Avalanche Shuts Down Snoqualmie

An avalanche on Interstate 90 hit one vehicle and closed the westbound lanes at Snoqualmie Pass this afternoon.

No injuries were reported.

The snowslide occurred near milepost 51 on the 3,011-foot pass, which is the main east-west route across Washington state. The State Department of Transportation says one car was caught in the 2:45 p.m. slide, but there was no damage to the vehicle.

Westbound traffic on the pass was being stopped at both Hyak and Cle Elum.

The slide came just about four hours after the pass reopened after a nearly 28-hour closure, also due to heavy snow and avalanches.

Eastbound traffic continued running in one lane.

According to the Department of Transportation, because the westbound lanes are blocked, snow removal equipment cannot make the necessary circuits to keep the eastbound lanes open.

This is estimated to last until early Thursday morning due to the amount of material and debris at road level.