined amount of time on Tuesday morning.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Washington State Patrol and Washington Department of Transportation led a convoy of semi trucks and other vehicles off the pass. To avoid avalanche danger, the vehicles are being escorted to North Bend in the eastbound lanes.
“We haven’t seen monumental snow accumulation like this in over 20 years,” said Harry Nelson, WSDOT maintenance superintendent. “We are literally digging our way out of all this snow so that we can get it back open for drivers.”
There is also a power outage from the summit to Easton that has caused WSDOT cameras to go down, according to Washington State Trooper John Bryant. The Washington Department of Transportation cited avalanche danger, visibility issues and severe weather conditions as the reasons for the closure.
With the pass closed, skiers and snowboarders were stranded at the summit Monday night and for most of the day Tuesday until officials led a caravan down from the pass at 3 pm. Summit at Snoqualmie ski area did not open Tuesday and planned to remain closed until the highway reopened, according to updates on its website.
“It feels wrong to say it, but we may have gotten too much snow,” the ski area posted on Instagram Tuesday morning.
WSDOT officials said they would reassess I-90 at 9 a.m., Wednesday.
