Thundersnow & lightning on Queen Anne

Yes, you heard right, that was thunder providing the deep bass tones to our blizzard-like snow squalls this afternoon. And, of course, lightning strikes too. Crazy!

Check out this video of lightning hitting the Space Needle, from the Twitter account of Mark D. Lim:

For reference: SDOT 2017 Snow Route Map for Queen Anne & Seattle

In advance of a snowstorm that will likely snarl traffic and impact roads, here’s SDOT’s 2017 Winter Weather Brochure and Snow Route Map for Queen Anne. Note: there are no good ways to get off the hill during a snowstorm. Stay put and stay safe.

Gold = All travel lanes bare and wet within 12 hours of a lull in the storm

Green = One lane in each direction bare and wet within 12 hours of a lull in the storm

The full map for all of Seattle is here, and this is the view of Queen Anne:

 

Snow! Looks like it might actually happen…

We haven’t had much snow at all this year or in recent years past. 2008 was the last “big snow” with a few dustings since (some enough to snarl traffic). But, it looks like that could all change starting later today.

Of course, being a realist when it comes to Seattle snow forecasts, it’s easy to say “I’ll believe it when it happens” – but, here’s what local weather guru Cliff Mass has to say in his 8am update:

“Virtually all [forecast models] go for snow, with some showing as much as 10-12 inches.  The ensemble average (or mean) is for about 8 inches, with their single high resolution run, a bit more…. The heaviest snow is from south Seattle to Vancouver, WA and some of the amounts are impressive 6-15 inches.”

Here’s one view from Cliff’s update, you can read the full rundown here:

If you like snow, you may not have to “think snow” too hard this go-around, looks like it might actually happen…

The answer to yesterday’s question: yes, it snowed

Yesterday, we posed the question: will it snow on Queen Anne? The answer: yes. Snow started coming down just after 2am Saturday morning. What first started as graupel stopped, then after a few minutes of calm, the snow started.

This morning the unofficial-official Queen Anne View measurement is almost 1″ of the white stuff. At almost 11am, it’s only 27 degrees outside. No more snow in the forecast, just cold and sunny for the next few days.

Enjoy our taste of snow as you Shop Small today at local Queen Anne merchants. See this post for an updated list of local deals!

Will it snow tonight? Maybe…

Snow ClosureLocal forecasts are calling for a chance of snow after midnight and through tomorrow morning. If you’ve lived in Seattle for multiple winters, then you know that snow predictions can vary from spot-on to wildly wrong, and they can change hour-by-hour.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory from 9pm tonight through 11am tomorrow (Saturday) morning, but note that snow is most likely north of us:

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SEATTLE HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 11 AM PST SATURDAY.

*SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS…THE NORTH PUGET SOUND REGION FROM A   NORTH SEATTLE TO POULSBO LINE UP THROUGH ABOUT A PORT TOWNSEND   TO ARLINGTON LINE. THIS INCLUDES SOUTH WHIDBEY ISLAND AND FROM   EVERETT EAST TO THE CASCADES.

* TIMING…RAIN WILL CONTINUE IN A PUGET SOUND CONVERGENCE ZONE   THIS EVENING. RAIN WILL CHANGE TO SNOW FROM ABOUT LATE EVENING   ONWARD.  * ACCUMULATIONS…1 TO 3 INCHES.

* MAIN IMPACT…ROADS WILL BECOME SLIPPERY

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW MEANS THAT 1 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW IS POSSIBLE.

There are a couple of events at Seattle Center tomorrow, in addition to the Seattle Winterfest activities. Expect traffic regardless of the weather, but if it’s snowy, be prepared for slick driving conditions too.

  • Seattle Marathon 5K Race, 8:30am-11:30am – Starts at 5th Ave N bet. Republican and Harrison; ends at Memorial Stadium. See course map for impacted streets.
  • Seattle Children’s Kids Marathon, 10am-11am – Starts at 5th Avenue and Harrison St; ends at Memorial Stadium. See course map for impacted streets.

Tips from Metro:

  • Sign up for Transit Alerts to receive notice of known service disruptions; however rapidly changing road, traffic and weather conditions make it impossible to know about every service interruption. It may not be possible to report on service that is affected on a per-trip or per stop basis.
  • Before traveling during bad weather, check Metro Online for the most current status of Metro service. Metro suggests that transit customers leave from a bus stop or park-and-ride that also has service when buses are on snow routes, in case travel conditions deteriorate later.
  • Know the snow routing for your bus route. Check the timetables at Metro Online for snow route maps for each route. Not every bus route has snow routing, but most do.

If it snows, enjoy, as it won’t last long. Dry, cold weather is next up in the forecast… but it’s still early in the season!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

The National Weather Service is predicting possible snow tomorrow, Christmas day, for the Seattle area – as long as we track to the NAM model:

“The really uncertain part of the forecast is the rest of the interior lowlands from Puget Sound southward. The NAM and WRF-GFS are at opposite ends of the spectrum… The NAM shows several hours of snow with up to 3 inches accumulation for the Puget Sound region… perhaps a little more for the SW interior. The WRF-GFS shows a freezing level around 1300 feet and just rain for the lower elevations… and maybe an inch or so for the higher hills.”

