• Evening Magazine
  • :
  • Up Front
  • :
  • Ciscoe
  • :
  • NW Backroads
  • :
  • :
  • Member Center
  • :
  • Offers
KING Web  



KING 5 on Twitter
KING 5 on Facebook
   
CurrentlyDopplerLive Cams
73°
Haze
Forecast | 5-day | Closings/Delays | Traffic Report
Comments | Recommended

Another snow storm visits region

10:52 PM PST on Thursday, December 27, 2007

Associated Press and KING5.com Staff

Video

Snow sticking along Hood Canal

SEATTLE - Snow fell, off and on, all over the Puget Sound region Thursday.

One of the hardest hit spots is along Hood Canal. Potlatch State Park received a good 3 to 4 inches of new snow.

Storm total snowfall amounts thus far have been in the 5- to 10-inch range. Paradise received 9 inches, Mount Baker 8 inches, Snoqualmie Pass 8 inches, Stevens Pass 5 inchs.

Another 3 to 6 inches is likely to fall by noon Friday, bringing the storm total to 8 to 15 inches.

The steady snow will taper off to scattered showers Friday afternoon.

A snow advisory remains in effect for the Olympics until 6 a.m. Friday. Another 1 to 3 inches of snow is likely to fall overnight.

Some folks enjoyed the white stuff, but for others it's bringing back some bad memories. The last time it snowed this much was December 1. It all melted two days later, contributing to landslides and floods across Western Washington.

"I'm really hoping it's not going to flood again," said Colin Ward. "I think we're all thinking when this snow melts... we'll be in for it again."

Snow started falling in the Hood Canal early in the morning - it was reported at 3 a.m. in Shelton. Ward said the streets were slick on Highway 101 in the region.

"It was very bad," he said. "My girlfriend, down the street, went off into the ditch."

Snow fell over Snohomish County and most of the rest of the interior above about 300 feet.

Snow in the mountains will make travel difficult through the Cascades passes. The Washington State Department of Transportation says it's snowing at Snoqualmie and Stevens passes, though road conditions were good and traction tires are advised at Snoqualmie, Stevens and White passes. Nonethless, drivers are carrying chains in preparation for heavy snow and if transportation officials require chains.

KING

Light snow was falling in Marysville early Thursday morning.

It's a $500 fine for not chaining up your car when chains are required.

In Eastern Washington, forecasters are advising of snow on the east slopes of the Cascades, Yakima Valley, Wenatchee and northeast mountains. Forecasters have issued a storm watch for the Palouse.

Crews work around the clock to keep passes clear

State DOT workers have been pulling 12-hour shifts with hardly a day off to keep I-90 open.

It's not just the plow drivers, mechanics also have to keep the plows, graders and snowblowers in great mechanical shape, and the office staff keeps on top of those signs warning of ice and danger ahead.

Ron Goodrich is one of those guys who makes Snoqualmie Pass "passable." And in the last two weeks, he's put in 77 hours of overtime. He's not alone, and some drivers have more than that. He worked Christmas, as one of the 17 out of 25 drivers who did.

"This is my first year, but I'm told it's not that unusual," he said. "It just depends on Mother Nature. The more it snows, the more we work."

Winter on Snoqualmie pass didn't get off to an early start, but when it did come, it came in with a vengeance. Sixteen out of the last 17 days saw snow, with 100 inches in just the last two weeks alone. That's more than 8 feet.

Eleven days required avalanche control work. Lee Redden is an avalanche control forecaster.  He even triggers some of the controlled slides.

"We know what comes with the territory, and we all know we're gong to work weekends and holidays, and that's part of the job," he said.

Advertisement



Most Recommended

Most Commented


Marketplace
Used cars | Advice
Sell a car
Find a dealer
½ Price Deals
Buy ½ price
certificates here
Looking for a great local job or a great local employee?
»Click here to search
Use our home search
or condo map
»Find a home
»Explore new condos