Winter weather blasts Western Washington

Following a weekend of crushingly powerful arctic wind and persistent snowfall, people in Western Washington are looking at days of dangerously cold temperatures.

Temperatures up and down Puget Sound hovered near -15 C early Monday morning, with thermometers in Seattle showing a relatively warm -8. Wind gusts of nearly 60 km/h were reported at the Bellingham International Airport, making it feel like it was nearly -23 C in the seaside town.

The National Weather Service forecast for most of Western Washington calls for things to warm up a bit by Tuesday, with temperatures hovering around the freezing mark for most of the week. A grab bag of weather warnings and special statements are posted for the Puget Sound region, ranging from high wind warnings to hazardous weather statements.

Reporting from the tundra that is the Ferndale, Washington bureau today for @CityNewsVAN

Icy streets and highways, coupled with persistent high winds means travel around here is difficult. pic.twitter.com/6OVgWXRNLb

— Peter Wagner (@peterjontheair) December 27, 2021

WashDOT crews say they’ve been working through the weekend to keep routes clear, but their various Twitter accounts show a cascade of crashes and problem spots. Surface streets in cities of all size around the region are compacted sheets of ice. Crews tossed salt and sand onto many state roadways, but with temperatures so low, WashDOT says it will take longer to break up snow and ice.

4:30 p.m. update: Snow has let up across #Whatcom & #Skagit counties but #WinterWeatherAdvisory & #WindChillAdvisory in effect. As temps drop we'll see icy conditions. Our crews are closely tracking the forecast and treating roads.????Thanks to this team that was out earlier.???? pic.twitter.com/KeWS31HMGN

— WSDOT North (@wsdot_north) December 27, 2021

I'm signing off for the evening, but our crews will be plowing and treating roads through the night. Things you can do to help:
⚠️ Limit travel as much as you can
⭐️ Give our crews room to work
⛸️ Take it slow and remember that ice is lurking pic.twitter.com/rn8yz7vgDU

— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) December 27, 2021

But not every nook of Western Washington is equipped to deal with winter weather. The DOT only handles state roads and highways, leaving the rest to counties and cities. Recently, Whatcom County warned residents that it could be much more difficult to keep major routes plowed as they face a hardship hiring snow plow drivers.

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“The coronavirus pandemic has affected the department’s winter operations by limiting our ability to hire and train new employees and for new employees to obtain the CDL licenses and training needed to drive snow and ice equipment. Levels of service could be further restricted if employees must quarantine or isolate due to infection,” Whatcom County Public Works writes on their website. That agency handles roads not covered by cities like Bellingham and Blaine.

Crews remind drivers to give extra follow distance when driving in icy conditions, and to use your best judgement about whether you should be driving.