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Snoqualmie Pass reopens after being closed for heavy snow, avalanche danger

Snoqualmie Pass avalanche control work (WSDOT)

SNOQUALMIE PASS, Wash. — Snoqualmie Pass finally reopened Monday night around 8 p.m. after being closed due to heavy snow and avalanche danger.

White Pass/US 12 will remain closed overnight due to extreme weather conditions and continued snow slides. It will be reevaluated at 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Both directions of I-90 require chains.

The closure began shortly before 2 a.m. Monday due to near zero visibility. The Washington State Department of Transportation said it was snowing hard with gusty winds and blowing and drifting snow.

WSDOT said 19 inches of snow fell overnight Sunday into Monday. Another 6 to 12 inches of snow is forecast for the Cascades on Monday, and WSDOT said snow was falling at a rate of 1 to 2 inches an hour.

At 8:30 a.m., WSDOT said crews were doing avalanche control.

Stevens Pass/US 2 was closed for avalanche control work at 5 a.m. Monday. WSDOT said the work generally takes from 30 minutes to 2 hours to complete, but the pass didn’t reopen until at least four hours later.

Get updates on pass conditions here.

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