The three busiest mountain highway passes in the Washington Cascades remain closed at this hour due to high avalanche danger. The Washington Department of Transportation said Snoqualmie Pass may open Thursday night. The latest on White Pass is that it will remain closed overnight.
In a Facebook live video from WSDOT at midday, spokesperson Lisa Van Cise reported Stevens Pass will remain closed until at least Friday morning.
“Even though all three passes are closed right now, it doesn’t mean they’re all going to open at exactly the same time,” Van Case said. “It’s a pass-by-pass basis.”
Van Cise said the closure of all three passes at the same time is highly unusual.
A sudden shift to warm rainy weather on the heels of heavy recent snows created unstable conditions. She said crews will reassess each situation once there is less risk of avalanches.
A look at avalanche control on Snoqualmie Pass early this morning. https://t.co/MYYRlTFTVj— Washington State DOT (@wsdot) February 9, 2017
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