Foot of spring snow forecast in Cascades

April showers? Count on it today — and some snow.

The mountain passes are expected to be hit with more than a foot of powder this weekend, delivering a grand finale to ski resorts as the season comes to a close.

And snow was reported this morning in the lowland areas around Seattle, just weeks after a rare spring storm dumped icy rain and snow throughout Western Washington.

This latest round of snow and rain is indeed unusual, forecasters say. The last time Seattle-area residents contended with snow this late in the season was more than three decades ago, when Seattle-Tacoma International Airport reported snow on April 17, 1972, said Johnny Burg, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Cameras captured it snowing briefly from Edmonds to Everett earlier, but that's already melted, said meteorologist Chris Burke.

Residents this morning spotted snowflakes sticking in Ferndale, Whatcom County, and wet snow mixed with rain in North Seattle, Burg said.

But snow has to fall at Sea-Tac Airport today to set another record, he said this morning. It's 45 degrees there now.

Skiers and area resorts continue to reap the benefits. .

"We've had powdery snow practically the whole season," said Duncan Howat, general manager at Mount Baker. "This is a great end for what's already been a record season for us."

In the Seattle-area lowlands, low temperatures will be near freezing, with the snow level dropping to 1,000 feet.

"There will be places that will see a mix of rain and snow, but it won't stick," Burg said. "It will probably surprise some people."

Howat expects some will happily head to the mountains to get their final ski or snowboard fix of the season.

"It's going to be so dang cold on Saturday, you can't really do anything else. You might as well come out and ski," he said. "It looks like there will be good-quality powder snow to be had."

The Summit at Snoqualmie will be open Saturday and Sunday, and Mount Baker will operate lifts today through Sunday.

Crystal Mountain and Stevens Pass closed last Sunday and have no plans to reopen, despite the white windfall.

"It was a great winter, with 481 inches of snow — well over 100 inches more than the average annual. So thank you, La Niña," said a recording at Crystal Mountain.

Years ago, Mount Baker used to operate well into May — and even went until July 4 once during the 1970s, Howat said. But now its season concludes in late April, ending this year on April 27.

The Summit at Snoqualmie will keep its Summit Central base open until Sunday, spokeswoman Holly Lippert said. The Alpental base, with advanced black and double-black diamond runs, is scheduled to close May 5. Managers at the Summit at Snoqualmie are still "kicking around" the idea of extending the season, Lippert said.

For now, both Snoqualmie and Mount Baker will continue to operate on limited spring schedules.

"Traditionally we are not that busy this time of year, but that hasn't been the case at all," Lippert said. "We're anticipating a healthy crowd this weekend."

For those who stay in the lowlands, highs today and Saturday are expected to hover in the 40s, with lows in the 30s. This time of year, highs typically approach 60, according to the weather service.

It's expected to be chilly enough that "during the daytime on Friday and Saturday, we could see some [temperature records] broken," Burg said.

Seattle Times staff reporter Karen Johnson contributed to this report. Sonia Krishnan: 206-515-5546 or skrishnan@seattletimes.com