More snow on the way

Published 8:06 am Tuesday, December 16, 2008

The sunshine that reflected off Monday’s ice is expected to continue today, but forecasters say it won’t last.

The National Weather Service in Seattle issued a winter storm watch late Monday predicting a new storm that could bring a fresh 6 inches of snow to the area tonight and through Wednesday.

Road crews and rescue officials said they’re prepared for the worst.

People are bumping up thermostats, draining more energy than has been used in nearly two decades, officials said.

Drivers are sliding, people are slipping and hospitals are treating sprains and cases of hypothermia.

And the cold snap, which set weather records Monday, is far from over. It could be another week before temperatures return to normal.

That’s probably long enough for a thin slick of ice to form on lakes and retention ponds.

“Stay safe, stay off the ice,” Snohomish County Fire District 1 spokeswoman Leslie Hynes said.

Nearly two years ago, on Jan. 16, 2007, three teenage boys ventured out onto a thinly frozen Martha Lake, but the ice gave way. One boy made it safely back to the shore and another was rescued.

Sheriff’s divers recovered the third boy’s body in about 25 feet of water.

On Monday, the lake hadn’t frozen, but “I’m sure it will be coming,” Hynes said.

Elsewhere Monday, safety officials rushed from one accident to the next as public works officials worked to put down sand and keep the roads clear.

Despite lots of icicles, the cold snap hasn’t yet caused any problems for power lines owned by the Snohomish County PUD, spokesman Neil Neroutsos said.

As more people have turned up the heat, the demand for energy has skyrocketed, he said.

At any given moment, average use for the region during winter months is about 1,000 megawatts, but heaters could bump energy usage this week up to 1,577 megawatts. That’s close to the all-time energy demand of 1,602 megawatts, set in 1990, Neroutsos said.

“We could even set a new record this week,” he said.

Temperature records fell Monday at Sea-Tac Airport, according to the National Weather Service.

Thermometers there bottomed out at 19 degrees, one degree below the previous record for that date set in 1964. The same temperature was recorded in Everett at Paine Field.

Many people use space heaters and other alternative heating sources to stay warm, Hynes said. They need to use caution to follow directions and never place heaters near flammable materials, including holiday decorations.

Under no circumstances should people use generators or bring charcoal grills inside. Fumes can be fatal.

The cold weather is keeping emergency rooms busy treating falls and weather-related injuries.

“We’ve seen a lot of forearm injuries from slipping and falling on ice, and a lot of dislocations from sticking arms out to catch yourself,” said Kelly Allen, who works in the emergency department at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett.

For older people, fractures can be life-threatening.

“Once elderly people fall, a lot of them can’t get help immediately. They get hypothermic. They live out in rural areas, they go out to get their mail and they fall. Somebody may not be there for three or four hours. This happened last year,” said Pam Whitney, a registered nurse and emergency department manager at Valley General Hospital in Monroe.

Over the weekend, the Monroe hospital treated a hypothermic patient who had trouble changing his tire while traveling on U.S. 2 over Stevens Pass.

“He got back in his car and didn’t have help. He didn’t have a cell phone. Nobody found him until four or five hours later,” Whitney said.

It’s a good idea for people walking in this weather to wear good shoes that have plenty of traction.

In Everett on Monday, 28-year-old Tara Ball ventured out of her apartment wearing special “slick-proof” shoes. She said the black shoes with thick soles and treads cost more than most, but she believes they were a wise investment for bad weather

“Always, the main rule is get better shoes,” she said.

Even though the weather may seem bad right now, the worst side of the freezing temperatures probably won’t be realized until things start warming up, said Curtis Roberts, owner of Who’s Your Plumber in Everett.

“Pipes are freezing right now and people don’t even know it,” he said.

Unprotected pipes can freeze and crack, Roberts said. When they thaw, they splay open and can flood homes.

Even so-called “frostproof” outdoor faucets should be covered, Roberts said.

“A lot of people will find out later this week that they weren’t prepared,” he said. “Plumbers right now are out there buying up all the repair equipment to get ready for it.”

Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com.