(scroll down/refresh for frequent updates, in the main text below and in “comments” – INFO LINKS: WSB TRAFFIC PAGE WITH CAMERAS – METRO ROUTE STATUS LIST – SEA-TAC FLIGHT STATUS – REGIONAL SCHOOL STATUS – we have a report of one OPEN West Seattle School, Tilden School – COUNTY CLOSURES INCLUDING COURTS – CITY LIBRARIES OPENING AT NOON – OTHER NOTES: “PLAID TIDINGS” STILL ON – SATURDAY MAGIC SHOW AT ADMIRAL STILL ON – “ADMIRAL SINGS CHRISTMAS” FOR SUNDAY, POSTPONED TO 12/28 – BOTH YMCA’S CLOSING AT 5 PM – DELRIDGE AND HIGH POINT COMMUNITY CENTERS CLOSING AT 4 PM – WEST SEATTLE FARMERS MARKET FOR THIS SUNDAY HAS BEEN CANCELED – TODAY’S TRASH SERVICE CANCELED (DETAILS HERE ON WHAT’S NEXT – DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES CENTER CLOSED, WEST SEATTLE OPEN – please e-mail updates to editor@westseattleblog.com)
7:06 AM UPDATE: TV says The Bridge is OK – but, say you work downtown, for example, the problem is icy streets once you get there. Here’s the bridge cam (refresh for the latest image):
Metro’s morning update includes the phrase “severely reduced service” in the headline:
King County Metro Transit continues to operate with approximately half of its regular service due to dangerous road conditions.
On Thursday, much of Metro’s and Sound Transit’s bus service in King County was temporarily suspended due to weather and road conditions, and that is the situation for Friday morning as well. Please check the Metro Online website before you leave home to see if your bus route is operating and if it is on snow routing.
Bus passengers should be aware that travel conditions can change quickly, and this list of disrupted service may be revised at any time due to weather and road conditions. In some locations, where roads are impassable for large buses, Metro will be operating chained shuttles.
In order to safely transport as many passengers as possible, Metro is focusing on providing bus service on cleared highways and arterial roads, and to major transit centers and park-and-ride lots. Access in and out of West Seattle continues to be a problem, and there will be very little service to side streets and smaller neighborhoods.
Passengers should be prepared to board buses at major transit centers, flat arterials, or at the top or bottom of hills. Please dress warmly, wear appropriate footwear, and be prepared to wait. The buses that are running are expected to be significantly delayed.
This transit plan will continue until weather and road conditions improve, which means almost all bus service will be significantly limited. Metro appreciates everyone’s patience, and reminds customers that safety for passengers and bus drivers is the agency’s No. 1 concern.
Information about bus status is available on Metro’s Ice & Snow page, but conditions are changing rapidly. You can also call the Metro Customer Information Office at (206) 553-3000, but call volumes are high and there may be a wait to talk to a CIO representative.
Here’s the link to the Ice and Snow page – long list of “temporarily suspended” routes. (But note from the comments here – some WSB’ers are seeing evidence that buses on the list might be running – you can try mybus.org to check.) We’re monitoring the scanner as well as websites, TV, and radio, for word of new trouble spots or blockages, in addition to what WSB’ers are seeing and reporting in comments and e-mail. If you live on or near a major arterial and can send a photo, we’ll post it. Here’s the text of the SDOT morning report:
SDOT crews worked on major arterial streets through the night, plowing and sanding, and they continue to revisit these streets throughout the morning. Two trucks are assigned to continuously monitor and treat the high level West Seattle Bridge, and another truck is assigned to the Alaskan Way Viaduct, to keep these structures in good condition. The on-ramp at Chelan Street to the eastbound lanes of the high level West Seattle Bridge is closed at this time.
Those who must commute this morning are advised to allow plenty of time. When driving, proceed slowly and allow plenty of room from the car in front of you. The roadways with best driving conditions will be major arterial streets.
When SDOT crews work on major arterial streets, they apply sand and de-icer to the roadway where needed, especially 200 feet in advance of intersections with traffic signals to make it easier for vehicles to stop, and also on steep hills and raised structures such as bridges and viaducts.
During the night additional trucks and drivers sanded streets adjacent to hospitals and locations requested by King County Metro Transit.
We are going to take some time to look around for any previously unknown source of reliable bus info – but in the meantime, the comments below are your best bet, and everyone who’s been out – only because you ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO, we trust – your updates are greatly appreciated. (Most unusual comment so far: Beware on I-5 of pieces of chains that have fallen off cars. Yikes!)
7:30 AM UPDATE: Just a reminder, we haven’t heard of any West Seattle schools that are open, so winter break is under way (rest of the region too). Road report via Facebook from Talani at Stor-More (WSB sponsor) on Yancy just off Avalon – yes, the phrase of the day, “sheet of ice.” Pic of Yancy, icy but people are trying it, she says:
On TV, KING promises an upcoming update on the situation at Sea-Tac (which normally would be crazy-busy the weekend before Christmas); we’ll keep watching for that too and are looking for the best online source of info. In comments, Kestrel has this plea:
Tip to homeowners: please do NOT shovel your sidewalks unless you are also going to sand or salt. The shoveled sidewalks are much more treacherous than the unshoveled ones because they become smooth compacted sheets of ice!
It’s true that snow – at least at this depth – is easier to walk in and on, traction-wise, provided you’re waterproofed knee-to-toe. Meantime, another kind of information that will be helpful today: If you are involved with an event that was scheduled for this weekend – and know for sure that it’s either STILL ON or CANCELED – please let us know. The original contacts for e-mails that came in to us to get events on the calendar will be tough to find otherwise; thanks. We won’t update our “Weekend Lineup” till we know for sure what venues’ plans are.
8:05 AM UPDATE: In comments, someone mentioned a Metro shuttle to get people to The Junction. We checked with Metro’s Linda Thielke about whether that would happen again today. Her reply:
We were running that shuttle Thursday pm with Access vans. But, we haven’t been able to do that yet this morning. We are trying to get some additional service on Route 22 from the Alaska junction only to downtown.
