Heavy snow is forecast to hit today just in time for the morning commute.
As much as 2 inches of snow are expected to fall this morning, potentially creating treacherous driving conditions throughout the county.
“Don’t travel if you don’t have to,” said Erin Bogenschutz, a state Department of Transportation spokeswoman.
The National Weather Service in Seattle has issued a snow advisory for the lowlands of Snohomish County and a heavy snow warning for Stevens Pass, where as much as 19 inches could fall today, meteorologist Johnny Burg said.
“Tomorrow looks like hell,” he said Wednesday.
A wintry mixture of snow and rain was forecast to begin falling early this morning down to sea level, he said. By about 7 a.m., the mixture was expected to turn to heavy, wet snow.
Periods of snow should last most of the day, turning to rain by evening, Burg said.
It’s a different story at Stevens Pass.
“The mountains are getting hit very hard,” said Clifford Mass, a University of Washington atmospheric sciences professor.
On Wednesday, traction tires were required, and officials recommend carrying tire chains at all times when traveling over the pass.
The Stevens Pass ski area reported a half-foot of fresh snow on its slopes Wednesday.
Transportation crews will have plows standing by today to keep the pass open, Bogenschutz said.
In the lowlands, county road crews also planned to have 18 plow and sanding trucks working overnight and today, said Roy Scalf, operations manager with the Snohomish County’s Public Works Department.
If snow does fall today as predicted, it will be the third consecutive day.
Just as in Bing Crosby’s dream of a “White Christmas,” snow fell in parts of Snohomish County on Christmas Day.
On Wednesday, people near Granite Falls, Lake Stevens and parts of Monroe saw as much as 2 inches on the ground for a few hours.
“It looked nice. It’s nice to get the snow, but it’s a little treacherous,” Lake Stevens Police Cmdr. Dan Lorentzen said.
Police and fire crews spent much of the day Wednesday responding to fender benders and vehicles that had slid off roads.
It’s best to avoid driving in snowy conditions, but if people do need to travel the streets and freeways, it’s best to have a full tank of gas, and bring food, water and warm clothes in the car, Bogenschutz said.
Any snow in the lowlands should melt by Friday morning, Burg said.
Wet weather stays in the forecast, including another shot at snow Sunday night, through Monday, when skies should clear in time for New Year’s Eve fireworks, he said.
The weather pattern that’s bringing several days of flurries isn’t unusual for the region, Mass said.
“It’s not like it’s a big snow storm or anything,” he said.
Still, temperatures near freezing were enough to bring a chill to the weather professor who just returned from a trip to Hawaii.
“It seems cold to me no matter what,” he said.
Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com.
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