Snow, mudslides halt travel, knock out power

? Avalanches and mudslides closed a major highway overnight and blocked Amtrak train service Monday amid the latest in a series of storms that have drenched the Northwest since December.

The storm that hit on Sunday also knocked out power and phone service in northwest Oregon.

Interstate 90, Washington state’s main east-west artery, was closed Sunday evening by two snowslides in the area of 3,022-foot Snoqualmie Pass. A 72-mile stretch of the interstate remained shut down until late Monday morning, the state Transportation Department said. No injuries were reported.

Nearly 40 inches of snow fell at the pass in four days.

Mudslides during the night north of Seattle halted Amtrak passenger service and Sounder commuter trains between Seattle and Everett, Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad spokesman Gus Melonas said. That affected service from Portland, Ore., to Vancouver, British Columbia.

Olympia, Wash., on Monday reported 2.8 inches of rain in 24 hours.