Worries turn to ice, snow

The threat of 2 inches of snow falling overnight created a flurry of activity in Snohomish County on Monday as the region geared up for the first icy weather of the season.

The National Weather Service on Monday issued a snow advisory for the Everett, Seattle and Tacoma region, with 1 to 2 inches of snow expected by 7 this morning.

Michael V. Martina / The Herald Andy Smith works at the Les Schwab Tires store on Highway 99 in Everett, putting snow tires on vehicles during a rush of people getting their cars and trucks ready for potential overnight snowfall.

The weather pattern will be different than usual, however. Instead of hitting the Cascade mountain foothills, Everett and cities closest to the water were expected to get the most snow because of anticipated strong east-to-west winds, said Johnny Burg, a weather service meteorologist.

“With the winds being strong coming down out of the foothills, that’s going to keep a lot of the strong precipitation toward the water,” Burg said.

Because of that wind, foothill communities such as Gold Bar and Darrington likely were expected to receive as little as 1 inch of snow, Burg said.

School administrators were to make decisions early today about whether students should board buses or make snowballs. Check www.heraldnet.com, local radio and TV stations for late start times or other scheduling changes. Local schools also announce changes through the Public Schools Emergency Communications System at www.schoolreport.org.

No announcements mean normal operations.

“You never can tell with the weather,” said Terrie DeBolt, transportation director for Everett Public Schools. “We’re ready. If it happens, it happens.”

Snow is expected to turn to rain this morning as temperatures rise to a high of 40 degrees, Burg said. The combination will likely lead to most of the snow melting during the morning commute.

Still, drivers are urged to be careful even if there is a melt-off because there could be hidden patches of slick road.

“If it snows, we always have a lot of problems. We get so little snow that people aren’t accustomed to driving in it,” sheriff’s spokesman deputy Rich Niebusch said.

Drivers need to slow down, avoid sudden braking and rapid acceleration, he said. They should be aware of potential hazards, such as shaded pavement and frozen overpasses.

“Just because you drive a four-by-four, it does not improve your braking,” Niebusch said.

Taking extra care could mean saving a life, including your own, State Patrol trooper Bob Wilson said.

“Slow down and leave extra space between you and the other car,” Wilson said. “It may take longer to get home but you’ll get home.”

People also need to be cautious if they get out of their vehicles on a busy road.

“They might be trying to be Good Samaritans and help, but we don’t want them to get hurt,” said Audrey Duncan, spokeswoman for Fire District 3 in Monroe.

On your way to work this morning, watch for snowplows, said Mel Reitz, area maintenance superintendent for the state Department of Transportation.

“We always try to get the routes cleaned up before the commute starts, but of course weather is unpredictable, and we can’t always do that,” Reitz said.

Snowplows need extra space to do their work safely, he said.

“As the people are doing the commute, allow our people to do what they need to do,” he said. “Let them do their jobs, and we’ll take of them.”

The state and Snohomish County both expected to have their fleet of snowplows ready to go early this morning, and the county had several trucks out Monday spraying roads with a chemical compound that will make it harder for ice to form.

Jim Wellman of Everett heard about the snow in the forecast and was one of many people scrambling to have winter tires put on their vehicles Monday afternoon.

“I waited until the last minute,” said Wellman, who had studded tires put on at the Evergreen Way Les Schwab Tires store. “I’ve been here for an hour and a half.”

The wait at the Everett tire shop was pushing past two hours by 2:30 p.m., sales agent Ann Rokosz said.

“We’re selling a lot of all-season tires and studded tires, and some chains are going out, too,” she said.

Icy roads made for a slippery morning commute Monday. Firefighters and police investigated at least a handful of minor crashes countywide.

A Mount Vernon woman was injured just after 6 a.m. when she lost control of her Toyota 4Runner, struck the cable barriers in the median and rolled the sport utility vehicle on northbound I-5 north of Highway 530, according to the State Patrol.

Also, police shut down Cathcart Way about a mile west of Highway 9 for a short time after a sport utility vehicle rolled. No one was seriously injured.

The biggest traffic headache came Sunday afternoon when a mix of rain, sleet and hail hit north Snohomish County. Nine separate crashes, involving more than 30 cars, shut down northbound I-5 at exit 210, north of Arlington, for about two hours.

Reporter Lukas Velush: 425-339-3449 or lvelush@heraldnet.com.