More snow closes major freeway in Washington state

SEATTLE (AP) — Another blast of snow halted travel on a large portion of the main east-west highway across Washington state and also snarled traffic in the Seattle and Portland, Oregon, metro areas. Authorities closed about 80 miles (129 kilometers) of Interstate 90 over the Cascade Mountains “due to near zero visibility and adverse road conditions.” The highway was closed from about 4:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday. A storm that moved in overnight dumped up to 3 inches in parts of Seattle and even more outside the city. The state transportation department says Snoqualmie Pass east of Seattle saw more than 9 inches of new snow.