Snow continues to fall in Whatcom and there’s more on the way. Here‘s when
Light snow continued to fall early in the Whatcom County lowlands Saturday morning, Feb. 13, and more was expected until midday and again Sunday night, according to forecasts from the National Weather Service in Seattle.
A winter storm warning was in effect for Whatcom County, where according to observations about 3 inches of snow had accumulated by 6 a.m. Saturday in the southern lowlands.
By noon, accumulations had reached at least 5 inches and snow was still falling.
“Just waking up? ICYMI, heavy snow fell across the region overnight,” the weather service tweeted about 6:45 a.m.
“Safe to say it’s best to stay home this morning if you can as conditions still look pretty dicey out there,” tweeted @NWSSeattle.
“Current system offshore will move through Western Washington later (Saturday) with the steady snow coming to an end. The next system will reach the area Monday with the precipitation out ahead of the system arriving Sunday afternoon,” said meteorologist Dana Felton in the weather service’s online forecast discussion.
Less snow was falling in northern parts of the county, tweeted Randy Small of Lynden, who also manages the Whatcom County Weather page on Facebook.
A northeast wind was blowing at 21 mph and gusting to 32 mph, according to 6:20 a.m. observations at Bellingham International Airport.
The temperature was 27 degrees with light snow.
Up to 5 inches total accumulation was possible Saturday, the National Weather Service said.
Road conditions
Roads appeared passable early Saturday for drivers who use caution, according to traffic-camera images.
No traffic collisions were showing early Saturday on the emergency services app Pulse Point.
“Our plows are prepped and ready for snow this weekend,” the Whatcom County Public Works Department said on its Facebook page.
“Remember to give the plows plenty of space to do their work — stay back at least 100 feet Also, we’re pushing snow from the road to the shoulder, so please don’t park on the side of the road. We need a place to put the snow.”
Whatcom County Public Works posted at 8 a.m. “We’ve had 8 snow plows/sanders out since early this morning, right now the snow is mostly south of Birch Bay Lynden Road. We are plowing priority 1 roads now, will move to pr2 roads soon.”
The county’s travel planner website shows the plowing priority of all county roads.
Bellingham Public Works crews started plowing snow since about 6 a.m. Saturday, according to an email from spokeswoman Amy Cloud.
Public Works’ street division had been laying down salt brine on streets in advance of the snow, and at 9 a.m. reported no major issues with the snow sticking to the roads.
“Crews are plowing and applying salt sand mix to arterial streets trying to keep those routes cleared. We will maintain our normal emergency routes maintenance, unless it is necessary to support emergency responders.” Cloud wrote.
Bellingham Public Works crews will be working around the clock until the snow event ends, she wrote.
State Department of Transportation traffic cameras showed light snow on Interstate 5 near the Lakeway Drive ramps and the road had been plowed at least once at 6:20 a.m.
By noon, traffic was light with lanes open and pavement showing through compact snow and ice.
We’re waking up to a very snowy day,” WSDOT tweeted. “Crews are working to treat and plow roads but with more snow falling, expect very challenging conditions. Take it slow, give each other room, be prepared for delays/closures. “
A camera image showed barely a dusting of snow showed on the pavement at Main Street and Guide Meridian in Lynden at 6:30 a.m.
By noon, snow remained light.
Closures reported
▪ Whatcom County Library System canceled curbside services Saturday due to weather conditions at its 10 county locations in Blaine, Deming, Everson, Ferndale, Kendall (North Fork), Lummi Island, Lynden, Point Roberts, Sudden Valley (South Whatcom), and Sumas, according to a news release.
▪ Hope Lutheran Church in Lynden has canceled its worship service Sunday, Feb. 14, due to weather and road conditions.
Mountain conditions
Mt. Baker Ski Area was open with light snow, according to its website.
But avalanche conditions were “considerable” in the Mount Baker wilderness, the Northwest Avalanche Center said online.
“Dangerous to very dangerous avalanche conditions to continue for many areas across the Olympics and Cascades. Large to very large avalanches are possible,” the National Weather Service said in its forecast.
COVID-19 test site closing
The COVID-19 test site at the Northwest Fairgrounds in Lynden closed Saturday “due to the inclement weather forecasted this weekend,” according to a news release from the Whatcom County Health Department.
“The roads are going to be icy,” said Whatcom Unified Command’s Incident Commander John Wolpers in the release. “The safest place to be this weekend is at home and off the roads. We made this decision to protect the safety of individuals seeking testing as well as our staff and volunteers.”
People with appointments for 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday will be notified and given the opportunity to register for a new appointment at a later date.
“If you have COVID-19 symptoms over the weekend, please continue self-quarantine until you’re able to get tested and receive your results,” said Whatcom County Health Department’s COVID-19 Response Manager Mark Raaka in the release.
Warming shelter open
The city of Bellingham has opened a temporary warming site downtown for people who are homeless at Depot Market Square at 1100 Railroad Ave.
The site, which has the capacity to hold 35 people, will be open until noon Tuesday, Feb. 16, and is open 24 hours a day. No drugs or alcohol are allowed on the premises and a maximum of one cart of belongings is allowed, the city said.
COVID-19 precautions, such as social distancing and mask use, is required. The city said 21 people used the warming site Thursday night.
Bellingham Parks and Recreation posted to Facebook at 11 a.m. that they need volunteers today and tonight due to the storm. However, the post said, “We are all stocked up on donations down at the Depot Market warming site! Please don’t drop off used blankets (even if they’re laundered) or clothes at this time.”
This story was originally published February 13, 2021 at 8:30 AM.
