Whatcom gets snowfall for Super Bowl Sunday; schools closed or start late Monday
The forecast came true Sunday as snow began falling about 9 a.m. in Bellingham. “Snowing and blowing” was reported in Lynden by Herald editor Jim Donaldson.
Snow showers were expected to continue across most of the area Sunday evening into early Monday morning with the heaviest snow expected overnight, according to the National Weather Service.
Bellingham Public Schools announced Sunday night that its schools will be closed Monday “due to icy roads, unsafe conditions and decreasing temperatures.”
Lynden School District schools will start two hours late Monday and “all early morning programs, including a.m. pre-school,” are canceled, according to the district via flashalert.net.
Mt. Baker School District announced Sunday its schools will be closed Monday with no after-school activities.
Nooksack Valley High School posted on it’s Facebook page that all Nooksack schools will be closed Monday as well.
Meridian School District will operate on snow routes, one hour late Monday with preschool canceled and no out-of-district transportation, it reported on flashalert.net.
The Ferndale School District reported on its Facebook page Sunday that its schools will be closed on Monday due to snow and road conditions.
“Given the showery nature of this system, snow amounts will not be uniform with heavier accumulations possible in stronger showers. Showers will decrease Monday morning as the system exits south of the area,” according to the weather service’s website.
It suggested commuters monitor road conditions Monday morning “as slick roads may impact the morning commute in some areas.”
Sunday afternoon Whatcom County 911’s Facebook page said “We are receiving reports of crashes all throughout the county. At this time Bellingham Police and the Whatcom County Sheriff’s office are not able to respond to non-injury crashes. Drivers need to exchange information and report online.”
Washington State Department of Transportation Cameras along Interstate 5 Sunday showed the road wet but clear, with snow sticking off the pavement.
Elsewhere, The Herald observed one to two inches of snow on the ground with snow sticking on neighborhood roads.
Southerly Fraser Valley from Canada winds impact Whatcom’s weather and Environment Canada’s Sunday report noted: “An Arctic front pushing out towards the coast from the B.C. interior is producing strong outflow winds and falling temperatures.”
John Gargett, deputy director of the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management, said that road crews and others are mobilizing just in case and his office is watching forecasts in the U.S. and Canada.
“Public works is getting ready, in case the roads do get slick,” Gargett said in an interview Friday with Herald reporter Robert Mittendorf.
At the county Public Works Department, dump trucks will be on the roads with sand and snowplows if conditions warrant.
Mt. Baker Ski Area’s website Sunday reported it had “16 inches of new snow yesterday, and forecasts are expected cold temperatures, some sun breaks and a few snow showers.”
The National Weather Service forecast Sunday afternoon said “cooler temperatures will arrive Monday and continuing into Wednesday with highs only in the 30s and lower 40s and lows in the teens to 20s. This is around 10 to 15 degrees cooler than normal for the first week of February.”
This story was originally published February 3, 2019 at 10:07 AM.
