From the WA Department of Transportation:
SR 20 North Cascades Highway, between Diablo and Mazama, closing to vehicles until 2020
A snowy forecast means State Route 20 North Cascades Highway will close for the season at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 11. This is the latest road closure date in more than a decade.
Washington State Department of Transportation crews close this stretch of SR 20 every year once snow fills the avalanche chutes that line the highway, which poses a safety risk to travelers and road crews.
Road closure points
The closure points start at milepost 134/Ross Dam Trailhead and at milepost 171/Silver Star Gate. When significant snow begins to fall, WSDOT crews will move the western closure point back to milepost 130/Colonial Creek Campground and the eastern closure point to milepost 177/Early Winters Campground. These weather-dependent changes usually happen in January. Signs along SR 20 are posted in advance of the closure point and updates on the WSDOT website will reflect where the road is closed.
Winter recreation on SR 20
Hikers, skiers, snowmobilers and other recreationalists can access the closed portion of highway during the winter season. Users should park in designated parking areas to allow plow drivers the space they need to clear snow around the closed stretch’s access gates.
WSDOT closes this stretch of highway due to avalanche risk, so anyone using this area should check forecasts and be aware of quickly changing conditions in the mountains. Travelers can also check conditions with North Cascades National Park before trips to this area.
And that is it for the season. Yes, this is the latest date for closure in a decade but if you go back a few more years, this is not an unusual date by any means. Last week I posted this:
The current statement is that this is the latest that the pass has stayed open in the last decade - climate change.
Actually, if you look at the numbers, you can see that it closed on January 3rd, 1990 with December 8th, 13th, 15th, 17th, 18th and many other dates past today. This is the effect of weather, not climate.
In other news, Mt. Baker is looking at maybe opening next week:
Tuesday December 10 - Pre-Season Update
After some anxious waiting, we are finally seeing snow headed our way!
The forecast is looking positive; we should see a fair amount of new snow hit Mt. Baker Ski Area over the coming week and based on the forecast we have the potential to do setup early next week with a good possibility of opening as early as middle of next week! This depends, of course, on how the weather unfolds, so stay tuned here for daily updates and the most up-to-date info on Opening Day.
November has been an unseasonably dry month - time for the jet stream to shift back to its normal path and deliver us some moisture... R. U. Listening?
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