Icy roads delay, close Whatcom schools Wednesday. More snow on the way
School districts across Whatcom County canceled classes amid treacherous road conditions overnight and the threat of more lowland snow in a storm slated to start Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 5.
One person was hit by a snowplow truck and killed on Highway 9 south of Deming on Tuesday evening, Jan. 4, the Washington State Patrol said in a tweet.
An injury crash south of Everson was blamed on slippery roads and other collisions were reported countywide.
“It’s snowing and there’s freezing rain in places across the district,” state patrol Trooper Jacob Kennett said in a tweet. “If you don’t have to be out and about please stay home. If you do find yourself needing to commute, drive safely and employ good winter weather driving tactics.”
Light rain switched to snow and roads became slick as temperatures dropped from 40 degrees Tuesday afternoon to 25 degrees at 5 a.m. Wednesday.
Another blast of frigid air from the Fraser River Valley of British Columbia was putting Whatcom and northern Skagit counties in a deep freeze, the National Weather Service in Seattle said in its morning media briefing.
Temperatures were more moderate elsewhere in Western Washington, with 38 degrees and drizzle in Seattle and 33 degrees and a rain/snow mix in Everett at 7:30 a.m.
Road conditions
Randy Small of Lynden, who operates the Whatcom County Weather pages on Facebook and Twitter, told The Bellingham Herald at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday that he’d driven both Hannegan and Guide Meridian roads north of Bellingham and both were icy.
Interstate 5 appeared icy and slick at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday with moderate traffic in both directions near Bellingham International Airport, according to Washington State Department of Transportation cameras.
“We did see snow in Whatcom County overnight. If you are heading out this morning please anticipate snow and icy conditions as temps are below freezing. Give yourself extra time. You’ll need to reduce your speed and leave extra room,” WSDOT tweeted.
Snow was reported from Ferndale to Everson, according to several social media posts.
“Do our friends at (WSDOT) a favor and just stay home tonight,” the Washington state Division of Emergency Management tweeted. “Ice is everywhere. Road crews are doing their best, but there’s only so much they can do.”
Whatcom County Public Works Department road crews have been on emergency operations since Christmas Eve, spokeswoman Marie Duckworth told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
“For areas in north county and east county, snow plowing and snow and ice mitigation has not stopped since winter storms first hit Whatcom County on Christmas Eve,” Duckworth said.
Conditions were less severe in southern Whatcom County, however, as Lake Louise Road was wet but free of snow and ice at 9 a.m.
In Bellingham, Public Works Department crews have been spraying salt brine and working on larger streets that serve schools and bus routes, said spokeswoman Amy Cloud.
“We’re hearing from our street crews that there is a frost-like ice on the roads, especially above 500 feet and on many hills that do not see much sun,” Cloud told The Herald in an email.
Schools, closures
Local school districts took varying steps because of the weather:
▪ Blaine, Meridian and Nooksack Valley High schools switched to online classes through Friday, Jan. 7.
▪ Bellingham schools were opening two hours late with buses on snow routes.
▪ Ferndale schools were starting classes two hours late.
▪ Lynden and Mount Baker schools were closed.
“Students and staff will transition to our distance learning plan,” the district said on its Facebook page.
“With keeping the safety of our students, staff and families in mind we are choosing to move to distance learning for the rest of the week,” the district said.
Bellingham Technical College was on a normal schedule, the school said on its website.
Whatcom Community College’s campus delayed its opening until 10 a.m. Wednesday, with online services available, WCC said in a text message.
Western Washington University’s campus in Bellingham was open with its inclement weather policy in effect to let students and staff stay home, WWU said on its website.
“Temperatures dropped low enough for (Tuesday’s) rainfall to freeze in many spots on campus and in the local area, and while care should be taken both in getting to campus and traversing it,” WWU said.
Due to safety concerns with predicted snow and freezing temperatures, the PeaceHealth Medical Group said Wednesday that it will adjust hours Wednesday and Thursday at some of its Whatcom clinics. Patients with scheduled appointments will be contacted directly, according to a press release.
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Whatcom forecast
A high of 34 degrees was forecast for Bellingham on Wednesday, the National Weather Service said.
Below-freezing temperatures were predicted for areas along the U.S. Canada border, Environment Canada said.
“So far, probabilities for snow have decreased for lowland areas (except for areas closer to the Canadian border as cold air will linger for longer there),” meteorologist Maddie Kristell said in the online forecast discussion Wednesday.
Snow was expected to begin falling about 4 p.m. and continue into Thursday morning, Jan. 6, according to a winter storm warning from the National Weather Service.
Some 2 to 6 inches of snow was possible for the Whatcom County lowlands.
“Plan on difficult travel conditions,” the U.S. weather service said. “Gusty northeast winds will cause local blowing snow. A brief period of light freezing rain is possible Thursday morning.”
Northeast winds from a phenomenon called the Fraser outflow affect the northwestern Whatcom County lowlands from Bellingham to the U.S.-Canada border.
Winds gusting to 30-35 mph could cause power outages.
Overnight temperatures below 30 degrees were forecast, with the wind-chill factor making it seem colder.
But temperatures are expected to warm quickly above 40 degrees Thursday in Bellingham, possibly creating a slushy mess on streets and roads.
Daytime highs above 40 degrees were forecast for Bellingham through the weekend, with overnight lows near freezing.
Temperatures were expected to hover near freezing until late Saturday, Jan. 8, for southwest British Columbia and northern Whatcom County.
Heavy rain was forecast in other parts of the Whatcom County lowlands on Friday, Jan. 7, but flooding was not expected.
Local mountains
Mt. Baker Ski Area was open for normal weekday operations with 10 inches of snow in the past 24 hours and more than 4 feet of snow over the past three days, the ski area said at its website.
A deep snow and tree well hazard warning was posted.
Avalanche conditions in the Mount Baker wilderness were “considerable” on the west slopes of the North Cascades, the Northwest Avalanche Center reported online.
“(Use) careful snowpack evaluation, cautious route-finding and conservative decision-making,” the avalanche center warned backcountry travelers.
“We’ve picked up several feet of new snow over the last three days. You will be able to trigger avalanches on steep, wind-drifted alpine slopes. Stick to less steep terrain, or places where the snow isn’t wind affected. Although lower elevations are less dangerous, continue to use caution in steeper, obviously wind-drifted areas,” the avalanche center said.
This story was originally published January 5, 2022 at 6:03 AM.
