Heavy Snow — West Slopes Southern Cascades and Passes, Washington

1996-12-26 to 1996-12-29 · West Slopes Southern Cascades and Passes, Washington

Wider weather episode

Some of the mountain passes were closed for up to four days. Amtrack cancelled passenger rail over the Cascades. Snoqualmie pass had drifts 10 feet high and so far this season they had received 295 inches of snow which is their normal amount for the whole season. 100's of travelers and truckers were stranded as Snoqualmie and Stevens pass were closed for 3 days, White pass was only open from time to time during the 4 day stretch. Truckers were losing money by the hour and most businesses in Ellensburg were overwhelmed with customers.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5577223. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.