We have word of one school that’s OPEN – Tilden School is “open for those who can safely get (there),” per Julie Enevoldsen. 8:18 AM UPDATE: From Linda at Metro:
Look for Rt 51 to be operating Genesee Hill & California SW starting approximately 8:30. But, as with anything these last few days, the situation could change rapidly.
KING just drove onto The Bridge with its live car-cam, and looks OK, including the ramp (looked like the one from Admiral, though they didn’t pick up the picture until the start of the ramp). Again, if you can get a picture of a major arterial, please send to share. Here’s our contribution – California north from Thistle:
Similar scene looking east on Thistle from California:
Side streets that are steps away, of course, still inches of snow, though as mentioned in comments, where it’s compacted, it’s not too slick.
8:39 AM UPDATE: Southeast West Seattle road report from Jon: “Roxbury at 5th. Looking easy towards Myers Way. Plenty of cars going down the hill.” Photo:
Thanks – keep the arterial reports/photos coming at editor@westseattleblog.com Transportation update from Stephen: Microsoft Connector bus service to/from West Seattle “still not running.” Official update just in from SDOT:
Crews worked throughout the night and early this morning, plowing, sanding and applying de-icer to major arterial streets. The Chelan Street on-ramp to the eastbound lanes of the high-level West Seattle Bridge is now open. As route drivers finish primary routes this morning, they are shifting to secondary arterial streets. Due to low temperatures, crews continue monitoring the roadways and applying sand and de-icer when ice reforms.
Examples of major arterial streets are: NE Northgate Way, NE 65th Street in Wedgewood, 15th Avenue NW in Ballard, Magnolia Boulevard W on Magnolia Hill, Beacon Avenue S, 23rd Avenue S in the Central District, California Avenue SW in West Seattle, and Rainier Avenue S in Southeast Seattle.
Examples of secondary routes are: NW 80th Street in Ballard, N 50th Street in Wallingford, 10th Avenue W on Capitol Hill, E Union Street in the Central District, 15th Avenue S on Beacon Hill, and Lake Washington Boulevard S in Southeast Seattle.
SDOT crews plow loose snow to the center of the roadway to avoid blocking drains and driveways. Sand and de-icer are applied with special attention to spots where stopping is most challenging, including intersections with traffic signals, the curblanes at intersections, on steep hills, and on elevated structures such as bridges and viaducts.
Other priorities include requests from Metro Transit and hospitals and other emergency facilities.
SDOT crews are planning ahead for the weekend when more snow is forecast. When that
storm hits, crews will leave secondary arterial streets and once again focus on major arterial streets.
Police Officers position street barricades to close streets considered unsafe for driving. When SDOT crews plow, sand, and reopen a street, the signs are set aside, to be picked up by other SDOT crews. Drivers should observe the closure signs, as they are intended for their safety. If anyone notices a sign that has been knocked down or placed aside on an unserviced street, they may replace the sign themselves or call (206) 386-1218.
To report a problem area within the Seattle city limits, call (206) 386-1218, 24-hours a day. Although phones are busy, SDOT attendants will accept calls as they are able.
If you use Twitter, this info’s coming through at @sdotsnow (Web: twitter.com/sdotsnow). Meantime, here’s an example of a secondary street that’s not likely to make it onto the radar – Mary says Lander Place at Campbell Place (map) requires chains:
9:06 AM UPDATE: If you hadn’t already heard, King County Superior Court is closed both downtown and in Kent. Any hearings set for today will be rescheduled. (Thanks to Carole for sharing the info.) Will add to the ongoing links/info list at TOP of this post. Here’s something that might be handy – the WSDOT video on how to install tire chains:
9:20 AM: If you are looking to take a bus, Jon in comments reminds you to keep checking the Metro reroute page – he notes it just changed to say the 55 is now on its regular route (“with some delays”). Meantime, another arterial photo – JenV took this by C and P Coffee (which she reports is open) on California south of The Junction:
Bulletin just e-mailed by Robert: ICE MELT AT ADMIRAL SAFEWAY! He says it was abundant there and added, “Home Depot does not have any nor do they know when they WILL have any. Junction True Value will have a shipment coming in between 10 and 11.” Co-publisher Patrick is about to head north on California and will be checking on business open/closes in The Junction while out, as well as roads, but YOUR info is very helpful – all our contact info is here, let us know, even if you’re out and about and just call (206-293-6302) so we can relay to everybody else.
Thanks to Katherine for relaying word that Seattle Municipal Court is also closed except for certain custody proceedings. Marco sends word from 35th and Morgan:
Plenty of cars and so far one 128, 54, 56 and 21 Bus each, but none going downtown –
I’ve been waiting for an hour and will give up soon ;)
Photo:
Road report from co-publisher Patrick, who just drove California from Upper Fauntleroy to Admiral: It’s in good shape except some rough going with compact snow in the 3400 to 3900 blocks (a few blocks before and after Charlestown). He’s in The Junction now to check on business status for holiday shopping today. Meantime, a holiday event POSTPONEMENT:
Sunday’s ‘Admiral Sings Christmas’ has been postponed
due to weather concerns. New date: 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 28, Admiral Congregational Church, California
Ave & Hill St. (free admission)
Also, just got word from Seattle Public Utilities that TODAY’S TRASH COLLECTION ALSO IS POSTPONED. Here’s the full update:
Single-family residential garbage, recycling, food and yard
waste collection has been delayed in Seattle today, Friday, December 19,
due to dangerous road conditions. Priority commercial customers, such as
hospitals, will be served.
City collection contractors will attempt to service today’s missed
customers tomorrow, Saturday, December 20, if road conditions improve.
Customers missed today should leave their containers out tomorrow. If
materials are not collected tomorrow, then customers should bring in
their containers until next week.
Due to the Christmas holiday, Thursday and Friday customers will be
delayed one-day next week. Thursday customers will be collected Friday,
December 26, and Friday customers will be collected Saturday, December
27th.
Customers whose collections have been delayed by a week will be permitted to set out double their normal amount of garbage at no additional charge. When setting out extra waste, customers are encouraged to place perishable food items in their collection containers and set bagged non-perishable items next to the containers.
10:18 AM UPDATE: Jefferson Square, parking lot “icy/nasty” per co-publisher but most everything looks open. Junction activity pretty busy – looks like lots of folks taking advantage of snow day to shop – he’s going back along the street to see about any closures. Easy Street breakfast crowd jampacked, no surprise.
