Snow hits north Snohomish County, expected to spread

Published 11:59 am Wednesday, December 17, 2008

It was snowing so hard in north Snohomish County this morning that visibility was limited to about 300 feet.

“It’s absolutely terrible,” Washington State Trooper Keith Leary said.

Traffic on I-5 north of Everett was heavy and slow and some major roads around the county have been closed as a major snowstorm barrels into the region. School was closed in most of Snohomish County.

Highway 9 in the Arlington area, 172nd Street NE west of Highway 9, and 108th Street NE near Lauck Hill, west of Highway 9, are all closed, county officials said.

Traffic accidents were keeping police and fire officials busy, but no major injuries were reported.

A semi and trailer likely was going too fast for conditions when it jack-knifed and stalled on the shoulder of I-5 in Stanwood, Leary said.

“Another good reason why we need to slow down,” he said. Tow trucks cleared the truck out of the way.

Snow has been falling steadily in northern Snohomish County since about 3 a.m. and has as much as six inches on the ground, Snohomish County spokesman Christopher Schwarzen said.

County crews are operating 15 snowplows in northern areas, and 18 snowplows in southern and eastern areas, concentrating mostly east of Highway 2. State road crews have been working to keep the highways clear.

The snowfall is expected to spread and start accumulating in south Snohomish County this afternoon, National Weather Service forecaster Danny Mercer said.

At the same time, temperatures likely will start to fall and the snow causing the snow to stick around, he said. People who need to travel this afternoon should closely monitor weather conditions.

“If snow does start to pick up, they should consider getting home as soon as possible,” he said.

Already, the storm has caused problems around the county.

Public works crews in Marysville had to shut off water to two businesses and four homes early today after a car skidded and knocked over a fire hydrant.

The 5:30 a.m. accident at Fifth Street and Cedar Avenue also damaged the storm drain system.

In other parts of north county, residents were taking the storm in stride.

Darrington town clerk Lyla Boyd said about 4 inches had fallen and town crews were plowing the streets.

“It’s snowing steadily now, but I don’t think we have as much here as down the valley,” Boyd said.

In Arlington, Blue Bird Café cook Kari Gilbert made it to work by 4 a.m. She said she was the only one out on the snowy roads and didn’t have to worry about anybody else’s driving.

About 5 inches of snow has accumulated in downtown Arlington. With school cancelled, the café was full of kids drinking hot chocolate and adults wondering how the drive home will be, she said.

More snow has fallen in the Arlington Heights and Jim Creek Road areas, with some customers reporting as much as 8 inches of snow.

In the Silvana area, a thick layer of snow covered Highway 530.

Rebecca Fletcher, who lives on Camano Island, had no trouble getting to work at Snow Goose Bookstore in downtown Stanwood.

Highway 532 and Mark Clark Bridge were sanded. Side streets in Stanwood were slippery and covered with about 3 inches of snow, Fletcher said.

“But I got here in my sedan and I was fine,” she said.