OUTDOOR TRAVEL --The North Cascades Highway is closed for the winter after an avalanche assessment on Tuesday determined transportation workers could not safely reopen it.

The 37-mile stretch of Highway 20 between Mazama and Newhalem closes every winter due to avalanche danger.

The highway temporarily closed at 9:30 a.m. Sunday after a snowslide in the Liberty Bell zone east of Washington Pass.

Between 15 and 20 inches of new snow is forecast at high elevations through the Thanksgiving holiday period, state Department of Transportation spokesman Jeff Adamson said.

Last year, the highway closed for the season on Dec. 3. It reopened on May 8.

Chinook and Cayuse passes also have been closed for the season after heavy weekend snow.  Chinook is on Highway 410 and Cayuse on Highway 123, both are in the Cascades on the east side of Mount Rainier National Park.