Heavy snowfall in the Snoqualmie Valley and Puget Sound over the weekend created the ideal conditions for both winter fun and a traffic mess over the pass.

Between Feb. 12 and Feb. 16, more than 49 inches of snow fell on Snoqualmie Pass. High levels of snow led the Washington State Department of Transportation to close I-90 in both directions on Monday (Feb. 15) due to avalanche risk. As of press time Tuesday morning, it was unknown when the interstate would reopen.

Over the weekend, Washington State Patrol troopers in King County responded to 386 collisions, according to Trooper Rick Johnson, public information officer for District 2. On Saturday (Feb. 13), there was a large collision over the pass involving 15 vehicles

Elsewhere in the valley, people took to hills with sleds and inflatables in tow. Overnight on Feb. 12-13, approximately six inches of snow fell in and around North Bend. Early Saturday morning, some 1,500 North Bend homes were without power.

The snowstorm came courtesy of a series of cold and wet systems moving through the area. It started with a dusting of snow on Feb. 11 before a larger system moved in beginning last Friday and stretching into last weekend. Warmer weather on set the snow melting by Monday.

River gauges along the Snoqualmie River showed elevated water levels, but was not expected to hit flood stages as of press time.

While the snow storm was significant, it was not as large as the 2019 February snowstorm, dubbed Snowmageddon, which dumped dozens of inches in the valley.

Photo courtesy of Tonya Wilson Guinn