SNOQUALMIE PASS, Wash. — A winter storm warning is in effect with conditions in mountain passes expected to deteriorate Tuesday night.
“Spring storms tend to be a little less predictable but we are certainly prepared for it,” Summer Derrey, public information officer for the Washington State Department of Transportation, said.
WSDOT reports the worst conditions will likely be late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning.
“We are going to do a few things. We are going to pre-treat the roads, adding chemicals that will make the ice a little less adherent to the roadway,” Derrey said. “When the storm is in full swing, crews will be out in tandem with their snowplows, pushing the snow off the roadway.”
WSDOT said keeping the roads clear is only part of the solution. Derrey urged drivers to take it slow in the snow and have their cars in working condition.
“We need drivers to make sure they are prepared,” she said. “This is a good time to make a few checks. Make sure your tires have good tread on them, make sure your windshield wipers are working properly, make sure you have windshield wiper fluid.”
The snow comes just two days after the Summit at Snoqualmie closed following a ski season that was challenged by a lack of snow. Locals described it as a fitting end to an unpredictable season.
“Having little to no snow then getting dumped on for a week,” Riley Regalado said.
Last week, the Washington Department of Ecology declared a statewide drought emergency due to the lack of snowpack.
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