While snow has stopped falling in Western Washington, frigid temperatures and icy roads continue to disrupt traffic and public transportation. With cold temperatures forecast to persist in the coming days, holiday travelers may be wise to budget extra time for their journeys.
King County Metro put all its buses on snow routes and temporarily suspended 34 lines. Several lines were already paused because of steering issues with roughly 10% of its fleet, but the snow and ice have forced more suspensions. Riders looking for alternate routes should check Metro’s website: st.news/metroalerts.
The roads, while still tenuous, have improved some. Every major Cascade mountain pass was closed for a time Tuesday due to hazardous conditions and spinouts. Highway 20 will remain closed for the season, a yearly occurrence, but Snoqualmie, Blewett, White and Stevens passes have reopened. Traction tires are advised for Interstate 90 over Snoqualmie, while chains are required for cars not equipped with all-wheel drive over Blewett and Stevens.
WSDOT urged travelers not to ignore requirements.
“It’s not OK to ignore traction requirements or think you don’t need to chain up when required,” the agency said in a tweet Wednesday. “Those choices can lead to fatalities, and at the very least messes with your life & other people’s lives.”
The region is not supposed to receive much more snow. The current problem is re-freezing, said WSDOT spokesperson James Poling. When temperatures dip below the 23-to-25-degree mark, which is expected in some parts of the Puget Sound region in the coming days, the commonly used road salt no longer melts the ice, so crews must resort to sand along with more plowing, Poling said.
“There’s still a chance for black ice and refreezing. We’re not expecting the weather to get above freezing by Friday,” he said. Similar challenges apply to urban streets in Seattle, Bellevue and other areas where roads were drivable Tuesday afternoon, but morning refreezes can sometimes be slicker than the initial snow.
On Seattle’s streets, around 50 vehicles have been clearing arterials around the clock. Side streets may not get the same love, however, creating potentially hazardous conditions, especially on hills. The Seattle Department of Transportation posts a live map of how often roads are serviced, which can be found at st.news/SDOTmap.
Express lanes on Interstate 5 resumed their normal pattern after WSDOT crews had kept them pointed south on Tuesday, because of concerns about ice and snow building up during the time it takes to switch the barriers.
For those looking ahead to Christmas and one the busiest travel weekends of the year, temperatures aren’t forecast to rise above freezing until sometime Friday. Seattle could see some freezing rain Thursday and Friday, the National Weather Service said Wednesday.
The weekend is looking a bit warmer, with rain and temperatures in the 40s expected.
Anyone planning to take a ferry should expect occasionally long wait times, Washington State Ferries warned Wednesday. Several routes, including to Bremerton and Kingston, are still experiencing staffing shortages. Crews will run two boats when they’re able, but riders should prepare for the possibility of just one boat.
