UPDATE: Winter storm to slam Cascade Range, bring 20 to 40 inches of snow

UPDATE, Friday, 10:53 a.m.: Heavy snow is expected to blanket mountain passes in the Cascade Range this weekend, creating hardship for drivers. Snow levels are expected to drop to 3,000 feet Friday night and again on Saturday and into Sunday. Snow accumulations could reach 20 to 30 inches by Sunday, with more expected next week.

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The largest snowfall of the season is expected to hit Western Oregon during the next six days, dropping snow on mountain passes and bringing 20 to 40 inches of powder to the Cascade Range.

A system of cold air should transform the heavy rain into heavy snow above 4,000 feet beginning Wednesday night, forecasters with the National Weather Service in Portland said, in a winter storm projected to last through the weekend.

Snow is expected to slam Willamette and Santiam passes with 3 to 7 inches overnight, with up to 10 inches by Thursday evening. By Friday, the snow level is expected to drop to around 3,700 feet.

“This should be the biggest snow accumulation for the Cascades so far this year,” said Gerald Macke, a metrological technician with NOAA. “We’re going to see wave after wave of moisture that’s not going to stop until next week, and above 4,000 feet, that should all fall as snow.”

The storm will allow Mount Hood Meadows, the largest ski area on Mount Hood, to open for daily operation on Friday, resort spokesman Dave Tragethon said. Mount Bachelor and Timberline Lodge are currently open daily, while Anthony Lakes Ski Area in Eastern Oregon is open weekends.

It remains unclear whether lower-elevation ski areas such as Hoodoo, Mount Hood Skibowl and Willamette Pass Resort, which lost much of their snowpack during the heavy rains, will open following the storm's completion.

The projected numbers — always to be taken with a grain of salt — are eye-popping.

Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood and Willamette Pass in the Central Cascades could see 20 to 40 inches, while Crater Lake National Park could get upwards of 50 inches by early next week.

This story will be updated with plans for ski areas opening as they arrive.