I-5 slushy with little traffic, Whatcom businesses and schools close in storm’s wake
Travel was difficult across Whatcom County before dawn Wednesday, Jan. 15, as an overnight storm added 4 to 7 inches of fresh snow to what was already on the ground in the lowlands.
All schools and colleges were closed Wednesday.
“OK. I’m a wuss,” said Gina L. Tin of Bellingham.
“I would definitely prefer heavy rain to light snow,” she wrote on The Bellingham Herald’s Facebook page. “But I’m kind of excited because my whole family got the day off.”
Many businesses were closed or had employees working from home. Parking lots were nearly empty at some office buildings.
Several businesses delayed opening Wednesday, including the Whatcom Family YMCA, which said it would open three hours late, at 8:30 a.m.
Bellingham Public Schools canceled its school board meeting for Wednesday night.
Whatcom County Library System closed its locations Wednesday.
Mt. Baker Ski Area was open Wednesday, with nearly 2 feet of new snow in the past two days.
Overnight outages
Power was out overnight for about 3,500 Puget Sound Energy customers early Wednesday, mostly south and east of Bellingham.
Trees and vegetation were cited as the cause.
Electricity was restored for most customers by sunrise, PSE said at its website.
National Weather Service meteorologists said gusty winds and heavy snow were knocking branches into utility lines.
Snowfall totals
Snow stopped about 4 a.m., according to observations at Bellingham International Airport.
Overnight snow depth measurements ranged from 6.5 inches at Point Roberts to 5 inches at Lynden, 4 inches in Bellingham and 6.5 inches near Lake Samish, according to the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network.
Gusty winds were reported overnight, but were mostly less than 20 mph with gusts less than 25 mph in Bellingham.
Video at the Whatcom County Weather page on Facebook showed strong winds in Lynden about 5 a.m. Wednesday. But only small and localized power outages were reported to PSE.
Randy Small of Lynden, who manages Whatcom County Weather on Facebook and Twitter, said he measured sustained winds of 25 mph with 35 mph gusts near Bender Fields.
St. Joseph’s hospital’s Emergency Department has not seen a noticeable rise in weather-related injuries or illnesses, spokesperson Bev Mayhem told The Bellingham Herald. The ER’s “volume has been heavy,” she said.
Road conditions
“Things are not looking too bad, considering the amount of snow that we received last night,” said Michael Olinger, maintenance supervisor for the Bellingham Public Works Department’s operations division.
“I don’t really have anything to report other than we have all of our equipment out, running the normal snow routes. Use caution everywhere and be safe,” he said in an email about 6 a.m. Wednesday.
Observers in northern Whatcom County reported strong winds and blowing and drifting snow overnight. Some lawns were bare and others had 3 to 4 inches of snow.
Temperatures hovered below 20 degrees about 6 a.m., but were expected to rise near freezing later Wednesday, the warmest temperatures in several days.
“That temperature rise will allow the salt brine already in place to start melting the ice and snow on the roads we’ve treated,” said Amy Cloud, Public Works spokeswoman. “It is unlikely that city trucks will get to any residential streets (off the published snow routes) within the next 24 hours — except to assist emergency vehicles.”
Snow was covering Mount Baker Highway at 4,250 feet, and chains were required on cars without four-wheel drive, according to the state Department of Transportation.
Avalanche danger was “considerable” in the Mount Baker wilderness backcountry.
Buses were running with a few delays and detours, the Whatcom Transportation Authority tweeted about 7 a.m.
Maximum speed for buses with snow chains is 25 mph, so riders were cautioned to expect delays.
Routes were detouring around stops with steep grades. Bus No. 1 was avoiding State Street hill and No. 512 was skipping the Lake Louise Road part section of its run.
Interstate 5 was snowy and slushy with little traffic, early Wednesday, according to cameras monitoring the freeway through Bellingham.
By 9:30 a.m., at least one lane was clear northbound and southbound but traffic remained light.
Some freeway access ramps were covered in compact snow and ice about 9:30 a.m.
Trooper Heather Axtman of the Washington State Patrol tweeted that troopers have responded to 62 traffic collisions in Whatcom County since the snow started Sunday.
Community effort
John Gargett, deputy director of the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management, said state highways in Whatcom County were covered in compact snow and ice.
“Whatcom County Search and Rescue 4x4’s have been providing emergency transport since Sunday and are activated through the weekend,” Gargett said in an email. “They currently have responded to 20-plus requests.”
Winter shelters have been opened for homeless and at-risk populations in Bellingham, he said.
Weather forecast
As snow eased Wednesday, a winter storm warning was canceled, but it was replaced by a wind advisory through Wednesday night.
Gusty east winds were forecast, and more power outages were possible, the National Weather Service said.
Snow, rain, or a rain-snow mix was forecast for Wednesday night.
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 15, 2020 at 5:17 AM with the headline "I-5 slushy with little traffic, Whatcom businesses and schools close in storm’s wake."
