West Seattle weather update: Official “snow advisory”

The National Weather Service updated its forecast late this morning; a “snow advisory” is now up for the entire metro area through 7 o’clock tomorrow morning. The “forecast discussion” suggests there’s a chance the commute could be messy – we’ll keep eyes/ears on viaduct/bridge/WS conditions so you can check here before leaving work.

18 Replies to "West Seattle weather update: Official "snow advisory""

  • Burton January 28, 2008 (1:11 pm)

    WSB, you keep posting these advisory’s and keep crying wolf. How about you report POST snowfall and get it right for once.

  • WSB January 28, 2008 (1:21 pm)

    Hi, Burton. If the Weather Service thinks it’s serious enough for a snow advisory, we’re going to pass that along. There are plenty of people who take preventive measures just in case (we live near a hilly side street, for example, where neighbors want to know about POSSIBLE snow/ice, because they then move the cars up to the top of the hill so they won’t be trapped in the morning). Over the past week, there actually have been several days with “maybe some snow” low-grade forecast mentions that we didn’t bother posting here, knowing the way things tend to go.

  • JT January 28, 2008 (1:55 pm)

    I woke up to snow at my house. In addition WSB, whenever you post an advisory it makes me check further to see the entire forecast. One of us has to commute east and it helps to be tipped off early.

  • WSMom January 28, 2008 (2:03 pm)

    WSB: Don’t mind Burton. The possibility of snow is big news in West Seattle. My kids were so bummed that everybody else got snow except us. Plus, how weird is that?

    Every winter we play a cat and mouse game with snow here in Seattle. We have too many hills and too few snowplows & sanders to make driving hazard free, so planning ahead and staying home is prudent in my book (but not my husbands, he goes to work regardless). People from other parts of the US & world can call me crazy, but I’d rather be home with a hot cup a tea and the WSB than stuck in a ditch. Thank you Parkaboy!

  • Sue January 28, 2008 (2:09 pm)

    I appreciate the snow information as it helps me plan my commute. I would just skip the story if I wasn’t interested.

  • V Bar January 28, 2008 (2:24 pm)

    Keep on posting, WSB – I have a minor commute (i.e., close by work and no freeways) but still want to know, given all the hills in the area, when the possibility of snow or ice comes along…I also work in an office with people coming in from all over so it’s handy to know whether others on my team will be affected for the day…thanks for all you do!

  • WSB January 28, 2008 (2:24 pm)

    WSMom – mixed feedback is actually kind of nostalgic for me — in Seattle TV newsrooms this time of year (I’ve worked in 2 of the 4), the viewer e-mail is split between “won’t you people shut the h**l up about the snow already” and “hey! wow! I saw a flake!” But as Sue notes, the great thing about the Internet is that you CAN skip past what doesn’t interest you. In TV, if your chosen newscast decides to spend the first 10 minutes going on about the weather, you’re stuck. (Unless you watch later with TiVO or VCR, of course.)

  • Todd January 28, 2008 (2:37 pm)

    WSB does a good job in general but especially excels at being diplomatic/replying kindly to someone who may be upset.

  • S January 28, 2008 (3:06 pm)

    WSB- thank you for posting the advisory. I think we all come to WSB for news that will help us plan our commutes and navigate the roads. Reading your post for the advisory made me look into the forecast as well, and it really helped! The media does overreact at times to the weather, but it’s nice to be able to come to a reliable source for this kind of information. Thank you!

  • k January 28, 2008 (3:39 pm)

    WSB is a class act. Plain and simple. Please continue posting any items that may be of interest to us. You can’t please everyone, but you certainly please the majority.

  • Rick January 28, 2008 (3:40 pm)

    Well, I decided long ago that regardless of forecasts, if the weather wants to do something, I let it. Saves on unecessary stress ya know.

  • Barbara January 28, 2008 (3:54 pm)

    I figure the only time the weather people are right is when they tell you what happened not what is going to happen

  • Jen V. January 28, 2008 (3:55 pm)

    I just heard from a reliable source it is snowing in Burien. So if the front is moving north, we just might actually see some snow. Or, more likely, we will wake up to the whole city covered in 6″ of snow- except West Seattle, where it will be sunny and 70….

  • miws January 28, 2008 (4:27 pm)

    I add my support to WSB, and what they choose to report on, despite the occasional naysayers.

    Like WSB posted, a person or entity is pretty much danged if they do, danged if they don’t in such cases.

    If there’s a small bit on a radio newscast one doesn’t want to hear, they need to plug their ears with their fingers, and say “La la la la”. If it’s on TV, they need to do the above, plus close their eyes. On the internet, all they need to to is give the mouse wheel a spin, or click a button.

    Mike

  • Forest January 28, 2008 (4:33 pm)

    Does the Seattle School District ever open late on a snow day instead of cancelling the complete schedule? It seems needlessly expensive and time wasting to shut down the schools all tomorrow — and require a day’s extension of the school year — if the snow will be melted by early afternoon.

  • sw January 28, 2008 (5:00 pm)

    WSB rocks.

    Don’t like it? Feel free to mousewheel yourself right outta here…

  • WSB January 28, 2008 (5:02 pm)

    Forest, there was a day last year when Seattle was 2 hours late. But then there also was a day where the entire district was closed because of ice/snow on the north end, while things were dry and clear down here. There’s a delicate balance including bus schedules and so on. They also have to plan for the worst and hope for the best. They actually have bus drivers who go out around 4 am on potential snow days and drive major routes to assess conditions and advise district administrators on how bad things look.

  • Bobo January 28, 2008 (5:46 pm)

    Schools closing because of an inch of snow…lmao!!

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