SEATTLE - The compact snow and ice is still creating big headache for people just trying to get out of their driveways and parking lots, and even with a fresh layer of snow, it's the same old problems for drivers.

The slippery conditions led to plenty of close calls and fender-benders Saturday.

In addition, 13,000 PUD customers in Snohomish County lost power Sunday morning.

The snow started to move in just after noon coating the roads and creating new concerns for drivers. Some drivers in Bellevue didn't risk injury and abandoned their cars.

Snow affected traffic on I-5, I-90 and I-405. Although it moved through fairly rapidly, the flurries turned into light showers and ended by 5 p.m.

However, temperatures reached freezing temperatures Saturday night, so roads will stay icy all weekend.

Tow truck drivers are working overtime and most area roads closed Thursday may remain that way until Monday.

"It's getting cold at night, it is freezing up again and we are getting as much ice as we've had in the last couple days,” said Jim Pickett of Pacific Police.

"Everything's frozen so it takes a little longer," said one tow truck driver. "I have to use a hammer on a lot of stuff just to get it loose."

From the Eastside to West Seattle, many roads are still covered with ice. Main thoroughfares are in decent shape, but drivers are likely to find the worst conditions in their own neighborhoods on side roads. One Department of Transportation officials said Friday West Seattle probably had the worst road conditions in the city.

Cold snap to last through weekend

Saturday's temperatures were only slightly higher than Friday, with Seattle temperatures in the mid to low 30's.

Another cold system is expected to hit on Sunday delivering some more flurries. Temperatures will gradually warm up early next week to the normal range around this year, which is in the 30s and 40s.

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Expect to see lower to mid-30s for Seattle and the rest of Western Washington, said KING 5's Nick Allard. Next week high pressure settles in over the state for a pattern of morning clouds and fog and afternoon sunshine. Temperatures will be near normal getting into the low to mid 40s.

In the mountain passes, the Transportation Department reports I-90 at Snoqualmie Pass is mostly bare with ice in places. Highway Two across Stevens Pass has compact snow and ice, and traction tires are advised.

More homeless seek warmth

The frigid cold is forcing more of the areas homeless to seek shelter from the cold, and cities are expanding services to meet their needs.

"The longer it's cold, the more people, even the tougher people, will come in," said Al Poole, director of homeless intervention for Seattle's Human Services Department.

Seattle officials are asking workers at Seattle Center, Seattle public libraries and homeless day centers to "relax the rules a little bit and just be more welcoming to homeless people" seeking warmth during daylight hours, Poole said.

King County's homeless shelters have roughly 2,500 beds, 80 to 90 percent of them at centers within Seattle city limits, Poole said. The city also has most of the drop-in centers, where people can stay warm, shower, or do laundry during the day.

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Drivers frustrated by Wednesday's stop and go traffic during the evening commute parked their cars on the side of the road overnight on Seattle's Eastside.

City officials have also opened two coed overflow shelters, one at Seattle Center and the other at the Compass Center, which also operates a regular shelter, Poole said.

Shelters around Bellevue are also filling up.

"We are getting some calls, but we're full," said Steve Roberts, who runs Congregations for the Homeless, a shelter for single homeless men. It can serve 30 men, Roberts said, and six or seven are waiting to get in.

In Snohomish County, there were still openings at shelters but workers were prepared to open the emergency operations center if necessary, said Deanna Dawson, the county's executive director for law, justice and social services.

Meanwhile, the men's shelter in the King County Administration Building in Seattle and the women's shelter, at Angeline's Day Center in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood, have been full, said Carole Antoncich, the county's coordinator of homeless housing programs.

Schools may get snow days repreive

State officials say some school districts may get a reprieve in making up class days that were canceled because of bad weather. That word comes from Jennifer Priddy, assistant superintendent of public instruction for financial services in Olympia.

The idea is to exempt school districts from having to make up lost time for cancellations on the day of a disaster announcement by Governor Chris Gregoire and the succeeding days. It could be announced as early as today.

Priddy tells The Seattle Times the move is intended to ease the strain on school districts that have been hard hit by cancellations because of snow and other bad weather. The move amounts to an emergency amendment of the state law that requires 180 days of classes a year.

School districts already can request a makeup waiver after having to cancel classes for three consecutive days, but Priddy says waivers under that rule are rarely approved.