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Crater Lake Closes due to snow, avalanche risks

Image via Crater Lake National Park

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. (AP) – Crater Lake National Park has closed due to severe weather, though officials hope it will reopen soon.

The Herald and News reports that the park announced Tuesday that due to heavy snowfall combined with downed trees and an avalanche on Highway 62, the park would close until road crews could clear the area.

Park spokeswoman Jennifer Evans says full closures are not unusual during the winter as the park often encounters high levels of snow.

Evans says snow levels as of Tuesday were at 99 inches at park headquarters, well over the average of 74 inches for this time of year. She says snowstorms later this week could drop between 16 and 26 additional inches of snow.

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