Update from Patrick, checking The Junction: LOOKS LIKE PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS. Just be careful on sidewalks – some sidewalks are in better condition than others. (One such example, the sidewalk TO Jefferson Square at 42nd/Alaska, by the time/temp sign, “sheet of ice,” says Patrick, but the sidewalks in J-Square themselves are OK.) He ran into a friend of ours who lives on Beach Drive and reports that roadway is – yes – “a sheet of ice.” Photo now from WSB Forums member LG at Charlestown/53rd – looking west:
Also packed snow/ice looking the other way. Please keep sending road pix (and sledding conditions, business open/close, event changes): editor@westseattleblog.com
10:40 AM UPDATE: From Talani at Stor-More:
Avalon and Yancy Update: Cars and buses are both driving it, but we talked to one lady who waited 1.5 hours for her bus and it never came so she gave up…so buses must be getting stuck on top somewhere. There are a few cars trying Yancy and Avalon…they report to only try it if you know how to drive in the ice and snow, and said even with 4 wheel drive, they lost control once or twice this morning and spun out. The sidewalks are too treacherous for us to hike and take pictures, and we are dealing with shoveled areas on our property having turned into sheets of ice, so we are rock salting this morning again. If your question is…”Should I travel on it?” Our answer is “No”. No, you should not drive on it, or walk on it. People are trying it, as they always do, and some are making it…but even for those with 4 wheel drive AND chains, they are STILL spinning and losing control. Your safety is just not worth the risk!
Co-publisher Patrick says SW Alaska is bumpy going east of The Junction, with compact ice and snow. He’s going to see how much of Avalon he can get a look at; we don’t have a 4WD so we’re being cautious, though.
10:49 AM UPDATE: Avalon is fine from 35th down to the bottom of the hill. The only dicey spot, he reports, is between the 7-11 and Fauntleroy. 7-11 parking lot at 35th/Avalon – yes – “a sheet of ice.” Also – Seattle Public Library branches are opening at noon. And if you haven’t seen the midmorning forecast update yet, here it is — Winter Storm Watch in effect for “Saturday afternoon through late Sunday night” for the metro area. Wind and snow expected Sunday, in particular.
11:01 AM UPDATE: Before we get to then, however — so far, Dinah at The Admiral Theater tells us, THE HOLIDAY MAGIC SHOW TOMORROW IS STILL ON. If anything changes that, you will read it here; they are rehearsing right now, in fact. 11 am (should be BEFORE more bad weather), read more about it here (disclosure, they’re advertising on us to promote the show). Also, Rachel at ArtsWest says PLAID TIDINGS SHOWS ARE ON AS SCHEDULED – in her words, “the show must go on!”
11:09 AM UPDATE: Ferry closed from California, says KOMO TV reporter. (Not surprised.) Also: An icy trouble spot, and road condition, report from Dan – 18th SW is closed between Brandon and Dawson (map), and here’s why:
Looks like a house water line broke. SPU’s been on scene since at least 9:30. The unfortunate thing is that 18th SW is one of two main access routes to the area. People will need to come from the south by Sanislo school (from Sylvan Way or from 16th SW) or across 21st SW and then down the steeper part of Brandon from 21st to 18th.
As to the arterial report, SW Dawson is sanded between 21st and 16th Ave SW, so it seems passable. I don’t know about the descent to Delridge (past 22nd SW on to SW Oregon), though. 18th Ave SW is
compact snow and ice, so it’s passable, but doesn’t have the sandy goodness of the other streets.
Photo:
Side note from Patrick’s trip along California, by the way: Best-looking parking lot is at PCC.
11:35 AM UPDATE: Adding some of the photos he took – first, Jefferson Square parking lot less than an hour ago:
Same time frame, here’s 35th looking south/uphill from Avalon junction:
Walk All Ways at The Junction:
Looking north onto 42nd from Alaska:
11:50 AM UPDATE: Vickie says The Bohemian is open. Also open, the Junction and Fauntleroy YMCA branches – here’s the latest from Josh Sutton at West Seattle Family YMCA (WSB sponsor):
West Seattle Facility & Fauntleroy Facility are open with limited programs today. Both will close at 5 pm tonight.
12:01 PM UPDATE: We will launch the afternoon post somewhere around 1 pm – all additional notes will continue here till then. Just heard from Brian Judd: “High Point and Delridge Community Centers will close at 4 p.m. today. All programs, including Late Night, are canceled tonight.” We are also adding notes like that at the VERY TOP of this post, above the top photo, and will carry that over when we switch to an afternoon note (which will be preceded by at least one “other news” post).
12:18 PM UPDATE: The West Seattle Farmers’ Market has been CANCELED FOR THIS SUNDAY, 12/22.
12:22 PM UPDATE: Thanks to Matthew Lundh for these two pix of arterials – first, Charlestown looking east from 50th:
Next, Genesee looking west from 47th:
12:29 PM QUESTION: Anybody on Fauntleroy near the ferry dock/Lincoln Park? Haven’t heard a report on that yet today, and someone is asking in the comment section.
12:36 PM: Allstar Fitness is open till 3 pm, according to the comments section.
12:44 PM: Got some additional city info forwarded to us by West Seattle-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen. From this we learn that the Delridge Neighborhood Services Center is closed but West Seattle (in The Junction) is open. Also, a little more info on that 18th/Brandon water break mentioned (with a photo) above (this is a quote from a city emergency briefing):
There was an 8” water main break at 18th Ave SW & SW Dawson St. The concern is that is adjacent to an underground high voltage line. Currently coordinating with City Light on the issue. 50 home are without water and there is not an estimated time for restoration.
This post has ended and we have now moved to AFTERNOON UPDATES – click here to go there. Thanks!
