Whatcom will see up to 5 inches of new snow before thawing starts New Year’s Day
Light snow fell overnight in parts of Whatcom County and temperatures warmed slightly as record-breaking cold gripped Western Washington for a third straight day — with more snow in the forecast.
About an inch of new snow dusted the ground Tuesday morning, Dec. 28, adding to the foot or more that fell Dec. 25-26.
Temperatures hovered in the low teens at 7 a.m., and the National Weather Service showed 12 degrees at Bellingham International Airport.
A low temperature of 7 degrees Monday, Dec. 27, tied a record from 1968. A record low of 9 degrees was set Sunday, Dec. 26, breaking a record from 1980.
“Cold temperatures will continue this week, with readings gradually moderating toward the end of the week and into the weekend,” the weather service said online.
Daytime high temperatures of 16 degrees on Sunday and Monday were nearly 30 degrees below the seasonal norm of 45.
Wind chills remained below zero as stiff breezes blew across northwest Whatcom County — fueled by a phenomenon called the Fraser outflow that occurs when there’s high pressure over British Columbia and low pressure off the Washington coast.
Air flows from high to low, and it speeds through a gap in the mountain ranges flanking the Fraser River Valley.
Winds were blowing at 17 mph, with a chill factor of -5 at 9 a.m.
Another round of strong winds was expected Tuesday night and into Wednesday, Dec. 29, and an advisory warned of possible power outages with northeast winds of 20-35 mph, gusting to 50 mph.
Fewer than 1,000 Puget Sound Energy customers were without electricity in scattered outages across the county early Tuesday, PSE said online.
Several flights were canceled or delayed at Bellingham International Airport Tuesday. The runway is open and suitable for aircraft operations, according to Mike Hogan, a spokesman for the Port of Bellingham. He added that several flights among the airport’s three carriers have been canceled due to weather beginning Dec. 25. “Flights are operating today at BLI, however, due to a ground stop at SeaTac, all flights to and from Seattle are currently canceled,” he told The Herald in an email.
Roadways
Washington State Department of Transportation cameras showed that lanes of travel were bare and traffic was light early Tuesday on Interstate 5 north and south of Bellingham.
A crash was blocking the right lane of southbound I-5 at Lakeway Drive, WSDOT said online at 8:39 a.m.
Another crash was blocking the left northbound lane south of Iowa Street at 9:20 a.m. and cleared about two hours later, WSDOT said.
Washington State Patrol troopers were called to 59 crashes over the holiday weekend in Whatcom County alone, said Trooper Jacob Kennett.
“With the numerous amount of calls across our district there will be troopers, fire/aid personnel, WSDOT trucks, and tow trucks working alongside and in the roadways. Please, whenever you see emergency or hazard lights, slow down and move over if possible,” Kennett tweeted.
Major streets were plowed and passable with compact snow and ice early Tuesday.
East Pole Road was closed in both directions west of Noon Road because of water over the road, WSDOT reported online.
Closures
Schools, colleges and Western Washington University are on holiday break.
But Whatcom Community College and WWU closed their campuses for all but essential workers because of the weather.
“On-campus walkways remain icy, and extreme care should be taken when walking on campus. Due to the danger of falling branches, pedestrians should also avoid the Sehome Arboretum,” WWU said at its website.
Shelter
People who were living outside were urged to use homeless shelters for overnight warmth or call 360-788-7983 to find housing, the city of Bellingham said at its website.
A temporary daytime warming site opened from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Bellingham Public Library, 210 Central Ave.
A temporary overnight warming space opened from 7 p.m. to 9 a.m. on the ground floor of the Civic Building, at 322 N. Commercial St.
Because of COVID-19 precautions and the size of the space, the number of people allowed and the amount of belongings per person will be limited, the city said on its website.
“Masks, social distancing and kindness required,” the city said.
Ferndale was operating a warming shelter staffed by volunteers at United Church of Ferndale through Tuesday, according to the city’s Facebook page.
In Kendall, the East Whatcom Regional Resource Center was open as a warming shelter.
Trash, recycling
Sanitary Service Co. said on its website that service to Lummi Island was canceled Tuesday and no cardboard recycling pickups would be made along Mount Baker Highway.
“During times of unsafe road conditions, you may experience service delays or disruptions. Our top priority is the safety and well-being of our team members and the public. SSC is committed to providing service to the best of our ability in areas that can be safely accessed,” SSC said.
Missed trash pickups will be made on the next regularly scheduled days.
Missed recycling and curbside compost and yard waste pickups will be made at the next regularly scheduled pickups.
Ice, injuries, burst pipes
Weather-related injuries and damage to private property were being reported.
St. Joseph hospital saw two cases of frostbite, one fall on the ice, three ice-related car accidents and three skiing accidents in the last 48 hours, a Peace Health spokesperson said about mid-day Monday.
And the National Weather Service also issued a warning for people, pets and property.
“With these very cold temperatures, frostbite and hypothermia will occur much faster. If outdoors, remember to dress in layers and cover exposed skin,” a special weather statement said.
“Take precautions to protect pets and livestock from the extreme cold as well. Uncovered pipes will also be susceptible to freezing and bursting,” the statement said.
A Ferndale business called The Meeting Place was closed Tuesday because of a burst pipe, according to its Facebook page.
A broken water pipe also closed the 16-screen Regal Barkley Village movie theater.
Lake Padden was beginning to freeze Tuesday, but the thin ice isn’t safe, said Nicole Oliver, director of the Bellingham Parks and Recreation Department.
“Once it gets solid, we’ll get people out there. But it’s not now and it’s dangerous as heck,” Oliver told The Bellingham Herald.
Whatcom mountains
Mt. Baker Ski Area was open with normal weekday operations Tuesday.
Fraser outflow winds aren’t an issue at the ski area, but there was an advisory for cold temperatures and deep snow that creates a tree well hazard.
Avalanche danger was “moderate” in the Mount Baker wilderness, the Northwest Avalanche Center said online.
Mount Baker Highway was open to the seasonal closure near Heather Meadows, with traction tires required.
Whatcom forecast
More snow was likely in Whatcom County on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, meteorologist Carly Kovacik said online.
“(We) can generally expect another dusting to half an inch or so of accumulation, with potentially 1 to 2 inches across the northern Olympics along the Strait (of Juan de Fuca). Fraser outflow will also quickly develop over western Whatcom and the San Juans, with a wind advisory in place, along with a wind chill advisory for western Whatcom,” Kovacik said.
Another round of snow was possible Wednesday night through Thursday, Dec. 30.
That would add another 1 to 3 inches, with a chance of up to 5 inches of new snow before thawing starts New Year’s Day.
Current forecasts call for snow changing to rain by afternoon on Saturday, Jan. 1, with a high of 40 degrees.
This story was originally published December 28, 2021 at 8:15 AM.
