Heavy snow at Snoqualmie Pass causes I-90 outages and closures – KIRO 7 News Seattle

It may seem like a winter wonderland in the mountains this week, but snow dumps caused slowdowns at Snoqualmie Pass.

For some drivers, parking was the most difficult part of their post-vacation trip. KIRO 7 witnesses some cars having to be shoveled out of the snow.

For other drivers, the difficulties began on the highway.

Clint described hydroplaning on his journey west. “I shifted to the left, probably 4 or 5 inches. I lost control for a split second.”

Snow and rain continued throughout Thursday evening.

“We’re seeing these things escalate very quickly,” said Scott Klepach of WSDOT. He tells KIRO 7 there were several spinouts near the pass.

“Sometimes semi-trailers don’t have chains on. “Sometimes it’s just other vehicles not following these rules, or they’re just racing around someone else and then causing spin-out collisions,” says Klepach.

A portion of eastbound I-90 near Snoqualmie Pass was closed twice Thursday due to crashes.

WSDOT took to social media to express frustration with the closures, writing, “It’s not the weather, it’s not the plowing, it’s bad decision making.”

Klepach urges caution for impatient or inexperienced drivers. He advises drivers to always check weather conditions before setting off.

“One person can ruin it for a lot of people,” says driver David.

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