Winter hits Western Washington, blankets region with snow. More snow later this week?
Winter finally hit Western Washington Monday, blanketing the region with enough snow to shut down schools, snarl traffic and knock out power to thousands of homes.
Around two inches fell in Tacoma, some areas of Seattle saw up to five inches and North Bend reported a whopping 10 inches.
As it snowed overnight and through the morning commute, a winter weather advisory was extended and officials pleaded with drivers to stay off the roads.
The exit from southbound Interstate 5 to state Route 7 was closed for several hours due to abandoned vehicles, and spin-outs made traffic a permanent fixture throughout the day.
Six troopers in the Tacoma area responded to about 40 collisions, and Puyallup police said they had 13 collisions between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m.
At the height of the storm, about 6,000 Tacoma Public Utilities customers were without power. Crews worked quickly to restore electricity to most within hours.
At least 14 schools districts in Pierce County declared a snow day and opted not to have classes. Several private schools and colleges did the same.
Also closed were Tacoma community centers, Pierce County libraries, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, Meadow Park Golf Course and the Tacoma-Pierce County Humane Society.
Pierce County Superior Court got a late start but opened its doors around 11 a.m.
More than five inches of snow covered Seattle-Tacoma International Airport by 5:30 a.m. Monday, and planes had to be de-iced prior to takeoff.
Although few delays were reported in the morning, several flights in the afternoon were held up more than three hours.
By mid-afternoon, more than 230 flights had been delayed and about 100 canceled.
The snow amount at Sea-Tac Airport broke the record for that date, which was 1.7 inches back in 1949.
Temperatures never crept above 33 in the Tacoma area, with a wind chill as low as 13 degrees.
Winds were about 22 mph with 34 mph gusts. Crystal Mountain was hit with 49 mph winds in the early-morning hours.
Bellingham was the coldest, with a high of 22 and a wind chill of 3 degrees.
The sunshine comes back Tuesday and Wednesday, though it is expected to stay cold and windy.
Snow is popping into the forecast for Thursday and Friday.
“Too soon to be sure about this one, but keep it in mind,” Cliff Mass, a University of Washington meteorologist, wrote in his blog.
This story was originally published February 4, 2019 at 8:12 AM.