(yes, that’s the official WSB HQ arterial-meets-arterial intersection, this time Thistle to California looking west)
Finally starting a new post. First, Friday’s KNOWN area school closures (pretty much everyone):
SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
HIGHLINE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
HOLY FAMILY SCHOOL
HOLY ROSARY SCHOOL
HOPE LUTHERAN SCHOOL
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE SCHOOL
SEATTLE LUTHERAN HS
SOUTH SEATTLE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
VASHON SCHOOL DISTRICT
WEST SEATTLE MONTESSORI Looking for another school/district? Try SchoolReport.org
Now, the latest county transit/road alert:
King County Metro Transit continues to operate with severely reduced service this evening, while Road Services Division crews concentrate their efforts on plowing and sanding major arterials.
While the snow that fell over the county for much of the day has now moved out of the area, road and transit workers have a monumental task ahead – keeping as many roads open and people moving as possible ahead of the next storm. By Saturday afternoon, high winds, and more snow or freezing rain could present yet another major weather-related headache for residents.
On Thursday afternoon, approximately half of Metro’s and Sound Transit’s bus service in King County was temporarily suspended due to weather and road conditions. Bus passengers should assume that will be the situation for Friday morning as well. Please check the Metro Online website before you leave home to see if your bus route is operating and if it is on snow routing.
In preparation for the morning commute, King County road crews will focus on plowing and sanding major arterials and other priority snow routes such as bridges, overpasses and steep hills overnight. But motorists are being warned that these targeted response efforts do not mean that arterials will not be icy in the morning given the hard freeze that’s expected during the night. So motorists should monitor weather forecasts and traffic reports before heading out. And if you must travel, you are reminded to be prepared to drive in bad weather. That includes having good all-season tires or chains and a full tank of gas in the car.
The Department of Transportation also has a reminder for parents tonight. When the area gets significant snowfall, steep neighborhood roadways become popular sledding spots for kids. But sledding on roads is an extremely dangerous way for kids to enjoy the snow. So residents are being asked to help avoid tragic accidents by suggesting an alternative safe location for winter fun.
Motorists are advised to check out King County Road Alerts for the latest information on road closures in unincorporated King County. Residents are also encouraged to report problems on county maintained roads by calling (206) 296-8100, or 1-800-KC ROADS if they live outside the greater Seattle calling area.
9:07 PM AND SLIGHTLY BEYOND: We’re taking some time to catch up on interesting info and pix we might have missed during the fast-and-furious pace of the morning/afternoon updates, now that (we hope) everyone is safe and warm at home. We’ll share what else we come up with, such as: KOMO’s weather blog explains the “thunder snow” that started all this, so many hours ago. Also: Thanks to the people who sent sunset shots; somehow we missed that peek of sun, but Maria captured it in a Christmas-card-perfect shot:
10:36 PM: Before a few more catchup photos from this momentous day, the latest “forecast discussion” is in. By most accounts, it’ll be very cold but dry tomorrow, and that next everything-but-the-kitchen-sink storm is still skulking out there somewhere for a Saturday night-ish arrival.
CLICK AHEAD TO SEE THE REST OF OUR “AS IT HAPPENED” FRIDAY NIGHT COVERAGE (INCLUDING PHOTOS):Read More
A West Seattle Crime Watch update before we top the main page with evening updates on the weather, looking ahead to tomorrow: We have new information about law enforcers’ search for robbers who are believed to have hit at least three stores in the south West Seattle/north White Center area in the past week — stickups at Gas Depot and Lucky Seven last Thursday, and at the Country Deli this past Tuesday (WSB coverage here; map above shows the three locations). According to information forwarded by Southwest Precinct Lt. Steve Paulsen, investigators reviewing surveillance video — which has not yet been publicly released (though we have requested any available images) — say “the suspects can be seen … milling about outside for a while prior to the robberies, checking to see if any customers inside.” Investigators want to get this information to local businesspeople: If you see suspicious-looking people hanging around outside your business, call 911. Until we get visuals, all we can tell you regarding a description is what little police have shared — “possibly” Hispanic men in their “late teens/early twenties” — they have been described as wearing bandannas over their faces, and toting at least one shotgun.
Before we kick off the evening snow coverage, a couple other West Seattle news items to share, starting with the date that’s just been set for the next official public hearing about the West Seattle site that’s one of six locations under consideration for a regional misdemeanor-offender jail. As announced last month, the Highland Park Way/West Marginal Way site (Google Street View above; this area was briefly famous months ago as the original “Nickelsville”) is still on the list, which expanded when Seattle’s potential jailbuilding partners, including Bellevue and Shoreline, nominated possible sites. Now each site will be the subject of a “scoping” meeting as part of the environmental-impact review, and the West Seattle meeting is set for 6 pm January 13 at South Seattle Community College‘s Brockey Center – abundant details here. (If you need to catch up on the jail-site fight, six months of WSB coverage is archived here, newest to oldest.)
(This post is now closed, as we move on to evening updates here; our morning coverage from 5 am-1 pm is here. Recap of known FRIDAY school closures: SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, HIGHLINE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, SEATTLE LUTHERAN HS, HOLY ROSARY SCHOOL, WEST SEATTLE MONTESSORI, HOLY FAMILY, HOPE LUTHERAN ALL CANCELED FOR FRIDAY)
Time to start a new multiple-update post – the morning coverage (see it all here) reached epic length including almost 300 comments (really, more like 300 helpful reports – THANK YOU!!!! keep it coming). First info to share comes from Evan Nordby in Westwood:
Thistle between 35th and Delridge is still unplowed/unsanded. Delridge is acceptable south toward White Center… 16th/Ambaum is compact snow/ice, some evidence of plowing, minimal if any sand south to 128th. 128th is tricky over to Des Moines Memorial, and
unplowed/unsanded from there east to Military (where I rescued my girlfriend at 10:30). Measured 5″ on our deck table 5 minutes ago, at 34th and Thistle. Many if not all federal offices are closed (US District and Bankruptcy Courts, Labor, Homeland Security on Tukwila Intl. off the top of my
head)
Evan also sent a pic:
Meantime, SDOT has just reiterated: THE BRIDGE IS OPEN:
West Seattle Bridge Remains Open
SEATTLE–SDOT crews continue to plow and de-ice the high-level West Seattle Bridge today. Several on and off-ramps were closed temporarily due to accidents earlier today, but at this time we are not aware of any closures. Two SDOT trucks are devoted to providing continuous service to the West Seattle Bridge and the Alaskan Way Viaduct. The on-ramp to I-5 at Sixth Avenue South and South Spokane Street is closed at this time. In addition, 22 SDOT trucks continue to treat major arterial streets throughout the city.