Now while Cliff Mass disagrees on the possibility (he believes it will be “too warm for snow in Seattle”), we can all agree that there was a lot of snow in 1916. The “Big Snow” of 1916 holds the record as the second-deepest blizzard in Seattle history with 21.5 inches of snow falling in 24 hours.

Queen Anne Ave N, 1916
Courtesy of the Queen Anne Historical Society

So, just in case you don’t get your snow fix tomorrow – and if you do, send us your pictures – check out the Queen Anne Historical Society’s new Queen Anne Snow slideshow that includes images dating all the way back to 1898, as well as photos from the Big Snow of 1916.

Think Snow! And, Happy Holidays!

Queen Anne wakes up to light dusting of snow

The overnight snowfall may not have been the 2-6 inches forecasters warned us about, but there is a very light dusting of snow on the ground in Queen Anne this morning. The forecast calls for anywhere from a trace to 2 inches more later today.

Live traffic cameras. Refresh to update. See all North Seattle cameras.

With the temperature currently at 26 degrees, commuters are advised to keep an eye out for ice. Metro buses are on snow routes this morning, and Microsoft has canceled all its Connector routes. Here’s SDOT’s first report this AM:

Most city streets are bare and wet this morning. Crews from the Seattle Department of Transportation are treating major arterial streets to guard against the formation of ice in advance of the morning commute period. Snowfall last night was highly variable around the city. Beacon Hill, southern Rainier Valley, and higher parts of West Seattle appear to have had the most snow.

WSDOT crews have been busy treating the freeways. For the most part, traffic is moving smoothly. You can check the latest WSDOT traffic updates, the flow map and the full set of WSDOT cameras.

Drive carefully!

City of Seattle snow plan in effect for Wednesday

While there were only a few hours of stop-and-go snow flurries on the hill yesterday, with little stick, forecasts (from the Weather Service, Cliff Mass, and KING 5) for today are all calling for anywhere from 2 to 6 inches of snowfall in the Seattle area. As a result, a winter storm watch took effect beginning at 4 a.m. this morning.

In preparation for a big snowfall today, the City of Seattle has also activated its snow plan. Early in the morning, ten snow plows hit the north end of the city. At 9 a.m., the Seattle Department of Transportation went into “full 24-hour response plan to keep roads open, buses moving and critical emergency services accessible,” Rick Sheridan of SDOT writes. More from the release:

The response plan calls for deploying 30 trucks with plows, which will be prepositioned throughout the city in key locations such as elevated structures and certain trouble spots on major arterials. The department starting pre-treating major roadways with salt brine this afternoon in preparation for the storm. Additional details concerning SDOT’s response will be forthcoming as more information about the impending storm becomes available.

SDOT also reminds property owners that they are responsible for the sidewalks in front of their properties.

Mayor Mike McGinn says this storm could be like that of November 22, 2010. “Because Wednesday afternoon’s commute is expected to be difficult,” McGinn writes in a statement, “It may be a good day to work an alternate shift, telecommute or make other travel arrangements if possible.”

Metro Transit is also urging passengers to be prepared for the snow.

Wednesday’s snowfall may start out light in some areas, but transit users should plan ahead for bus trips that could be disrupted, delayed, and on snow routing. Even though weather in the morning may not be bad in your area, you should leave from a bus stop or park-and-ride that also has service when buses are on snow routes in case travel conditions deteriorate by the afternoon commute.

Click here for more on Metro’s snow plans.

For up-to-date information on the City’s response and roadway conditions, please visit: http://Seattle.gov/transportation/. Motorists can also check on current traffic conditions and roadway images on SDOT’s Traveler’s Map at:
http://web5.seattle.gov/travelers/.

As predicted, it’s snowing in Queen Anne

It’s snowing in Queen Anne, as of 1:20 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, but before you get too excited, the snowfall is not expected to stick. For the last week, forecasters have been predicting snow. Well, it’s here, at least for now.

According to the National Weather Service, “expect brief and local accumulations of slushy snow to occur through early Wednesday morning. This is likely to occur on hills above about 500 feet this morning and above 300 feet tonight and early Wednesday morning.” A “winter storm watch” is in effect from Wednesday morning to Thursday morning. A winter storm watch means conditions are favorable for severe winter weather.

UW Atmospheric Science professor and weather blogger Cliff Mass is predicting that this storm will dump two to five inches of snow in north Seattle. “Good news for commuters and SDOT tomorrow,” Mass writes, “Temperatures will remain above freezing, SO NO SOLID ICE LAYER like Nov 22, 2010.”

Snowboarder records run down Queen Anne Ave

While last night’s snow was short-lived, that didn’t stop some Queen Anne-ers from having some fun on the slopes.

Reader Ann V sent us a link (via KING5) to this video of a snowboarder who recorded his run down Queen Anne Ave N using a camera attached to a pole, which he held out in front of him as he traversed the icy hillside. No need for a second camera man here!

Though the snow didn’t cause nearly the same amount of chaos on the hill as last time, there were still a few minor incidents of cars slipping around on the ice, and sometimes up on the curbs.

Madeleine sent us this picture of a car that slid up onto the sidewalk, taken at Queen Anne Ave N and W Armour Stat around 9 p.m. on Tuesday.