SEATTLE - It's bad news for drivers, but great news for skiers.

A strong storm pushed through the Northwest Friday, bringing the region's first heavy mountain snowfall of the season.

As much as 10-18 inches of snow had fallen in the passes by Friday, with Snoqualmie Summit ski resort reporting 14 inches and Stevens Pass at 18 inches.

Chains were required on all vehicles except 4-wheel drive on Snoqualmie Pass Friday afternoon and traffic control was in place to limit the amount of traffic on the road at any one time. That was lifted Friday night.

Conditions were better Saturday morning, but more snow was on the way. Another 6-12 inches were expected in occasional heavy snow showers and then another 4-8 inches Saturday night.

But conditions were expected to deteriorate Sunday, with another big storm coming in by midday and lasting through Monday, bringing several inches once again, perhaps as much as 1-2 feet.

As we said through, there is some great news for skiers, and that is there is so much snow expected, Crystal Mountain ski resort announced Friday that they are planning on opening for the season on Wednesday. They are expecting 40-50" of snow by then.

For more information:

Current pass reports