More snow, wind in Whatcom forecast; Bellingham, other schools close Tuesday
Snow began falling around Whatcom County about 8 a.m. Tuesday as schools were canceled and commuters coped with another day of wintry weather.
Flurries were forecast throughout Tuesday, Jan. 14, with a total daytime accumulation of about an inch, the National Weather Service said.
More snow is on the way Tuesday night as temperatures are predicted to dip into the teens and a winter storm watch has been issued.
Another 1 to 3 inches of snow is likely overnight.
Daytime temperatures in the mid-20s were forecast Tuesday with sunny skies, but the temperature at Bellingham International Airport fell from 18 at 1 a.m. to 15 at 8:30 a.m.
Winds were out of the northeast at 20 mph and gusting to 25 mph, with sub-zero wind chills.
State, county and city road crews were working around the clock to keep roads clear and passable.
A call went over the emergency radio channels seeking a complete plowing of airport runways after an eighth of an inch had accumulated. No flight delays were reported at the Port of Bellingham website, however.
Snow was starting to build on Interstate 5, according to state Department of Transportation cameras.
Many of the main streets in Bellingham were free of snow and ice before dawn Tuesday after 2 inches or more of snow fell across Western Washington on Monday, according to observations.
“As of right now, the rough spots are some of the residential streets at higher elevations, especially on some of the steeper grades, said Michael Olinger, superintendent of maintenance for the Bellingham Public Works Department.
“Right now crews are monitoring arterials and providing assistance to emergency services. Crews are no longer applying salt brine as the temp has dropped too low for effectiveness,” Olinger told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
“We will continue to monitor the weather and conditions and modify operations as condition evolve,” Olinger said.
Whatcom Transportation Authority reported via Twitter that three routes were detoured by road conditions and some riders were seeing delays.
Bitter cold and icy road conditions also were affecting several school districts:
Bellingham Public Schools called off classes about 8 a.m., after initially setting a two-hour delay.
▪ Western Washington University was open Tuesday.
“The WWU grounds crew has cleared all the main campus snow routes, but extra caution is encouraged when using secondary routes,” campus spokesman Paul Cocke said in an email.
▪ Classes were canceled for a second straight day in the Mount Baker and Nooksack Valley school districts.
▪ Blaine schools were open at 10:20 a.m. with buses on a two-hour delay.
▪ Ferndale and Meridian schools were open with a two-hour delay, no preschool and buses on snow routes. There was no out-of-district transportation for Meridian.
▪ Lynden schools were open with a two-hour delay and no morning preschool.
Bellingham Technical and Whatcom Community colleges report being open Tuesday.
About 400 Puget Sound Energy customers were without power early Tuesday, mostly in the Lake Samish area and Peaceful Valley north of Kendall.
Mount Baker Highway was open with compact snow and ice on the road at 4,250 feet. Chains were required on two-wheel-drive cars.
Mt. Baker Ski Area was open with nearly 3 feet of snow in the past two days.
Avalanche conditions were “considerable” in the Mount Baker wildness backcountry, according to the Northwest Avalanche Center.
Did you get a great photo of the snow you’d like to share? Upload it to bhamherald.com/submit-photo.
This story was originally published January 14, 2020 at 5:10 AM with the headline "More snow, wind in Whatcom forecast; Bellingham, other schools close Tuesday."
