Blizzard warning issued for I-90, I-84 passes. Tri-City wind gusts near 50 mph forecast
If you plan to drive over the Cascade or Blue mountains this week, you should reconsider.
Blizzard warnings have been issued for both, including Interstate 90 at Snoqualmie Pass and Interstate 84 at Deadman Pass and Meacham, Ore., east of Pendleton, Ore.
The Tri-Cities also will feel the effects of the storm system, which the weather service is calling a “major winter event for the Pacific Northwest” that will be followed by another storm system.
Wind gusts near 50 mph are forecast, and then later in the week a chance of snow and days of bitter cold temperatures are forecast.
I-90 Snoqualmie Pass forecast
Snoqualmie Pass is under a winter storm warning, which changes to a blizzard warning early Tuesday morning until 10 a.m. Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.
Chains were required on I-90 at Snoqualmie Pass as of noon Monday. The pass was closed eastbound from about 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. five miles west of the summit due to spinouts and crashes.
It forecast heavy snow Monday with daytime accumulations of 5 to 9 inches and then another 4 to 8 inches overnight. Snow could be mixed with rain.
Tuesday 10 to 14 inches of snow are forecast with wind gusts up to 43 mph blowing the snow and likely reducing visibility.
Another 3 to 7 inches of snow are forecast both Tuesday night and again Wednesday.
More heavy show is forecast Thursday, with 5 to 9 inches possible, with more snow possible through Sunday, according to the weather service.
I-84 Deadman Pass forecast
The blizzard warning for Interstate 84 in Oregon was issued for 4 p.m. Monday through 10 a.m. Wednesday, with high winds expected to blow snow.
At Meacham, 30 miles east of Pendleton at an elevation of 3,800 feet, 1 to 3 inches was forecast for Monday, with 1 to 2 inches overnight.
Gusts of up to 29 mph were forecast Monday and Tuesday, increasing to 43 mph Tuesday night.
On Wednesday night wind gusts should drop to 23 mph, but heavy snow is forecast. Three to 7 inches of snow is forecast for Wednesday with 2 to 4 inches more than night and 3 to 5 inches Thursday.
More snow is possible each day through Sunday, according to the weather service.
Tri-Cities forecast
Wind gusts of up to 49 mph are forecast for Tuesday night in the Tri-Cities by the weather service.
It has issued a wind advisory from 4 a.m. Tuesday to 10 a.m. Wednesday.
The wind will start to build early Tuesday morning with gusts up to 32, with gusts near 49 mph by noon. Sustained wind speeds of 33 mph are forecast by the weather service.
Rain is possible Tuesday and Wednesday, with a chance of rain and snow on Thursday.
The snow level is expected to be about 500 feet. The Tri-Cities, which has an elevation of 400 to 500 feet rising to 1,000 feet at Highway 395 and Interstate 82 interchange at the south edge of Kennewick.
A chance of snow also is forecast for Saturday.
Temperatures will be much colder than the recent lows in the 30s and highs in the 40s.
Thursday night the low could drop to 17 and then 10 on Friday and Saturday nights.
Highs are forecast to drop 21 on Friday, 17 on Saturday and 20 on Sunday.
