Snow, slide risk close Highway 20 east of Diablo

A section of the North Cascades Highway closed to all traffic Thursday morning, Nov. 12, because of snow and and anticipated heavy rain over the pass.

The highway is closed between milepost 134, east of Diablo, and milepost 171, 14 miles west of Mazama.

The area already has 2 feet of snow, with more anticipated followed by heavy rainfall. That will increase the risk of mudslides and avalanches, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.

This is not the permanent winter closure of that section of the highway, though it’s possible it will remain closed if conditions worsen. WSDOT crews will re-evaluate the situation Monday to determine if it can be reopened.

Last year, the Highway 20 pass closed temporarily on Nov. 23, then permanently Nov. 24 and reopened April 3, 2015.

This story was originally published November 12, 2015 at 11:06 AM with the headline "Snow, slide risk close Highway 20 east of Diablo."