WENATCHEE — It may be Black Friday in town, but some parts of North Central Washington woke up to a white Friday.

Some 5 inches of new snow coated the Methow Valley, and 7 inches had fallen in areas north of Lake Chelan.

Mission Ridge Ski & Board Resort got 2 to 4 inches of new snow on Thursday, and trace amounts overnight, said marketing director Jordan Lindstrom.

They’ve also been making snow in preparation for today’s opening.

“Things are looking amazing,” Lindstrom said this morning. “This is probably the best opening for coverage in 10 to 15 years.”

The ski area planned to operate three chairs today, and by 8 a.m., the parking lot was filling up, and lines were forming at the chairlifts, Lindstrom said.

“It’s snowing pretty hard at Stevens Pass right now,” Jon Fox, meteorologist in Spokane, said this morning. He said the heaviest snow so far had fallen north of Lake Chelan, where an estimated 7 inches fell since Thursday morning on Park Ridge.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the west slopes of the North Cascades until noon today, where 8 to 12 inches of snow is forecast to fall today.

A winter weather advisory is in effect until 4 p.m. for the east slopes of the Cascades, along with the Methow Valley, Stehekin and the Okanogan Highlands. Two to five inches of snow is forecast for the valleys, with 7 to 12 inches predicted for the mountains.

He said rain is in today’s forecast for the Wenatchee Valley, including Leavenworth.

But travelers here for the weekend needn’t be too concerned about getting home. The threat of snow will drop off tonight, and travel conditions will improve for the rest of the weekend, he said.

Little to no precipitation is expected for the remainder of the weekend.

Pass reports this morning show traction tires advised on Stevens Pass, with snow and ice on the roadway. Traction tires were also advised on Blewett and Snoqualmie passes, but the roadway is bare and wet, with slush in places.

K.C. Mehaffey: 997-2512

mehaffey@wenatcheeworld.com