January 2012

Freezing rain and snow mix continues to fall in the region. Residents should use caution if they must commute to work, and are urged to telecommute on Thursday if possible. Snow and ice did not melt off roadways overnight.

While road crews worked through the night, this morning drivers and bus riders are being met with potentially worse road conditions than yesterday due to cold temperatures and freezing rain. Individuals who must travel to work today should take their time, be patient, and emphasize safety over getting to their destination quickly.

King County Operations: Some King County agencies are reporting altered operations today, Thursday. Updated closures are posted online in real time at www.kingcounty.gov. Here is a list of operations that are currently affected:

Photographer David Rosen was out early, just after 5 am and did a driving survey of West Seattle providing a photographic record of the snowfall on area roads.

Rosen shot photos of both the lower level and upper level West Seattle Bridges as well as Alki Avenue, the West Seattle Junction, California Avenue and Admiral Way.

From what he could see the efforts of the Seattle Department of Transportation were very effective. They pretreated roads with brine and deicer and then followed up with more plus plowing and sand. Light traffic and Metro buses on snow routes made for a reasonably easy drive around the area.

He went back out around 4 pm to take another look at those photos are at the end of the slide show but showed similar work had been done to keep the arterials clear of problems despite the steady downpour of snow.

The weather report from the National Weather Service at 6 a.m. on Jan. 18 is showing the possibility of an additional 2 - 4 inches of snow with winds peaking at mid-20 mph.

Snow remains possible through tonight, transitioning to a rain/snow mix on Thursday and rain by Thursday night.

The following report is for Burien. Although surrounding area reports (North Highline, Tukwila, SeaTac, Des Moines and Normandy Park)are similar, you can check your specific National Weather Service report here.

Today: Snow. High near 30. Blustery, with a east wind 10 to 13 mph becoming north northeast between 19 and 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.

Tonight: A chance of snow. Cloudy, with a low around 28. North wind between 9 and 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Thursday: Rain and snow. Snow level rising to 700 feet. High near 35. North wind between 8 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

The Tukwila School District, in addition to Highline Schools and Seattle Christian Schools, are closed on Wednesday, Jan. 18 due to inclement weather.

press release:
With a major snow storm forecast to hit King County on Wednesday, King County Metro Transit is keeping most of its buses on snow routing until further notice, and is canceling 27 individual bus routes thismmorning, due to the predicted severity of the storm.

The routes expected to be canceled on Wednesday are:
2EX*, 38, 42, 45, 46, 51, 53, 79, 114, 161, 162, 175, 192, 193, 197,
205, 210, 215, 216, 219, 224, 237, 251, 268, 277, 316 & 355.

* Route 2 Local service will operate according to its designated snow route.

For most parts of most of these routes there is alternative service nearby. Bus riders are advised to check the snow routing and operating status of all service before traveling, and note the following information.

If there is major snowfall, bus service will be significantly disrupted and delayed. People should avoid traveling if at all possible.

Due to the weather forecast for treacherous and impassable roadways, Metro is scaling back some service on Wednesday morning in order to be able to operate the rest of its system as safely and reliably as possible.

The following districts and schools are closed on Friday, Jan. 20 as the region continues to struggle with the storm.

Highline School District

Tukwila School District

Seattle Christian Schools

JFK High School

Here are the latest details from King County Metro (as of 5 p.m., Jan. 17), currently operating on Snow Routes with plans to cancel 30 routes tomorrow, unless the storm doesn't materialize:

Snow routing continues for Metro buses, with additional route cancellations scheduled for Wednesday
Service may be added back in morning if snow storm is less severe than predicted

With a major snow storm forecast to hit King County early Wednesday, King County Metro Transit is keeping its buses on snow routing until future notice. It is also planning on canceling up to 30 individual bus routes Wednesday morning due to the predicted severity of the coming storm.

Bus riders should sign up for Transit Alerts to receive notification of route cancellations, but also check the service status before traveling on Wednesday. If there is major snowfall, bus service will be significantly disrupted and delayed. People should avoid traveling if at all possible.

All Seattle Public Schools will be closed on Wednesday, Jan. 18 because of predicted winter weather that might make it difficult and potentially unsafe to transport students to schools.

Between five and 10 inches of snow is predicted to fall in south Seattle. All after school events are cancelled Tuesday night and will be cancelled on Wednesday night. This includes games, practices, events, plays, meetings, etc.

The John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence will remain open. Employees are asked to monitor email and voicemail in the morning for any additional news, and to use best judgment when commuting to work. A decision on whether or not to postpone Wednesday’s School Board meeting will be made by noon.

On Tuesday, a change in weather patterns meant Seattle Public Schools had both a two-hour delayed start and a two-hour early dismissal. Interim Superintendent Dr. Susan Enfield apologized for the inconvenience to families, students and staff, but stressed that decisions are made erring on the side of caution.

UPDATE, SUNDAY:

Over 40 curious and concerned citizens, plus five engineers from Kiewit-Massman packed into Napoli ’s Pizzeria in South Park Saturday, Jan. 21. A slideshow and lecture was offered by King County to update the public on the progress of the construction of the new South Park Bridge.

"We're looking at September, 2013 to complete the bridge," Tim Lane, King County Bridge Deputy Project Engineer, revealed to the public. "They're out there double-shifting, six days a week, whatever it takes."

He was referring to workers with the prime contractor, Kiewit-Massman, and others, who, he said, were not hindered much by the snow storm.

"This is our first chance to show what we're doing out there," he continued. "There's been a lot of construction. Frankly, you can't see anything yet because everything is going down into the river. We keep building it and sinking it. I'm very excited. It's on schedule and on budget. We're looking good now. There's a lot of interest on this bridge. People have embraced this project."

While there is disagreement as to the amount of snow we can expect with estimates ranging from 2 to 6 inches to more than a foot there's little doubt that a major winter snow event is heading right for us and will arrive some time in the early morning hours of Wednesday, Jan. 18.
Here's the National Weather Service forecast. They've issued a Winter Storm Warning after 10pm.

Winter Storm Warning
Winter Weather Advisory
Short Term Forecast

Late Afternoon: Rain and snow showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. North northeast wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Tonight: Rain and snow showers likely before 10pm, then snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 26. Northeast wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.