Pass Closure: How Much White Stuff Blanketed Chinook and Cayuse Pass?

How Much Snow Did Chinook and Cayuse Pass Get Over the Weekend?

How much is a lot of snow? I originally wrote last week about Chinook and Cayuse looking at 20 inches of snow, which led to last week's temporary closure of the passes.

What Is The Current Condition Of SR 410 Chinook and SR 123 Cayuse?

Well, it looks like a ton of snow fell over the weekend and now SR 410 Chinook and SR 123 Cayuse passes are closed for the season after snow dumped hard.

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In a posting from the Washington State Department of Transportation, both passes are closed after a dumping of 30 inches over the weekend.

It doesn't match the 65 inches of snow that fell in one day at Crystal Mountain on February 24th, 1994 but it's still a ton of snow for the passes in early November.

Here are a few reasons why a pass will close in Washington State:

• Vehicle collisions / spin outs. Many pass closures are caused by vehicles that spin out, crash or slide off roadways - often because the vehicle wasn't properly equipped or was going too fast for conditions. Slow down, stay alert and leave extra space between vehicles during winter weather.
• Avalanche Control. When possible, avalanche control work is scheduled at night when traffic volumes are low. WSDOT attempts to provide advance notice, but that's not always possible in emergency conditions.
• Road clearing. If there is heavy snow in a short amount of time, road crews may close the pass to clear ice and snow from the travel lanes.

So for now, both SR 410 Chinook and SR 123 Cayuse passes are closed for the season.