Old Man Winter is going to make travel on the state's major roadways a treacherous undertaking for the Christmas holiday this year.

Washington State Department of Transportation (DOT) spokesperson, Lauren Loebsack, says this week's heavy snow and frigid temperatures have already created some major issues for motorists.

"Unfortunately, we've been seeing a lot of drivers who are ill-prepared for winter weather and road conditions. Those folks are the ones who are creating collisions and spinouts on I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass, which has been a big part of the reason why we've seen it closed so frequently. And that can all be avoided if folks will simply be prepared and adjust their driving for the conditions."

Loebsack says road conditions aren't likely to change for several days and drivers need to be prepared for that.

"Winter is now heavily-upon us. We will continue seeing freezing conditions until more snow falls to end the week and through the weekend. So things aren't going to be getting any better out there anytime soon. Motorists need to be realistic in planning for what the weather and road conditions will be and how much traffic they'll be dealing with."

Snoqualmie Pass is expected to receive between 11 inches and two feet of snow between Thursday night and Christmas Day, while Stevens Pass could see 8 to 16 inches, and Blewett Pass could get 4 to 10 inches over the same stretch.

The DOT expects the heaviest volumes of traffic over the Christmas holiday to be found on Interstate-90 over Snoqualmie Pass and on the eastbound lanes of U.S. Highway 2 over Stevens Pass.

The busiest days for traveling are projected to be on Friday, December 23 and Monday, December 26, with Christmas Eve, December 24, being the lightest.

Drivers can check the DOT's travel charts for Christmas Weekend by clicking here.

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