My fellow Seattle and beyond residents - are you ready for Part 2?
I asked DS, who had lived in Chicagoland most of his life, if the snow was nostalgic? Pretty? Annoying? Familiar, he replied. And was grateful for underground parking.
I was one of only 3 people on my whole floor at work M & T this week. The level of whining today about the weather was laughable. I’m a MN transplant, so kind of rolling my eyes. I’ve had literally a hundred worse commutes than this week in the past. For a city with so many Subarus, people don’t seem to know what to do with them.
One thing about Seattle is that the neighborhood streets are very narrow. Cars parked on both sides, just enough room for 1 car to go up the middle. No way could a plow or salt truck fit through. And the concept of a “snow emergency” (say, everyone has to move their cars off the odd side of the street for a day so plows can get through, then off even side the next day) seems unknown. Of course, we’d need equipment to do it, too. But instead, everyone wrings their hands and complains, and waits for warmer weather.
Supposed to snow every day next week. I’m banking on peace & quiet in the office.
Yeah, people really freak out. So far, it seems pretty smooth as long as side streets and hills are avoided. Hopefully Friday’s storm is mild.
I am banking on Metro still doing their runs. Or our VPN.
This snow is not a typical thing around here, so the cities get by without investing in infrastructure and machinery that would collect dust most of the time. Glad I am not traveling next week.
Was there Part !?
Doesn’t sound like “mild”, instead “A much larger snow event than occurred on Sunday night/Monday morning of this week…Snow apocalypse. One of greatest snow events in decades…perhaps the snowiest period since the large snowfall of December 1996, when Seattle received 21 inches.”
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2019/02/a-major-snowstorm-will-hit-region.html?m=1
We’re in California and are instead preparing for downpours with another big Atmospheric River pointed at SoCal late next week. Very disappointed to miss out on the snow this week - it was only above 1500-2000ft in the Bay Area.
I have a cousin who barely escaped Kirkland, lol! She managed to find an Uber driver to get her to the airport so now she’s basking in warmth.
We figured we would be black iced in Tuesday morning. 870 above sea level.
For sure expecting it beginning Saturday. The longest was 6 nights and the worse was in the 1990’s.
No heat and sick kid. We ended up in a hotel that time.
It is not the snow but the black ice which looks like it has rained.
I usually spend my time cooking and freezing food. Now that I have discovered TV binging the food might not get cooked. Our family is not great dealing with cabin fever…so hopefully H and I will survive. Portland used salt on some of the major intersections for the first time last year.
Part 1 started Monday. 
Looks like Redmond has around 3-4" in the forecast for later this week. No biggie.
I was there for the Mother of all Convergence Zones in 1990 and it was fun! I only had a two mile drive home from work and it took 2-3 hours. People who lived in Seattle itself took 10+ hours to get home. I stopped on a road uphill from our condo when the snow started bouncing off my bumper onto the hood and windshield. The condo faced east and I had a fantastic view of the green flashes that night (thundersnow combined with power lines and transformers blowing up).
Note: the day before the storm should have been a warning. DW’s flight to SAT was delayed because the high winds blew a stray baggage cart into her plane and cut its skin. They had to get a new plane for the trip. This was pre-9/11, so we hung out at SeaTac together waiting for the replacement.
That was the Mother of All Convergence Zones? Wow. We did not even consider it a biggie. We did not have a car though and lived next to a strip mall a mile from Mr.'s work. He biked to work. ?
We just restocked our Costco supplies. Mr. got IR lamps for the hummer feeders. Tesla is plugged in and charging. We are all good.
Were y’all on the Eastside at that time? It was crazy there, with over a foot of snow in one afternoon! We had moved up from TX in 1989 and, luckily, had bought cables for my tires the previous winter. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to get out of my parking spot at work! I watched all the locals leave work early in the afternoon and finally thought, hmm, maybe I should leave too 
The snow was so heavy that when I’d clean off my back window, the front windshield was covered again, with the wipers going! Seattle cement, gotta love it…
The snow isn’t the issue. It’s the black ice under it on the hills.
I’ve lived through most of the snow events here and while yes, after living in Chicago for a decade after growing up in Seattle it can seem laughable…the Midwest doesn’t have hills or black ice.
The amount of stalled, spun out and abandoned cars in our area at times like this can be fascinating and occasionally scary but it’s better to play it safe. I’ve had my car not make it up my own hill before. Not my current car but still!
I had an Uber ride home early Monday am after a late flight back from Hawaii (and it rained there, grrr). It was just starting to stick at that point.
Made the driver take the long way around to my house as it’s just not worth risking it on the hills once it starts sticking at those kinds of of temps.
I just hope no more school is cancelled, they have a whole week off for presidents week right around the corner!
The 1990 event was one for the books. Within 3 weeks of my due date with #1D, working in Kent, a colleague gave me a ride -we left at 6pm and I got home around 2am. H drove me to work a few days later so I could pick up my car. It turned out to be the only time I was able to drive the car until a week before D was born due to the lingering snow and ice. I think my sister had to leave her car in the vicinity of the gray barn and walk up the hill.
Many times, the snow has been bad enough that once I made it off the cul-de-sac, I wasn’t able to get to the freeway on-ramp or even up the on-ramp. As far as snow for me, this wasn’t so bad, especially with being retired and no worries about getting to work. I had an OT appt up on Broadway on Tuesday and things were just fine.
I’ll make sure that H gets to the grocery store on Friday morning if we’re short in anything (he didn’t heed the warnings on Sunday and we were approaching a milk/bread/butter crisis). Otherwise, we’ll flip on the gas fireplace, pour a glass or two, and enjoy it.
1D starts a new job on Monday, so hoping it’s not major. Her BF can drive her to work or, worst case, she can walk a mile to the facility.
Oh, don’t forget the hummingbird feeders if you have them. H was thawing and figuring out how to use hand warmers to keep the liquid from freezing again.
@zeebamom - thank you for taking care of poor Anna’s and for the reminder! We have IR lamps installed next to our feeders to keep them from freezing. Apparently, birdies wake up at 5:30 am! Too early for us to rotate feeders. Therefore, Mr. got going with a more technical solution.
And oh wow - scary to be due in the middle of a storm or freeze! Yes, Seattle hills are epic. The storm of 1990 is why SeaTac now has deicing equipment.
Folks!!! Please tell your kiddos to be CAREFUL on black ice!!!
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/uw-student-dies-after-slipping-on-campus-sidewalk/
We already have an ice fall injury at work and so does Mr.
Freezing rain (second time this week) here in Wisconsin. Many schools are closed today. Hundreds of schools, businesses, and governmental offices were closed for at least one day, and many for three days, last week because of snow and then subzero temperatures.
I have been wearing my hiking boots and winter coat every day this week. It’s a long walk to work but manageable just in case. The chains went in the trunks Monday morning but should be out in about a week.
I spent 20 years driving winters in the rolling hills of upstate NY. Roads here are 10x worse when it snows. They must use different pavement or something. Four foot ditches on both sides of the road are another issue.
We were in SF last weekend and we’re amazed that there was so much water on roads from rains that were not that heavy. Those ditches are here for a reason.