UPDATE: I-90 reopened, snow switches to rain across most of Seattle region

A Quiet Pike Place Market on a snowy day in Seattle.

Mother Nature brought winter back to Seattle Sunday night and early Monday, with several inches of snow falling across the Puget Sound region and much more in areas closer to the Cascade foothills.

Snowfall ranging from an inch or two downtown to as much as 14 inches in Graham triggered school closures, road closures or delays, and airport backups.

Traffic issues were reported across Seattle Monday morning, and farther afield, Interstate 90 was closed from North Bend over Snoqualmie Pass to Ellensburg while crews performed avalanche control.

The pass reopened just after 2 p.m., with chains required on all vehicles except those with four- or all-wheel-drive.

Up to 86,000 people were without power across Western Washington Monday afternoon, including 6,300 Seattle City Light customers. Limbs and power lines weighted down with snow continued to trigger outages, sometimes after power to an area had just been restored, Puget Sound Energy reported.

School closures included Seattle, Auburn, Bellevue, Bellingham, Bothell, Issaquah. Lake Washington, North Thurston, Olympia, Puyallup, and Tacoma.

The University of Washington and Seattle University were closed and Seattle Pacific University was scheduled to open late.

Caption

A snowy Space Needle stands out from Seattle’s skyline after a few inches fell in the early hours of Monday, Feb. 6, 2017.

A Jeep heads north on First Avenue West in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood on Monday morning.

A couple walks with dogs down 36th Avenue SW in West Seattle Monday morning. Several inches of snow fell across the Puget Sound region Sunday night and Monday morning, making for slow roads and plenty of work for residents clearing cars and shoveling sidewalks.

Two people with dogs cross 35th Avenue SW in West Seattle Monday morning. Several inches of snow fell across the Puget Sound region Sunday night and Monday morning, making for slow roads and plenty of work for residents clearing cars and shoveling sidewalks.

The House family shovels snow in front of their house in West Seattle Monday morning. Several inches of snow fell across the Puget Sound region Sunday night and Monday morning, making for slow roads and plenty of work for residents clearing cars and shoveling sidewalks.

A car drives slowly down 36th Avenue SW in West Seattle Monday morning. Several inches of snow fell across the Puget Sound region Sunday night and Monday morning, making for slow roads and plenty of work for residents clearing cars and shoveling sidewalks.

Several inches of snow fell across the Puget Sound region Sunday night and Monday morning, making for slow roads and plenty of work for residents clearing cars and shoveling sidewalks.

A man walks south through the snow along 35th Avenue SW in West Seattle Monday morning. Several inches of snow fell across the Puget Sound region Sunday night and Monday morning, making for slow roads and plenty of work for residents clearing cars and shoveling sidewalks. Daniel DeMay/Seattlepi.com

The number 21 Metro bus heads north along 35th Avenue SW Monday morning, chained up for traction in the snowy weather. Several inches of snow fell across the Puget Sound region Sunday night and Monday morning, making for slow roads and plenty of work for residents clearing cars and shoveling sidewalks. Daniel DeMay/Seattlepi.com

A man waits to cross Southwest Roxbury Street in West Seattle Monday morning. Several inches of snow fell across the Puget Sound region Sunday night and Monday morning, making for slow roads and plenty of work for residents clearing cars and shoveling sidewalks. Daniel DeMay/Seattlepi.com

Cars parked along 35th Avenue SW Monday morning were enveloped in the heavy snow that continued to fall. Several inches of snow fell across the Puget Sound region Sunday night and Monday morning, making for slow roads and plenty of work for residents clearing cars and shoveling sidewalks. Daniel DeMay/Seattlepi.com

Sea-Tac Airport measured 3.7 inches of snowfall early Monday morning, and arriving flights were averaging 1 hour and 28 minutes late. Departing flights were also under heavy delays due to the backup from incoming planes. About 80 flights were cancelled, according to a spokesperson.

School closures included Seattle, Auburn, Bellevue, Bellingham, Bothell, Issaquah. Lake Washington, North Thurston, Olympia, Puyallup, and Tacoma.

Snowy roads also caused Seattle Public Utilities to cancel solid waste pickup Monday. The utility said in an announcement that pickup would resume Tuesday, and most customers’ service would likely be delayed a day this week.

The National Weather Service predicted snow to continue to fall across the region Monday, with a winter storm warning in effect until 4 p.m. By 2 p.m., most areas around Seattle saw the snow switch to rain or precipitation taper off altogether.

A high of 37 degrees was expected Monday, with it warming to 39 Tuesday.

Daniel DeMay covers Seattle culture, business and transportation for seattlepi.com. He can be reached at 206-448-8362 or danieldemay@seattlepi.com. Follow him on Twitter: @Daniel_DeMay.

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