Oregon mountain passes to get 10-20 inches of snow, Bachelor to reopen

A winter weather advisory has been issued for Oregon’s Cascade mountain passes due to 10-20 inches of snow forecast from Thursday to Friday.

The advisory applies mainly above 3,000 feet, including Santiam Pass (Highway 20), Willamette Pass (Highway 58) and the Mount Hood/Government Camp area (Highway 26).

The heaviest snow is expected Thursday night into Friday morning.

In response, Oregon's two highest ski areas announced reopenings or considered it. Mount Bachelor said it would reopen on Friday while Timberline plans to open "as soon as possible," after previous indications it would open on Saturday. Both had previous openings scuttled by last week's warm rain.

Driving over Oregon's mountain passes could be a challenge, with winds gusting as high as 35 to 45 mph on exposed ridges, which could make travel hazardous.

The advisory ends at 10 a.m. Friday, although a few inches of additional snow is possible Friday and Saturday. Temperatures turn warm by Sunday, however, and last into early next week.

That rain could make it a challenge for Oregon's lower elevation ski areas such as Hoodoo, Willamette Pass, Mount Hood Skibowl and even Mount Hood Meadows to open.

Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 15 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. To support his work, subscribe to the Statesman Journal. Urness is the author of “Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon” and “Hiking Southern Oregon.” He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon mountain passes forecast to get 10-20 inches of snow