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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Sunday, December 21, 2008 More snow forecast; Patrol chief says stay home By Jackson Holtz Herald Writer Utility crews were battling icy roads as they try to restore power to about 1,600 Snohomish County customers this morning. More than six inches of fresh snow fell in the county’s lowlands overnight and winds as high as 50 mph swept through Stevens Pass. Roads are dangerously slick and officials are urging people to stay home. “Enjoy your nice warm inside of your house,” National Weather Service forecaster Dana Felton said this morning. Statewide, Washington State Patrol troopers responded to more than 750 collisions in the 24 hours ending at 7 a.m. today. In Snohomish County, troopers responded to more than 70 crashes on Saturday, trooper Keith Leary said. Still, officials feared worse. "It appears that people heeded our request to stay at home through the overnight hours," said John R. Batiste, the state patrol chief. "But conditions are still poor and are likely to remain so for most of the day. We'd urge people to avoid going out on the roads unless it's absolutely necessary." The storm that swept into Western Washington on Saturday evening was gusty and piled up drifts, but it didn't bring the widespread, near-hurricane strength winds forecasters expected. It dropped significant amounts of snow and the problems aren’t over. The weather service has issued a winter weather advisory through this afternoon. Some freezing rain could mix in with snow showers this morning, Felton said. That may create an ice crust on top of snow and put a glaze on exposed tree limbs. A couple more inches of snow is forecast this afternoon as well. Community Transit is running a severely limited schedule today, spokesman Tom Pearce said. Bus service between park and rides and along Highway 99 only is operating, he said. Service to Stanwood, Darrington, Mill Creek and the Edmonds bowl is canceled until roads improve. Buses will be chained and speeds limited to about 25 mph, Pearce said. It’s still snowing and gusty at Stevens Pass. Traction tires are required, and larger vehicle must use chains. Oversized trucks are prohibited. Power outages were reported in the Canyon Park neighborhood, Arlington, Granite Falls and Sultan, said Snohomish PUD spokesman Neil Neroutsos. Extra crews were being summoned from outside the region to help restore power quickly, he said. The slick roads were making it difficult for power crews to reach isolated areas. People need to be patient, Neroutsos said. PUD hopes to restore power to most customers today. If people do experience outages, they should call PUD at 425-783-1000. Avalanche danger in the backcountry remains very high, forecasters said. People traveling in or out of Sea-Tac today should check with their airlines. The airport is open but several flights have been canceled. Hotels are full and many passengers were forced to sleep in the airport. At 4th Street Espresso in Marysville business was slow this morning, said Stephanie Belknap. She said the drive-up stand was one of only a few open in the area. Still, she wasn’t making too many lattes. “There’s not a lot of people are out on the road today,” she said. “I don’t blame them.” Belknap, 22, said she got a ride to work this morning and hasn’t driven her car in more than a week. “I enjoy the snow, but I’m pretty much over the coldness,” she said. “I’m ready to be back to back to normal driving conditions.” University of Washington weather expert Clifford Mass said dry roads and a return to the region’s average temperatures -- more moderate conditions in the 40s -- could take a while. “There’s no fast warm up, fortunately or unfortunately,” he said. “It’s going to stay cold the next few days.” READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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