Ski season is near — snow has started to fall at Stevens Pass

EVERETT — It’s only been fall for a couple of weeks, but snow already has started to cover parts of the Cascade Range.

At Stevens Pass on Tuesday, an estimated foot of snow had fallen in less than 24 hours.

Flurries moved through Stevens Pass on Tuesday. The weather was expected to dry out by Wednesday. (Stevens Pass)

Snow was not in the forecast closer to home, but the National Weather Service forecast some thunderstorms in the Everett area Tuesday afternoon. Clear skies are expected through Friday, and rain may move in after that.

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Night-time temperatures have been dropping as well, and likely will be in the 30s for most of the week, said Johnny Burg, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle.

On Tuesday, there was a low chance of lightning in Snohomish County, with none reported by 5 p.m. Some cities outside of the county saw a few strikes, but nothing close to the big storm in early September.

At that time, thousands of strikes were counted across Western Washington.

“I thought I was back in Iowa,” said Burg, who grew up there.

Despite that sky show, there has not been more lightning than usual this year, he said.

At Stevens Pass, snow began to fall Tuesday morning, resort spokesperson Nicole Stull said.

Opening day at Stevens Pass is tentatively set for Dec. 4. Snow has already started to fall there this year. (Stevens Pass)

The ski resort is about 70 miles east of Everett, along U.S. 2.

Flurries likely will stick around until Wednesday, when the weather is expected to dry out.

Those who have trips planned may want to check road conditions before driving over mountain passes.

Stull was happy about the early snow. “It helps get that excitement going for the season,” she said.

The first snowfall of the year was on Sept. 27, when a couple of inches fell in one weekend.

On Tuesday, Stull guessed that about 10 inches had fallen.

Snow stacked up on tables outside of the Stevens Pass ski resort on Tuesday. An estimated 10 inches fell in less than a day. (Stevens Pass)

“It has definitely been non-stop snow,” she said. “This is pretty on-par for a typical fall, it’s just giving us a little dose of what’s ahead, hopefully.”

Opening day at Stevens Pass is tentatively set for Dec. 4. Last year the resort opened about a week later than that.

Snow hasn’t reached the Mountain Loop Highway yet. Every winter a stretch of that road is shut down. Its closure depends on the weather.

Stephanie Davey: 425-339-3192; sdavey@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @stephrdavey.