EVERETT — The snow is here and it’s not going anywhere.
As eastern Snohomish County remained under a winter storm warning until Wednesday morning, more snow arrived after a dusting Monday.
Reached by phone Tuesday just before 3 p.m., Darrington Mayor Dan Rankin was sitting in his car as a “piece of equipment and a willing son” tried to get his car out of his 1,000-foot driveway. He woke up this morning to 12 to 14 inches of fresh snow in a town where snow has already been on the ground for weeks.
“We’re used to it,” he told The Daily Herald.
Public Works crews were out at midnight in rural Snohomish County plowing roads so residents could traverse the conditions and make room for emergency services. That fed more snow into driveways, like Rankin’s.
By Tuesday late afternoon, there were 5 inches in Stanwood and Lynnwood as well as 3½ in Everett, according to National Weather Service reports. These figures were generally in line with recent forecasts, said weather service meteorologist Johnny Burg.
Less snow fell in Seattle. Parts of Bellingham, on the other hand, got a foot.
The Cascades, including the section in Snohomish County, were under a winter storm warning until 4 a.m. Wednesday. Heavy snow of 8 to 12 additional inches was expected. U.S. 2 at Stevens Pass was closed Tuesday afternoon from milepost 58 to milepost 64½ due to the weather and multiple crashes on the road.
The Darrington mayor said he has a “love-hate relationship” with the snow falling from the sky. It’s beautiful and it’s nice to see kids taking advantage of their time off from school, but it’s stressful as a public official to keep the city gears churning with so much snow on the roads.
High temperatures Wednesday will be in the low 20s, with lows in the single digits in some areas. In Darrington, for example, the low Wednesday night was forecast at a measly 5 degrees. Temperatures were expected to pop back up later in the week, according to the weather service.
“That snow’s not going to go anywhere,” Burg said, “It’s probably going to refreeze.”
A little more accumulation was expected Thursday and Friday in most of the county. A new weather system could also bring freezing rain and that could add ice to the roads. But that’ll be followed by warmer temperatures that will accelerate melting Saturday.
Rain was predicted through the weekend, bringing with it a chance of flooding as existing snow melts away.
Power outages were sparse Tuesday afternoon, with only about 230 customers without power, mostly along U.S. 2, according to the Snohomish County Public Utility District.
Community Transit and Sound Transit buses were on snow routes, with expected delays due to the tricky conditions.
You can see Everett’s snow plow routes here.
Jake Goldstein-Street: 425-339-3439; jake.goldstein-street@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @GoldsteinStreet.
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