Via Twitter – Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) in the Admiral District is open, and making cocoa for customers.
12:34 PM UPDATE: From Brittany in North Delridge:
11:45 here, and still snowing! i’d say we’ve got a good 5 inches so far. wind is
blowing around like crazy, too. not many cars on the road, but neighbors are out with skis and sleds. we’re on 26th behind the community center and can see the golf course out our back windows- i imagine there will be some activity there before too long. we’re just staying warm inside for now, after some tromping around and obligatory snowball fights!
Accompanying photo:
From 47th and Edmunds (map), MP says Edmunds has become a sledding hill, and also notes the USPS is out delivering there too (hats off to the mail carriers and everyone else with a MUST-DO job today who is out there doing it):
Cami sends video from Alki (the neighborhoods just inland, not the beach itself, anyone got pix from there?):
She adds that a block party is developing nearby (56th/Lander). To recap from the morning update – Bus service this afternoon will be limited, per Metro, and West Seattle, with our wonderful hills, is a particular trouble spot. Full details here.
CLICK AHEAD TO READ MORE OF OUR AS-IT-HAPPENED COVERAGE:Read More
In addition to the Design Review Board meeting cancellation we mentioned earlier, we have just received word that the Cooper Elementary school-closure meeting tonight IS ALSO CANCELED – no new date set yet. Seattle Public Schools also sent word that the Lowell Elementary hearing is canceled too; APP (top-level gifted program) families citywide would have been going to that one. We’ll be launching a new afternoon coverage post shortly and will recap closures and changes there too.
This picture gets its own post – thanks to Courtney, who photographed it on Kenyon between 35th and 36th. She reports, “Those are real fish in its belly.”
We have been covering cancellations, changes, delays, closures (and some of what’s OPEN) in our main weather post – but this one needed a separate note too: The Design Review Board meeting that had been scheduled tonight at Madison Middle School for two projects, 4502 42nd SW and The Kenney‘s redevelopment, IS CANCELED per city planner Michael Dorcy. We will let you know when a new date is set.
(THIS WAS THE MORNING POST – CLICK HERE FOR AFTERNOON COVERAGE. From earlier: School closures so far (as of 11:20 am): Seattle Public Schools, Holy Rosary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Hope Lutheran, West Seattle Montessori, Holy Family in White Center, Seattle Lutheran High School, Westside School, West Seattle Christian Preschool, Shorewood Christian, elementaries in Highline Public Schools, South Seattle Community College, elementary on Vashon, all closed. School delays: Vashon middle and high schools, 2 hours late; Highline middle and high schools are 1 hour late)
Finally happened. We’re on live-update watch now. More shortly. No school changes yet; we’re watching schoolreport.org among other places.
5:29 AM UPDATE: Seattle Public Schools are CLOSED for the day. Meteorologist on the radio describes this as a “band of showers.” Driving is dangerous right now since this is fresh, buses too according to a comment that just came in. And we just had THUNDER AND LIGHTNING in Upper Fauntleroy. Holy Rosary School is closed. Our Lady of Guadalupe is closed. Vashon School District, 2 hours late. Highline Public Schools, 1 hour late. (Got a closure? E-mail us at editor@westseattleblog.com or call 206-293-6302)
5:47 AM UPDATE: Just heard a KING 5 producer on the phone on her station say she couldn’t get out of West Seattle via Delridge – undrivable at the moment – reportedly blocked by stuck buses. (We have the live bridge-cam up at the top of this post, also relisting school closures there too as they come in, as well as here in the continuing updates.) Another school delay: South Seattle Community College, 10 am start. Remember we have the bridge cam “live” pic (refresh for latest) atop this post; more West Seattle-relevant cams on our Traffic page. I-5 ramp on that page looks totally white.
5:56 AM UPDATE: Metro has updated its “adverse weather” page with bus routes that are on reroute. See the list here. It includes the 21, 22 (“not operating on 41st SW – ice” says the list), 23, 37, 53, 125, 128 (not entering the SSCC campus for those last two), and many others areawide.
6:03 AM UPDATE: Hope Lutheran School CLOSED for the day. Thanks to Chris for sending this photo of the buses in trouble on Delridge onramp to The Bridge:
West Seattle Montessori just called – CLOSED for the day, added to our running list at the TOP of this post (above the “live” bridge pic). Via Facebook (“friend” us at WS Blog), Talani at Stor-More Self-Storage (WSB sponsor) sends this photo of Avalon from Yancy (that’s the Tillicum Village HQ and gift shop in the background) and says it’s “solid white,” very treacherous:
Scanner says “it’s all turning to ice now … going to assume there will be accidents all over the place.” They can’t even get to accidents that are blocking or involve injuries, “we’re not going to car-in-the-ditch stuff” says dispatcher.
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That’s Molly Gras-Usry, one of two Cooper Elementary parents who spoke to the Seattle School Board Wednesday night during the public-comment period that started the board’s regular meeting. Tonight, Cooper has its own meeting with a district official (7 pm @ Cooper) – but Wednesday, it was a chance to address the board. The other parent to speak was Brittany Abbott, who hadn’t been on the speaker list but got the chance when an Arbor Heights Elementary parent yielded his spot. She too spoke about how, as the theme of the school’s anti-closure campaign goes, Cooper works:
One Arbor Heights parent did speak, April Bolding from the AH PTSA. Though AH is not currently on the list that’s being actively considered for closure, the two-plus-week scare jolted that school’s community into brainstorming ways they could help with the West Seattle South cluster’s capacity imbalance, and that’s what Bolding focused on:
In comments following our as-it-happened report on the board meeting, Paul Dieter pointed out other West Seattleites were there on behalf of another school that was under consideration as a candidate for closure or consolidation, The Center School, a nontraditional high school that leases space in the Center House at Seattle Center. One speaker said 17 percent of TCS students are from West Seattle. (That would be about 50; the school’s website says it has about 300 students.) That school, as it turned out, is involved in the only change that was revealed tonight regarding the proposed closure list — Superintendent Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson said that changes involving high schools were off the table for now, for at least a year. (The Center School and Rainier Beach High School had been the only high schools mentioned in the process.) That was the only change she announced; other than that, what she announced last week (summary here) stands, including the proposal to close the Cooper “program,” disperse its students, and move Pathfinder K-8 into the Cooper building, closing the old Genesee Hill Elementary building where the alternative school’s long been housed.
