An early season snow storm, followed by gusty wind conditions, have forced the state Transportation Department to close Chinook and Cayuse passes for the winter because of avalanche danger.

The department says strong winds drifted snow today across both state routes 410 and 123 on the east side of Mount Rainier National Park.

Access to the Crystal Mountain Ski Resort off state Route 410 remains open.

Chinook and Cayuse typically close in November for the winter.

Chinook Pass finally opened for the season today. That’s about a month later than it normally takes the Washington State Transportation Department to clear snow from the 5,430-foot-high pass on state Route 410 between. The pass provides access between Enumclaw and Naches and serves as the northeast entrance to Mount Rainier National Park.

Meanwhile, park crews have cleared the road to the Sunrise visitors center. But park staff and volunteers are still digging out the snow from around the buildings and working to restore power and water service.

Superintendent Dave Uberuaga told the Associated Press he can’t say for sure …

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The effort to clear snow from Chinook Pass continues, but it might not be until the end of the month before the roadway opens.

State Route 410 crosses the 5,430-foot-high pass in the northeast corner of Mount Rainier National Park.

The latest report from the State Department of Transportation said: “Crews clearing snow have reached the summit parking area from the east, and are two miles below the summit coming from the west. Crews continue to make good progress even though snow and warming temperatures triggered a number of avalanches last weekend.”

With heavy snow in the forecast, the Washington State Transportation Department has closed Cayuse and Chinook passes for the winter, the Associated Press has reported.

The passes at Mount Rainier typically close for the winter this time of year. They were shut for the season at noon.

The National Weather Service says the snow level will fall below 2,000 feet, and a storm is expected to drop 6 to 20 inches of snow in the Olympics and Cascades through Wednesday.

The forecast for the northeast corner of the park calls for the bulk of the snow to fall on Wednesday.