The Oregon Department of Transportation closed McKenzie Pass Highway on Friday, earlier than expected following a recent dumping of snow.
Earlier this week, ODOT announced state Highway 242, running between Sisters and Belknap Springs, would close next week. Higher than anticipated snowfall changed that plan, according to ODOT.
The windy highway over the 5,325-foot pass closes each snow season. The earliest closure was on Oct. 18, 1996, and the latest was on Jan. 10, 1939, according to ODOT. Last year it closed on Nov. 14.