Also at the meeting: District watchdog Chris Jackins of West Seattle – who speaks at almost every meeting – again implored the district not to close any schools; district financial boss Don Kennedy recapped his recent budget report, again saying the district may wind up $37 million in the red, depending on what’s in the governor’s budget for education (she announces her budget this afternoon); chief academic officer Carla Santorno explained the “design team” concept that has come up more and more often (including in the superintendent’s radio appearance Tuesday) as the plan for helping students and staffers transition to new schools once the closure plan is finalized – the jargonistic bullet points are in this PDF of her presentation
The last section of the “superintendent’s report” was a long and fine-print-laden presentation by researcher Brad Bernatek. He is crunching numbers on “functional capacity” — which means how many students a school can REALLY hold, not just how many it should THEORETICALLY be able to hold — in a study that started just last month. Some asked at the time, shouldn’t that study have been done before district leadership started declaring some schools underenrolled and some overenrolled? Meantime, Bernatek said the data will all be ready by January 13th, leading board member Harium Martin-Morris to point out – that’s a week AFTER the final recommendations are to come out, how are we supposed to make the decision without the data? Dr. Goodloe-Johnson said there would be lots of time (16 days, to be precise, before the final vote; 9 days before the final public hearing). Again, the entire presentation can be read here.
WHAT’S NEXT: The district-organized meeting at Cooper at 7 pm tonight (listed on this page along with all other remaining community hearings); the announcement of “final recommendations” on January 6; School Board meetings Jan. 7 and 21; final public hearing (for the entire plan as it stands then) January 22; special board meeting to vote on the plan, January 29. Public comment is still being accepted by e-mail at capacity@seattleschools.org and schoolboard@seattleschools.org.
When you hear the phrase “holiday magic,” it’s usually in conjunction with some warm and fuzzy representation of sugarplums, lights, faux snow, and so on. But this Saturday morning at 11 am at the Admiral Theater — which along with presenting sponsor Metropolitan Market is advertising on WSB to get the word out — it’s Holiday Magic and Wonder with professional magician Steffan Soule (photo above) – here’s more info from The Admiral:
The show will connect all ages to genuine astonishment and even Old St. Nick is rumored to magically appear on-stage! Steffan promises; fluttering white doves will appear and disappear, an audience member will be suspended in mid-air, and other magical and mystical feats that will leave families gasping in disbelief.
Specially priced at $6.00 a ticket, the show will also benefit the West Seattle Helpline, which is looking to replenish their school supplies for their Students in Need Program. Executive Director Anna Fern is asking for basic supplies for elementary, middle and high school students such as pencils, notebook paper, crayons, colored pencils for map drawings, scissors, glue and pens. Backpacks are also much needed. After the magic show, there will be a photo opportunity for kids where parents can bring their own cameras to take pictures of their children with Santa for a suggested $1.00 donation, which will also go to the Helpline.
What a fun and inexpensive way to share the magic of the holidays with your whole family. There will be a dollar discount on each ticket with groups over 20. Group tickets must be purchased at the theater.
Soule is a seasoned children’s performer as well as an excellent entertainer of adult and corporate audiences. He performed a program of magic and music for children with The Seattle Symphony and has created educational and environmental magic shows that tour the country. He is also a favorite in school educational assemblies and supplies special arts programs to colleges, high schools as well as elementary schools.
For additional information on the 11 am Saturday (12/20) show, go to: steffansoule.com/admiral, or call 206-938-0785.
Yes, we know, ALL things are possible, including hot melted cheese falling from the sky, Elvis knocking on your door trying to sell you new windows, your next holiday card containing a winning ticket for Mega Millions. But really, the latest “forecast discussion” says city snow remains a possibility overnight, and also mentions the word “unsettled” in the same sentence as “Christmas Eve.” Be ready just for the heck of it; our neighbors with the long steep driveway already moved their cars up to level ground just in case.
Footnote: No area school changes announced so far. After today’s ultimately unnecessary closures, you can bet they are waiting till early morning for decisionmaking this time.
The other day, we got word from Hansen View Blockwatch (the neighborhood west of the Camp Long entrance) about car prowls, and linked their report to the WSB Crime Watch page since the main page here was completely caught up in weather coverage. Tonight, since weather woes are in a lull, we’re posting here that HVB has sent word of another car-prowling incident, two cars in the 5000 block of 36th (here’s a map; full report is on the HVB website).
We’re at district HQ for tonight’s school board meeting, where speakers during the public-comment period are scheduled to include people on behalf of Cooper Elementary, Pathfinder K-8, and Arbor Heights Elementary, the three West Seattle schools that have been involved in the closure proposals so far. Also, Superintendent Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson is scheduled to present an update on the process; that “update” at the meeting two weeks ago yielded the first official word that the possibility of closing the Cooper “program” was being studied. We’re not going to post minute-by-minute updates of this meeting, since you can watch live on TV (cable channel 23 26 per district staff), but we will post periodic notes about what happens, particularly once the superintendent presents her report.
6:02 PM UPDATE: Meeting has begun; Cheryl Chow is the only board member not here. Standing-room-only group like two weeks ago. (Added post-meeting: We took two photos of the room quickly between the Pledge of Allegiance and the public-comment period – directionally, as the board faces, we were sitting in the front row on the right, to get the seat next to the speakers’ podium for better video, and so had a straight-ahead view of that side, with an angled view of the left side of the room – first photo is right, second photo left.)
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Rain, wind, and rising mercury — nature’s great de-icers. That’s SW Sullivan looking east and uphill from California SW (map); compare that to this view from 25 hours earlier:
Since the weather situation SEEMS to be calming down, we will just keep this one post going for weather-related updates into the afternoon and evening – if by any chance anything snowy/icy does HAPPEN to erupt, we’ll change the plan, but for now we’re tapering down. More to come, as weather-related info arrives.
