Cold weather and snow caused widespread problems this morning and more bad weather is forecast for tonight.
By evening, rain is expected to turn to snow again, said Johnny Burg, a National Weather Service forecaster. There could be patches of ice under that snow, making for tough driving.
“It won’t stick at first,” Burg said, but after the evening rush hour, he predicted snow to begin piling up again on area roads.
Forecasters issued a snow advisory through Tuesday evening. An advisory means that periods of snow fall could cause travel difficulties.
The forecast for tonight is for one to three inches of snow to accumulate, with most of the heavier snowfall occurring after at midnight.
This morning, roads became treacherous, schools were closed or delayed and officials were opening emergency shelters to get people out of the cold.
The Salvation Army is planning to open a shelter this evening at 2525 Rucker Ave., officials said. For people under 18, Cocoon Shelter is available at 2726 Cedar St.
Traffic and warmer temperatures are causing much of the snow that fell overnight to melt on the main freeways, but side streets and other less-traveled roads can expect to stay snow covered and treacherous all day, weather forecasters said.
The morning commute in many areas was terrible.
“We had a lot of problems this morning,” said Lauren Penning, a state Department of Transportation spokeswoman.
I- 5 and I-405 were slowed to a crawl through the morning, she said.
“It just kept snowing,” she said.
This morning’s snow pounded south Snohomish County, causing huge traffic backups on I-5 and I-405 heading south. Even northbound traffic crawled between Lynnwood and Everett with packed ice on the roadways and occasional snow showers.
City streets in Lynnwood were slick, and drivers slowed to navigate the hills, but Everett drivers had better luck with much less snow and ice.
Many roads and freeway ramps were temporarily blocked or closed due to slick ice and compacted snow.
Numerous spin outs and minor traffic accidents were reported.
About 3 inches of snow fell in Bothell, and side streets were packed snow and ice.
Snow caused more problems on Camano Island than on Whidbey with several spin outs and minor accidents, Island County undersheriff Kelly Mauck said.
Schools in Arlington, Edmonds, Everett, Granite Falls, Index, Lake Stevens, Lakewood, Marysville, Monroe, Snohomish, Stanwood and Sultan were closed. Sno-Isle Skills Center in Mukilteo also was closed. Only Darrington was open and on time and Mukilteo had a planned day off for teacher training. For more details, check http://schoolreport.org.
Day and evening classes were canceled at Everett Community College and were scheduled three hours late at Edmonds Community College.
Snowfall Tuesday morning is expected turn to rain during the midday hours and then turn to snow again by evening.
More snow mixed with rain is possible Wednesday morning and evening.
“We’re kind doing a bit better by Thursday,” Burg said.
One to four inches of snow fell overnight in Snohomish County lowland areas. As much as six inches was reported in Bothell and Gold Bar.
Tell us where conditions are bad in your neighborhood or along your commute route. Send an e-mail to jholtz@heraldnet.com.
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