Snow day for schools; busy day for snowplows

Snoqualmie Valley gets blanket of snow.

Many Eastside residents woke up to a winter wonderland on Jan. 13, and snow continued to fall throughout the day.

The Valley and some Eastside cities received more snow than others, but the Seattle Weather Forecast Office of the National Weather Service (NWS), as of noon Monday, predicted there wouldn’t be much more accumulation that day, maybe up to an inch in some localized areas.

According to NWS Meteorologist Gary Schneider Snoqualmie saw 9 to 10 inches, North Bend received 8 inches, Redmond 3 to 5 inches, Bothell 4 to 7 inches, Issaquah 2 to 3 inches, Kenmore 1 to 3 inches, Kirkland 1 to 3 inches, Bellevue 1 to 3 inches, and Mercer Island saw a trace to an inch.

Schneider said there wasn’t as much snow reported south of Interstate 90 and south Seattle got very little. He also said there was a pretty sharp line between Bothell and Kenmore, with up to 7 inches in Bothell further north into south Snohomish County but dropping off pretty quickly to only about 2 or 3 inches reported in the Kenmore area.

Snoqualmie pass received about a foot of snow in the last 24 hours, adding to the couple of feet that has been accumulating there over the last few days. Snow on the pass has been building over recent weeks.

Pass conditions can be found online at tinyurl.com/y75aq66r.

Schneider confirmed there was another chance of accumulating snowfall on Wednesday or Thursday.

Transportation, utilities

Crews have been hard at work clearing roads throughout the Snoqualmie Valley. City plows have been actively clearing streets in North Bend and Snoqualmie. Each of those two cities put out news releases regarding the snowfall from Jan. 12 into Jan. 13.

It is recommended that folks check back on their city’s website and twitter pages for news updates. Snoqualmie rescheduled its Jan. 13 city council meeting to Jan. 15.

Snoqualmie City Parks and Public Works crews were calling for residents to move cars off streets and out of roadways and major parking areas to make room for plows. North Bend reported crews working since midnight and having cleared 90 percent of first priority roads by 10 a.m.

Garbage and recycling services were canceled for the day in both cities. Waste Management in Snoqualmie canceled its service, stating it planned to resume regular service on Tuesday, moving all pickup for the week forward one day. In North Bend Republic Services canceled Jan.13 services to all routes, planning to collect doubles at no extra charge on the next day of service.

Snoqualmie Valley Shelter Services had extended its hours due to the extreme weather. Overnight services are available at the Snoqualmie Valley United Methodist Church, daytime services are available at the Resource Center at the American Legion Post. More information about the Shelter Services hours can be found online at https://northbendwa.gov/civicalerts.aspx?AID=944.

As of 1 p.m. Monday, WSDOT had not reported road closures or any travel alerts in the Snoqualmie area.

School closures

Due to inclement weather, Snoqualmie Valley School District (SVSD) closed Jan. 13. All programs, activities and building use were canceled.

SVSD covers more than 400 square miles and 1,000 feet of elevation. Consequently, adverse weather conditions may impact neighborhood roads differently throughout the district.

On mornings of questionable weather, see the district website at www.svsd410.org for schools information.