The National Weather Service issued a “Special Weather Statement” at 4:30pm Thursday (Nov. 12th), warning of a “vigorous cold front” hitting the area Friday morning, bringing rain, wind and snow to the mountains.
Could this be the first breath of ol’ man winter?
Here’s the statement:
… Active weather day expected Friday…
A vigorous cold front will pass southeast across western Washington Friday morning… bringing Rain… Mountain snows… locally windy conditions and possibly snow showers to parts of The Lowlands.
South winds in advance of the front will increase late tonight into early Friday morning… mainly along the coast and parts of the northwest interior including the Admiralty Inlet region. Wind speeds in those areas are expected to reach 20 to 30 mph with a few gusts to 45 mph… mainly in and around the Island County area. After the front passes… winds will become west to southwest down the Strait of Juan de Fuca and across the northwest interior before diminishing through the afternoon. While below Wind Advisory criteria… wind of this strength could blow down a few tree limbs here and there with isolated power outages.
Colder air will surge in behind the front and lower already low snow levels across the region. During the morning hours ahead of the front the snow level will be around 1500 to 2000 feet. The snow level will then gradually drop through the day to around 500 feet by evening. This means some of the highest hills around the region could see a few snow showers late Friday into Friday evening. However… outside of the mountains or the immediate Cascade foothills… little to no snow accumulation is expected.
Dry and tranquil weather will return to the region late Friday night into Saturday.
Wednesday morning (Nov. 4th), the Port of Seattle and Alaska Airlines conducted a full-scale snow removal and anti-icing exercise to prepare for the upcoming winter season.
Photographer Michael Brunk risked his life on Sea-Tac Airport’s tarmac to get these photos:
During the 2008-2009 season, SeaTac Airport experienced just over 23 inches of snow, compared to an average of 12 inches. While airport operations continued during the higher than normal snowfall, some improvements are being made for the 2009-2010 season.
Alaska Airlines has added eight new de-icing trucks to their fleet and three “nurse trucks” that will shuttle fluid from storage tanks to the new de-icing trucks. The new de-icing trucks feature an enclosed operator cockpit that allows them to operate safely around aircraft while the aircraft engines are still running. This feature coupled with new procedures will allow Alaska Airlines to de-ice an aircraft much more quickly and efficiently using central de-icing pads that will use a “car wash” model.
The Port of Seattle — which is responsible for clearing snow and ice from runways, taxiways and the ramp areas — has also taken delivery of several new vehicles that were already on order prior to last year’s unusual snow event. Using several snow plows followed by snow brush trucks one runway can be plowed and cleared in 30-45 minutes.
It snowed last night, continues in some areas, and as of 6:32am Thursday Feb. 26th here are the latest weather-related school and travel updates:
- HIGHLINE SCHOOL DISTRICT: 2 HOURS LATE
Updated: 5:42 a.m. February 26, 2009
Highline Public Schools will operate two hours late today. Emergency bus transportation is in effect.
*There will be no breakfast, no morning classes for preschool, kindergarten, ECEAP, or PSSC. Afternoon classes for these programs will be on time.
*Schools will dismiss at regular times.
Snow and power failures can cause disruptions for schools and families. During these difficult times, HIghline Public Schools will do all it can to communicate vital information to parents and students.
Our top priority is student safety!
Here’s the latest from the National Weather Service:
Statement as of 4:35 AM PST on February 26, 2009
… Additional snowfall of an inch or two and freezing temperatures will warrant caution this morning…
Hazardous driving conditions will be the rule across western Washington this morning due to snow that has already fallen… possible accumulations of another inch or two… and freezing temperatures.
Scattered snow showers will continue this morning as the upper level low pressure system over the area moves eastward. Local
additional accumulations of an inch or two are possible. In addition temperatures have fallen below freezing across most of western Washington this morning… so roads and sidewalks will be icy even if they are free of snow.These conditions will be relatively short lived. Temperatures will climb above freezing by noon today with highs around 40… and most of the area will have partly sunny skies.
For all you commuters out there, here are some live feeds from area webcams:
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