© 97.3 KIRO FM/Tim HaeckThousands without power; State of emergency declared
Passengers wait at Sea-Tac Airport after several flights were canceled on Thursday. The airport was able to open just one of three runways. Crews are de-icing planes.
Passengers wait at Sea-Tac Airport after several flights were canceled on Thursday. The airport was able to open just one of three runways. Crews are de-icing planes.
Puget Sound Energy is reporting 180,000 customers without power, Seattle City Light has more than 6,700, Tacoma Power was reporting about 5,200, and PUD has roughly 5,100. And it may not be restored for some of those homes until the weekend.
Andy Wappler, with PSE, tells 97.3 KIRO FM the number is likely to rise throughout the day as the ice builds up and weighs down tree branches.
"Even when the ice storm ends, that ice won't be going anywhere."
Wappler says only about 20,000 were without power around 4:00 a.m., but that number grew by over 80,000 in just five hours.
To make matters worse, he says the utility trucks are having trouble getting around on the region's icy roads, which is making recovery efforts that much slower.
If the power goes out, Wappler says stay away from the line and call the utility or 911. Whatever you do, do not use a barbecue indoors to heat your house.
Puget Sound Energy serves more than 1 million electrical customers in eight Western Washington counties.
The National Weather Service has extended its Ice Storm Warning to 2:00 p.m. It's also snowing again in several areas, including downtown Seattle.
Governor Chris Gregoire has declared a state of emergency, authorizing the use of the National Guard.
"This is purely a precautionary measure," Gregoire said. "So far, we haven't received any requests for state assistance, but we know weather conditions are rapidly changing. I want to make sure we have every resource available to ensure our communities are safe. This proclamation would allow us to activate the National Guard if we need to. It also allows state agencies to respond quickly to any storm-related requests from cities and counties for state assistance. A brief waiver of the restrictions on dairy truck drivers' work hours is needed now to avoid shipment delays that could mean the loss of nearly $1 million a day for the state's dairy industry."Those who braved a morning commute are no strangers to the severity of Wednesday's snow storm and today's ice storm.
"It's mornings like this that I think are actually worse than mornings like what we were dealing with yesterday," says KING 5's Jim Guy. "You look at the roads and you think they don't look that bad, and then you get out there."
A Washington Transportation Department worker was injured in a crash on I-405 near I-5 in Lynnwood. DOT spokeswoman Jamie Holter says he's been taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Holter says the worker had responded about 6:45 a.m. Thursday to a collision in which one car slid into a barrier and was hit by another car.
The icy conditions led officials at Sea-Tac Airport to close all three runways early Thursday morning. Check your flight before you leave the house.
One runway reopened around 7:30 a.m. and a second at 11:00 a.m. Airport officials say it is very rare to have to close all the runways.
"We have one person who can remember that in the last 10 years, all runways being closed for ice," says Charla Scaggs with Sea-Tac Airport.
The NWS suggests that, if you must be out on the roads Thursday, you should carry an extra flashlight, food, water, and blankets in case of an emergency.
Wednesday saw significant accumulation in the lowlands: Lake Stevens 9", Stanwood 8.7", Lynnwood 5.5", Kent 9.8", Federal Way 5.5", Woodinville 5" Issaquah 4.3", Sea-Tac 4.2", Shoreline 3", Bellevue 2", Seattle 2", Orting 8", Tacoma 7.5", Puyallup 6", Parkland 4.8."
As it continues to warm up, Ted Buehner, with the National Weather Service, says there are two important tasks as the temperatures shift: Clear the storm drains near your house and get the snow off flat roofs.
"When it starts raining into that snow, you increase the weight of that snow dramatically," he said, recalling the collapse of roofs at the Edmonds marina in 1996.
Many forecasters continue to say that until temperatures warm and the roads are safer for travel, people should telecommute or stay home from work.
The winter driving conditions are expected to ease up as rain returns Friday when temperatures hover in the 40s.
Washington State Patrol responded to 726 accidents statewide on Wednesday morning. Many of those were spinouts, a result of driving too fast.
"You need to pick a rut and stay in it. If you get off the beaten path, you're in deep trouble," said Trooper Guy Gill. "I saw a guy in my rear mirror - I saw headlights and tail lights and headlights and tail lights again as he spun around off the road."
"For the first time in my career I had to put chains on," Gill said. "You stay in the path laid down on the freeway. You get off that, you are in trouble."
In anticipation of difficult road conditions and continuing cold temperatures many schools have canceled or delayed classes Thursday.
Those on the road have been advised by the Washington Department of Transportation to drive slowly.
97.3 KIRO FM's Brandi Kruse discovered on a ride-along with a WSP trooper on Wednesday that drivers who get into accidents can be issued a ticket for driving at "speeds not safe for the conditions."
The state patrol urges drivers to be prepared if they decide to head out on the roads.
"Our advice, be prepared, really number one is to watch what it's going to do. Keep tuned into what the weather is going to be doing. Have your vehicle full of gas. Make sure you've got some extra clothing in your vehicle, some extra food," says Trooper Keith Leary with the Washington State Patrol.
For those that choose not to get behind the wheel, King County Metro buses and Pierce Transit are running on snow routes.
A falling tree has killed a person in the ice storm that followed heavy snow in western Washington.
King County sheriff's Sgt. Cindi West says the person was backing an all-terrain vehicle out of a shed near Issaquah Thursday morning when it was hit by the tree. The ATV rider died at the scene.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Yes, it's late this year, but the US Pacific Northwest gets some of this winter weather more years than not. People prepare for and adapt to the inconvenience in various ways - gas or oil furnaces, gas or wood or propane fired heating stoves, small gasoline electrical generators to keep refrigerators running and a couple of lights on, plus lanterns and candles. Some people have SUVs, others have pickup trucks or cars but put on off-road or studded snow tires when a snowstorm comes. It's not a big deal and it's usually all over in a few days or just a week.
It snowed down here in Oregon the other night, a couple of inches at these low elevations. It was quite pretty for a few hours, but then it melted away. Now there are flooding problems in some counties.