It's hot, but snow still piled high at Artist Point

BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- June around the Puget Sound is in full swing, with temperatures hitting the mid-80s.

But you'd never know it by looking at the latest pictures from Whatcom County's Artist Point.

The Washington State Department of Transportation released new photos of the departments annual snow removal from the popular viewpoint.

Artist Point is located more than 5,000 feet above sea level, and is typically buried under snow until July.

WSDOT officials said when crews first started digging out the parking lot, there was more than 16 feet of snow. They've made some headway, but are still working 10 hour days.



They hope the parking lot will be open by July 4.

Despite the heavy snowpack at Artist Point, some areas of the Cascades have lower snow than normal for this time of year. Currently, the North Puget Sound has about 80 percent of their typical snow-water equivalent, according to the USDA.

From USDA