Tri-Cities gets more snow. Snoqualmie Pass back open, for now

More snow is possible Friday night and early Saturday morning in the Tri-Cities area, but warming temperatures could see precipitation falling as rain instead.

The weather service forecasts a 30 percent chance of snow Friday night through 4 a.m. Saturday morning at higher elevations. Much of the Tri-Cities is at 400 feet and the snow level is expected to be about 700 feet, with rain at lower elevations.

Temperatures should warm to about normal this weekend. Normal highs for the Tri-Cities in January average about 41 and lows average about 29.

Snow began falling Thursday afternoon in the Tri-Cities area.

That morning highways in Eastern Washington — including Interstate 82, Interstate 182, Highway 240 and Highway 12 — were in good shape, thanks to the Washington State Department of Transportation’s snow plow work, said Washington State Patrol Trooper Chris Thorson.

Interstate 84 from Pendleton to La Grande in Oregon was back open after sections of the highway were closed throughout the night Wednesday because of the icy roads, high winds, blowing snow and blizzard conditions, said the Oregon Department of Transportation.

And I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass also reopened after closing at 7 p.m. Wednesday night because of spun-out vehicles and crashes.

Thursday morning the interstate was covered in compact snow and ice and traction tires were required, with more snow possible Thursday night.

As of Thursday rural mountain communities outside Seattle had been without power for days and cut off from the outside world by a series of winter storms that dumped several feet of snow on parts of western Washington. Convoys brought in food and supplies, according to Associated Press reports.

As storms moved south Thursday, heavy rain and strong winds battered parts of Northern California.

This story was originally published January 16, 2020 at 10:45 AM.