2:32 PM NOTE: Somebody asked in comments, so what happened to all that snow? As you likely snow, it hit hard in Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom counties. But in the latest forecast discussion (a new one should be out by 4 or so), National Weather Service forecasters are still fairly certain some is heading this way:
AFTER SUNSET…COLDER AIR ALOFT SPREADS IN AS TODAY’S WEATHER SYSTEM
MOVES SOUTH. THIS SHOULD BRING A CHANGEOVER BACK TO SNOW FOR EVERYONE. THE FOCUS OF CONCERN THIS EVENING WILL BE ON A BAND OF SNOW THAT FIRST DEVELOPS OVER THE NORTH SOUND EARLY THIS EVENING. MODELS POINT TO THIS FEATURE UNANIMOUSLY. HEAVY SNOWFALL AMOUNTS ARE LIKELY WITHIN THIS FEATURE…PARTICULARLY IN THE EVERETT AREA AND EAST ALONG THE HIGHWAY 2 CORRIDOR TO THE CASCADES. THIS BAND OF HEAVY SNOW WILL THEN SINK SOUTH INTO KING COUNTY BY LATE EVENING WITH MOST OF THE SEATTLE METRO AREA’S 1 TO 3 INCHES OF ACCUMULATION COMING BETWEEN 7 PM AND 1 AM.
5:10 PM UPDATE: Back on commute watch. Very windy now. Still above freezing. We’ll be heading to Sodo shortly for tonight’s School Board meeting (though weather-related updates will also continue here) so we’ll see the commute route in the opposite direction, if anything’s awry along the way. So far all the road bulletins from the state are focusing on the north Sound, where as mentioned earlier, they got smacked this time. The afternoon metro-area forecast includes:
TONIGHT…SNOW SHOWERS…MIXED WITH RAIN SHOWERS EARLY THIS EVENING. SNOW ACCUMULATION 1 TO 3 INCHES. LOWS IN THE MID 20S TO LOWER 30S. SOUTHWEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH.
THURSDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS. AN ADDITIONAL INCH OR SO OF ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE THROUGH MID MORNING. HIGHS IN THE LOWER 30S. SOUTHWEST WIND TO 10 MPH.
THURSDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS. LOWS 16 TO 23. NORTHWEST WIND TO 10 MPH.
5:50 PM UPDATE: Smooth sailing from West Seattle to Sodo. Haven’t seen people drive that fast in … days. Radio forecasters still saying … well … the city might see a flake, or two, or more. Post a comment if you see one! Here’s where it IS snowing — Las Vegas (photos here) — most Las Vegas airport traffic is being shut down, according to one infostream we’re watching.
In the first four days following the announcement of two “hybrid scenarios” for “replacing” the Alaskan Way Viaduct‘s Central Waterfront “mile in the middle” section, we brought you four expanded reactions/commentaries (all archived here with the rest of our Viaduct coverage). The one that drew the most criticism — in posted comments, anyway — came from West Seattle-residing (entire-city-representing) City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen (read it here). Wondering what he thought about that reaction, and/or why his Viaduct view is what it is? You don’t have to wonder – you can talk to him yourself. According to a note from his office (and he himself has posted this in a comment), “he would like to meet with anyone who would like to discuss this issue in person this Saturday morning. Tom will be at Uptown Espresso, 4301 SW Edmunds (California & Edmunds; here’s a map) between 8:30 – 10:30 am this Saturday, December 20th. He would welcome the opportunity to meet informally to hear people’s comments and recommendations on the viaduct and to exchange views on this important issue or any other Seattle issue of concern.”
Just mentioned this in our ongoing weather-related-coverage post, but wanted to note it separately too, since hundreds of families around West Seattle are affected by the ongoing school-closure process (WSB coverage archived here): We have just reconfirmed with Seattle Public Schools that, even though schools are closed districtwide today, tonight’s School Board meeting, 6 pm at district HQ in Sodo with a closure-process update on the agenda, IS STILL HAPPENING AS SCHEDULED. But district spokesperson Patti Spencer does advise checking the district website (here’s the School Board page) IF weather conditions change significantly later (and we will of course bring you word of any changes here).
Tomorrow night, the Southwest Design Review Board is scheduled to meet at the Madison Middle Schoollibrary, with two projects to review, including the $150 million redevelopment proposal for The Kenney in Fauntleroy. Design proposals are often made available online before DRB meetings, and we wanted to let you know that the presentation The Kenney will make tomorrow night has just been posted. See it here; it’s shorter than most of these “packets” — six pages, showing five possible configurations of the project – one that The Kenney showed as its “preferred alternative” at the October 23 meeting (WSB coverage here), one that would be “code compliant” (not requiring zoning changes or other “departures”), one that is self-explanatorily titled the “Saving Seaview Alternative” (that’s the historic Kenney building with the cupola), one called the “L3 Perimeter Alternative Plan” (subtitled as “permitting better transition to adjacent single-family structures,” and finally the “December 18 preferred plan” (shown above; tallest structure would be 5 stories, west-east wing in the middle of the campus). Again, you can get a closer look at that, and all five versions, here. The Kenney is on tomorrow night’s agenda at 8 pm, following a 6:30 pm review for 4502 42nd SW (as reported here, with links to the previous review as well as the new presentation). Here’s a map to Madison MS. And you can see all WSB coverage of The Kenney’s redevelopment plan (dating back to our first in-depth preview four months ago) archived here.
(this coverage concluded around 1 pm; click here to go to Wednesday afternoon weather coverage)
The 4 am forecast puts a Winter Weather Advisory into effect until 10 am tomorrow. Who — and where — will see the first flakes? Till they fall, here are some hopefully helpful links:
Holy Rosary sent e-mail to say that their school is open and on time.
West Seattle Montessori is open and on time with the possibility of an early dismissal if it starts snowing.
West Seattle Christian Preschool is closed.
The Tilden School is open and on time.
