MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — Some residents in northwestern Washington woke up to several inches of snow on Tuesday, taking the brunt of a weather system that barely dusted some areas around the south Puget Sound.
Fifteen inches of snow piled up in Blaine, near the Canadian border. Bellingham also got blasted with a foot of snow. Eleven inches of accumulated in Port Angeles. Up to nine inches was reported in Mount Vernon. Oak Harbor reported nearly seven inches of snow, while farther south, Bainbridge Island reported just an inch and a half.
In Kitsap County, county buildings closed early due to inclement weather. The county confirmed the continued opening of several cold weather shelters and noted several intermittent road closures due to conditions.
Snow totals in Kitsap County varied dependent on city and neighborhood, with National Weather Service reports ranging from .8 inches in Bremerton to more than 9 inches in Seabeck.
Over in Skagit County, Ron Kesti was on the road long before most people woke up Tuesday morning.
His day driving a plow for Skagit County Public Works began at 4:30 a.m., trying to keep the roads safe for everyone.
"The conditions are terrible," he said. "They're a sheet of ice. People need to slow down."
Kesti is one of about eight plow and sanding truck drivers in his district working 12-hour shifts or longer, right now.
By 2:30 in the afternoon Kesti was hauling his third, 8-ton load of sand.
At that point, Kesti reported he, alone, had already covered 100 miles.
"Snow plowing is my least favorite time of year," he said, "but it's part of the job."
About nine inches of snow came down in Mount Vernon Monday night, burying sidewalks and driveways.
As Walter Coburn shoveled his sidewalk he said despite the heavy snow it was still a welcome day off.
"I think it's awesome!" he said. "I don't have to be to work today so it's not bad. I get to enjoy it!"
But for the rest of us, it was rough.
The morning commute north from Snohomish County went through white-out conditions, at times.
Speeds struggled to reach 40 mph. Several spinouts and crashes were reported. A wreck on I-5 at the Boeing freeway blocked 3 lanes of traffic.
In fact, it was often tough to decipher any lanes on I-5 through Snohomish County, at all.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) tweeted that, statewide, many snow plows are primarily being used for sanding because deicer is no longer effective. The agency advised drivers to be prepared for hazardous conditions for several days.
WSDOT also warned that even though a road looks plowed there is a good chance it's still covered with solid ice.
For Kesti, the miles, hours and snow keep piling up -- the work of a county plow driver is tireless and too often thankless.
"Just be patient," he said, "there's only so many of us."