SEATTLE — Hundreds of schools throughout western Washington are either delayed or canceled Monday as students return from winter break.
Many of those schools are on two-hour delay citing weather-related reasons. Buses for some districts are on snow routes.
The schedule changes and cancellations come as some areas continue to deal with winter weather and the aftermath of two snowstorms that began after Christmas and continued into last week.
Seattle Public Schools canceled classes Monday so students and staff could get tested for COVID-19. The district will be providing rapid antigen COVID-19 testing at 12 middle school locations from 1-4 p.m. Monday. Click here for more information.
Easterly winds kept temperatures below freezing overnight Sunday into Monday in the Cascade foothills. The National Weather Service (NWS) said snow levels dropped to the surface in Kitsap in Snohomish counties overnight.
The NWS issued a Winter Storm Warning for the east Puget Sound lowlands until 10 a.m. Monday. The NWS said heavy wet snow is expected to continue, with 2-4 inches of total accumulation.
The NWS said areas near Everett could get up to an inch of additional snow accumulation by Monday morning.
A Winter Storm Warning is also in effect for the Cascades of Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, King, Pierce and Lewis counties until 4 p.m. The warning includes the Mount Baker and Crystal Mountain ski areas and Stevens and Snoqualmie passes. Heavy snow is expected in areas above 1,500 feet with additional snow accumulations of 6-12 inches possible.
A Coastal Flood Advisory is in effect Monday for the coast, as well as portions of Kitsap County and the south Sound area. Minor flooding is possible around high tide, which may lead to flooding of parking lots, parks, and roads. The NWS said only isolated roads closures are expected.
There is a high avalanche danger for the east slopes of the Washington Cascades south of I-90 and the Mount Hood areas until Monday evening.