SNOQUALMIE PASS, Wash. —
Snoqualmie Pass is on its way to having a snowpack. As of Monday evening, 11 inches of snow are on the ground thanks to the fresh 8 inches of snow in the last day.
This is the first significant snow of the season. Deanna Reynolds, a Washington State Department of Transportation highway maintenance worker described the new snow as “snowball snow.”
“I mean, look how easily this moves,” she said as she shoveled snow along the rest stop on Snoqualmie Pass.
A group of snowboarders nearby made use of the fresh snow and created a small run just across the street from the Summit at Snoqualmie lift. They said it will make do until the resort opens.
One snowboarder said he had to experience it firsthand, no matter what.
“Well, I went to work originally, and then I’m here now,” said Jalen Brandsoy, laughing.
The nearly 1 foot of snow is a great step in the snowpack for what could be an above-average season. This winter is on track to follow a weak La Niña trend, which favors above average snow.
During La Niña, trade winds along the equator strengthen, pushing warm ocean water away from Peru, that is then replaced by colder water. This pushes the jet stream more to the north, keeping the southwest parts of the U.S. drier and the northwest cooler and possibly more wet.
National Weather Service records show that the average snow for Snoqualmie Pass is 412 inches for the season. Of the 12 weak La Ninas on record, the average is 456 inches of snow, so about 3.5 feet more than normal.