Heavy Snow in Blue Mountain Foothills, Washington

A winter storm lasting from the 10th to the 12th of February brought extreme snowfall to the east slopes of the Washington Cascades and Columbia River Gorge with heavy snowfall for the Columbia Basin, Simcoe Highlands and Blue Mountains. Snowfall totals at Snoqualmie Pass neared four and a half feet over 48 hours resulting in the pass being closed for over 72 hours for snow removal and avalanche mitigation. Just after the initial closure a fatal motor vehicle accident (indirect) occurred near Hyak when a tractor trailer crashed into a concrete barrier. Over 300 vehicles became stranded on the pass when the interstate was shut down. They were eventually led to safety on the 12th of February in a Washington State DOT and State Police convoy. Additional storm total snowfall accumulations of 38 inches at Trout Lake, 15 to 22 inches in the Columbia River Gorge, 8 to 12 inches in the Simcoe Highlands, 10 to 12 inches in the Northwest Blue Mountains and 4 to 6 inches in the Blue Mountain foothills were recorded.