Heavy snow, multiple crashes close eastbound I-90 at Snoqualmie Pass

Heavy snow and multiple wrecks east of the Snoqualmie Pass summit have closed eastbound Interstate 90 at North Bend on Friday.

The Washington State Patrol says eastbound lanes may stay closed until 8 p.m.

Chains are required on all vehicles except all-wheel drive on I-90 westbound, though there is significant backup because of a collision near Cle Elum, the state Department of Transportation reports. Oversize vehicles are prohibited.

As of 5 a.m., 18 inches of snow had fallen on Snoqualmie Pass, 16 inches on Stevens Pass and 11 inches on White Pass. Another 4 to 8 inches of snow was expected later in the day.

It wasn’t all bad news. The Alpental and Summit Central ski areas on Snoqualmie Pass were both open on Friday.

The National Weather Service in Seattle said mountain snow and rain in lower elevations would continue into next week.

“Mostly dry weather is possible by Christmas Day,” the agency said.

In Spokane, the National Weather Service predicted temperatures in the 40s would melt some of the new snow on Friday afternoon. But more snow was predicted on Sunday and into next week.

This story was originally published December 18, 2015 at 3:28 PM with the headline "Heavy snow, multiple crashes close eastbound I-90 at Snoqualmie Pass."