9:12 AM UPDATE: In case you’re at work outside West Seattle now and wondering – no flakes yet. Up north – different story; just saw a snow total report go by on TV – one spot in Skagit County has already had half a foot. Meantime, SDOT has sent an update with a reminder that, as we reported yesterday, you can call in about an iced-over non-arterial:
The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) proactively positioned crews around the city this morning, with light snow forecast, ready to respond to snow and ice on major arterial streets if needed. During the day, many crews will proceed with normal street maintenance activities while continuing to carefully monitor roadway conditions. Heavier snowfall is forecast for late this afternoon. A full contingent of crews and snow/ice equipment will be deployed in the field in advance of the evening commute.
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40 speakers, 3 schools, 2 school board members. Those are the numbers from last night’s school-closure public hearing at the Genesee Hill Elementary building that Pathfinder K-8 has called home for almost 15 years. And numbers were the reason the hearing had to happen at all – a $24 million-$37 million budget shortfall faced by Seattle Public Schools, with $3.6 million a year potentially to be saved by shuttering school buildings including the long-deteriorating Genesee Hill. The district’s been proposing closing it for years — without also closing the Pathfinder “program” — so the issue has been, and remains, where does Pathfinder go?
As mentioned over the past couple days, Monday trash (etc.) pickups in West Seattle were postponed because of the icy neighborhood streets – and Seattle Public Utilities said they’d try again today, but if they didn’t make it, just bring everything in till next week. We sent SPU’s Andy Ryan a note earlier asking for an official verdict, and just received this answer:
West Seattle customers that have not been collected by now should bring their containers in. Next Monday, the City will collect all three waste streams – garbage, yard waste, recycle. Customers can set out double their usual waste.
Just in from Tony, and scanner traffic confirms the search:
… SPD currently have containment around the 7700-7800 block of Highland Parkway SW. It appears that there was another robbery in the area. Scanner traffic from the police seems to indicate that the same suspects in several robberies may be involved in this one also. From what I heard the call came out at just before 6:30 for an armed robbery in front of 7789 Highland Parkway. The police arrived very soon after and set up containment to keep the suspects within a specific geographic area. They are described as two males late teens early twenties wearing white bandanas over their face and hoodie type sweatshirts. One of the males had a shot gun. There were a couple of witnesses to the incident and have provided directions lasted traveled. There does not appear to be a car involved. An SPD K9 unit is responding from the north end of Seattle and expects to be on the scene in the next few minutes. It is likely the road closures will be in effect for a little while. At this time I would suggest that people in the area remain inside and make sure their doors are locked.
More as we get it. Regarding those “several robberies” that happened earlier, there were two last Thursday night (discussed on WSB in the context of a helicopter sighting – here’s the post): one at Gas Depot on South Delridge, one at Lucky Seven in White Center; we had asked both investigating agencies to let us know if any surveillance photos were available to show, but hadn’t received any to date. 8:07 PM UPDATE: Per scanner, a K-9 officer lost the scent somewhere on 10th SW so some units have left that part of the scene. 9 PM NOTE: After that, the scanner traffic dwindled to nothing – so there’s no additional information; our original tipster relayed that officers left that area too. Not sure if we will get more information tonight but we will pursue it. WEDNESDAY MORNING UPDATE: This robbery has appeared on the SPD Blotter website, but even less info than we had in this post; we’re checking directly with the Southwest Precinct for any additional details. WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON: The only additional detail that Lt. Steve Paulsen has is that the suspects are “possibly (2) Hispanic males teens/20’s.” He says “we have a lot of folks citywide working on this” and also working in tandem with King County Sheriff’s Office, since one of the stickups last Thursday was in White Center, but no arrests yet.
It’s the semi-calm before the next storm. This will be the post about what’s happening tonight – launching it here before your editor takes off for tonight’s school-closure hearing on Genesee Hill (see this post for district info on getting there safely) – but Team WSB will continue updating the weather situation throughout the night, and you are a HUGE part of the team; please continue to leave comments not just about road updates, but also what you’re seeing at stores, for example – anybody who’s NOT sold out of salt, say – or if it goes beyond a comment, please e-mail us (editor@westseattleblog.com).
6:53 PM UPDATE: Getting to Genesee Hill, no problem. But drivers are already starting to get (properly) cautious – very slow procession down the California hill through Gatewood toward Morgan Junction.
8:32 PM UPDATE: The National Weather Service’s presentation about upcoming systems, from a briefing today, is online if you want to take a look. Toplines – we may see anywhere from a trace to 5″ tomorrow. Maybe 2″ to 5″ tomorrow night. Sunday system may have more snow than whatever happens tomorrow. But of course, forecasting’s an art, not a science.
9:37 PM UPDATE: Tomorrow night’s Delridge District Council meeting has been canceled, per a note from Ron Angeles, with the expectation of worsening weather. And in fact, the new forecast discussion is out, with this outlook for the region:
PRECIPITATION WILL FIRST REACH THE AREA AROUND MIDNIGHT AND SPREAD SOUTHEAST ACROSS WESTERN WASHINGTON OVERNIGHT. BY MIDDAY WEDNESDAY THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA SHOULD BE RECEIVING PRECIPITATION. PRECIPITATION WILL GRADUALLY TAPER OFF FROM NORTH TO SOUTH WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS THE SYSTEM MOVES OFF TO THE SOUTHEAST.
As for how much, they have all bets covered — a trace, to half a foot. So be ready for anything (or nothing). One thing for certain, though, it’s still subfreezing out there, so even so much as a drop of water out of those clouds, and it’s a snowflake. Just noticed while looking for weather radar, a record low was set for the second day in a row – 20, breaking the old record of 24 for this date.
10:30 PM NOTE: So far, the only school delays we’ve heard of for tomorrow are to the south – Highline Public Schools will start 2 hours late (as we posted in the afternoon updates) and Kennedy HS in Burien will start at 10:30. Everyone else seems to be waiting till early morning to decide – forecasters don’t seem to agree when we’ll get that next snow, so that seems to make as much sense as anything.
11:40 PM NOTE: SPU just sent the final word on those postponed trash pickups: Nothing more till next week. Bring ’em in. (A few more details in this separate post.)
Yes, we know, ALL things are possible, including hot melted cheese falling from the sky, Elvis knocking on your door trying to sell you new windows, your next holiday card containing a winning ticket for 
about car prowls, and linked their report to 
In the first four days following the announcement of two “hybrid scenarios” for “replacing” the 
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