STEVENS PASS — Travelers who plan to cross the mountains ought to check the pass reports first.
Two of Washington’s three main east-west mountain passes were expected to remain closed Thursday night because of extreme avalanche danger, according to the state Department of Transportation.
About 8 p.m. Thursday, DOT reopened I-90 across Snoqualmie Pass.
Another storm was expected to dump up to a foot of snow on the Cascades overnight, which will keep the danger of avalanches high for mountain highways U.S. 2, U.S. 12 and I-90. That storm could also bring snow and possibly high winds to large areas of winter-weary Eastern Washington from Yakima to Spokane.
Once the overnight storm has passed, officials can assess the situation in daylight and determine whether Stevens and White passes can reopen sometime today, said State Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond.
U.S. 2 at Stevens Pass was closed from Scenic at milepost 58 to Leavenworth at milepost 100. U.S. 12 across White Pass was closed from just east of Packwood at milepost 135 to the junction with Highway 410 at milepost 185.
All the cold weather last month coupled with a warmer blast of wet snow creates an unstable “upside down” snowpack of heavier snow over lighter snow that can lead to avalanches, said National Weather Service meteorologist Dennis D’Amico.
The storm system moving into the area was expected to drop about an inch of snow in the Everett area overnight and south beginning around midnight, he said. If snow does fall again, it’s more likely to hit areas further south harder.
Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@heraldnet.com.
Know the road conditions before you go
n Get information at www.wsdot.wa.gov before you leave home.
n Call 511. This driver information phone line provides current traffic, incident and closure information. TTY users can call 800-833-6388. Out-of-state callers can access the information at call 800-695-ROAD (7623).
n Mountain pass conditions are available at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/passes.
n At www.wsdot.wa.gov/winter, drivers can find WSDOT’s winter driving-related information, including preparing a vehicle for winter driving, safe driving tips and mountain pass travel advisories. The WSDOT winter site also offers information about chains, winter tires and how WSDOT maintenance crews work in winter weather.
n On WSDOT’s Web site, www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/weather, drivers can look at roadway temperatures and see camera images from across the state.
n At www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/trafficalerts, a map shows highway incidents and closures.
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