Cold snap could mean icy roads in Whatcom; lowland snow possible
Record low temperatures are possible for the next several nights as unseasonably cold weather grips lowland Whatcom County, prompting officials to open an emergency homeless shelter and warn of icy conditions, especially during morning commute times.
Forecast low temperatures in the low- to mid-20s could rival the “February freeze” of 2018, according to data from the National Weather Service.
The normal overnight low is 35 degrees in late February, and the normal daytime high is 50.
Light snow is possible in the lowlands on Wednesday, Feb. 23, but little to no accumulation is expected, but black ice is possible on roads.
“Surfaces that were wet or experienced snow may not have fully melted due to the cold temperatures, therefore black ice and slick surfaces will be of concern trending closer to daybreak and the morning commute,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Maddie Kristell in Seattle.
Otherwise, mostly clear skies are forecast through Friday with highs in the 30s and 40s and lows in the 20s.
Public Works Department crews in Bellingham and Whatcom County were working Tuesday, Feb. 22, to keep roads ice-free.
“Public Works has crews out sanding icy areas in south Whatcom and crews out putting down anti-ice liquid,” said spokeswoman Marie Duckworth.
Anti-ice compounds keep ice, snow and freezing frost from bonding with pavement,” Duckworth told The Bellingham Herald.
It contains 23% salt and is applied when temperatures are between 25 and 32 degrees. Beet juice may be added when temperatures fall below 25 degrees, because the sugar lowers the effective range of anti-ice brine to the low teens, she said.
“This brine is all-natural and does not contain any chemicals harmful to fish (like magnesium chloride),” Duckworth said.
Because of the extreme cold, the Whatcom County Health Department began operating an overnight shelter in the locker rooms at Civic Stadium, from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. starting Monday, Feb. 21.
That overnight shelter will continue if the weather forecast indicates that extreme overnight cold will continue, the Health Department said in a statement.
