(photo courtesy Katie M – send pix to editor@westseattleblog.com)
Find morning/afternoon updates, photos, comments here. Note that we have added a Sea-Tac webcam to the right sidebar for airportgoers. Meantime, we launch the afternoon with a LONG citywide update from the city’s Emergency Ops Center – it’s now posted on the city website (read it here) – note the mention that MONDAY TRASH SERVICE IS LIKELY TO BE POSTPONED – also, Hiawatha Community Center is open till 5; West Seattle (Admiral) Library is open; Southwest Pool is open (though lessons are canceled). And this excerpt re: roads:

City Transportation crews are continuing to clear streets after Saturday night’s storm. SDOT currently has trucks plowing, sanding and de-icing city streets. Three of those trucks are devoted solely to the West Seattle Bridge and the Alaskan Way Viaduct. With more precipitation expected, clearing work will continue throughout the day citywide. The department’s primary focus will be principal arterials, bridges and other elevated road structures, streets near hospitals, and bus routes. Twenty one SDOT workers are cleaning sidewalks outside of hospitals for safe access.

1:14 PM UPDATE: Dasher the reindeer is at Capers. So if you’re going to The Junction, stop in there as well as getting your Santa photo at Cupcake Royale (till 3:30, and as mentioned in morning coverage, Santa is at Westwood Village till 4 pm):

Snowing like CRAZY again – just in time for the football game on TV, of course, so Seattle looks more like Green Bay … fitting for Coach Holmgren’s last game. Meantime – DL Byron from BikeHugger reports phone trouble on 56th SW, getting “all circuits are busy.” We will check with Qwest’s media unit about trouble.

1:27 PM UPDATE: Rey just sent some photos from around our Upper Fauntleroy ‘hood – thanks! First one, the stairs down from Cloverdale toward the Fauntleroy area, looking south:

And the official WSB HQ intersection, California/Thistle (but it’s Rey’s photo), looking north on Cali:

Uphill on Thistle, looking west (and sideways) to California:

Alkichick sends this link to her gallery of Alki photos taken “all week.” Meantime – HEAVY SNOW OUT THERE. From Arbor Heights, Darren sends this photo of 35th SW looking south from 105th:

1:43 PM UPDATE: Another restaurant report – Janie Pelligrini writes to say LA RUSTICA WILL BE OPEN TONIGHT! Vickie says The Bohemian is open for coffee till 3 pm. (We’d reported last night that they canceled brunch for today.) And reiterating, Hotwire is open till 5 pm. We will reinstate the “who’s open” list of quick links atop this post in a minute. Also, just in from JayDee on Alki via text message:

Celtic swell opens at 6; alki cafe open;alki bakery closes at 4; starbucks closes at 4; bamboo bar open until 10; pegasus closed? No note on the door. Cactus open to 9. Urban market is open. A 56 pulled up but cannot tell what the route is. Tully’s open, but hours are dependent on customers coming in.

And Shell just texted that Nail Time on California SW is open. Back to Alki – Alkichick’s pix include this one, probably the only birds we DON’T have to worry about in this weather?

In North Delridge, Jessie at Skylark says brunch continues till 3 pm. OK, there is an alarming headline on the P-I saying SIX MORE INCHES OF SNOW expected by tonight. Checking the forecasts for any verification of that. (…) Here’s the National Weather Service’s late-morning forecast. Up to 2″ today and up to 4″ tonight DO add up to six inches. That requires a cute pet photo before we get back to road conditions – this is Ellen‘s puggle Coco in Gatewood:

Ellen also sent this photo looking north on California all the way toward Morgan Junction and past to The Junction:

And in comments, word that another WSB sponsor, Alki Bike and Board, is renting snowshoes. Not sure where you get a snowmobile, but Bruce sent this photo from 34th SW:

2:18 PM UPDATE: From The Wilchers, a High Point pond panorama:

In comments – word that West Seattle Cellars is open till 5 pm. Meantime, a snow-creation photo – from Anne at Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor), left to right, it’s Logan, Jackson and Della with their newest friend:

We’re just getting some Admiral District photos in – this one from Kim:

This one’s from Lena:

Also from the Admiral District, via Twitter, WSB sponsor Click! Design That Fits sends this update:

Walking in the snow, seeing people ski to the store, feeling like we’re in a European village. Click! is open until 6pm and loving the snow

And if you can’t make it to the store, they have online shopping too. Here’s Lena’s photo looking in that general direction (Click! is by Blockbuster):

And back to Kim’s pix, Admiral Safeway:

2:43 PM UPDATE: Now as the snow intensifies (! new forecast within an hour or so!) – from Lori Ho at 16th/Thistle in Highland Park, Gavin Ho “standing proudly next to his snow fort”:

Another update from Capers in The Junction – last day to bring gifts to the Giving Tree for Hickman House. Remember that when this calms down, our local nonprofits are likely going to need a LOT of extra help – we will gather info as best we can to let everybody know how to pitch in.

2:55 PM UPDATE: JayDee toured Alki, as mentioned earlier (see his report above on who’s open/closed) – here are some of the pix he sent, starting with The Statue and Alki Cafe:

Admiral looking downhill/west from 59th:

And here’s another Alki icon – Whale Tail Park‘s namesake looks more like a beluga than its usual self, today:

Also from Alki, a crosscountry skier (and ferry) snapped by Brian:

Reminder about the WSB Traffic cams page (click the tab atop any WSB page) if anyone calls you from the Seahawks game asking about conditions getting home. Also, SDOT updated via Twitter that it’s now clearing routes away from the stadium to ensure fans’ safe travel home. We’re going out for a quick walk around the block to just shake off glued-to-chair syndrome before nightfall.

3:41 PM UPDATE: Not sure whether technically that’s freezing rain or sleet falling right now, but it’s little tiny ice crystals. Also, we finally get the “creme brulee” description that’s been going around to describe what happened earlier today – if you go out and walk through unshoveled snow, you will come to a layer of ice, 1/4″ to 1/8″ thick, which you can lift out in sharp-edged sheets:

Also, this advisory just in from SDOT:

With yet another wave of snow arriving, the Seattle
Department of Transportation (SDOT) continues to aggressively plow,
de-ice and sand across the city. With additional inches of snow hitting
roadways, the department continues to advise that motorists use caution
and not drive if it can be avoided. If motorists must drive, they are
advised to reduce their speeds, transition carefully from side streets
to arterials and give snowplows ample room to operate.

The department’s focus remains principal arterials, bridges and other
elevated road structures, streets near hospitals, and bus routes. A
particular emphasis has been placed on outbound travel routes from Qwest
Field. SDOT currently has its entire winter response fleet of 27 trucks
plowing, sanding and de-icing city streets. Four of those trucks are
devoted solely to the West Seattle Bridge and the Alaskan Way Viaduct.
Due to icy conditions, the South Lake Union line of the Seattle
Streetcar is no longer in operation.

Also an update from Sea-Tac Airport:

Alaska and Horizon have suspended service due to severe winter weather and deteriorating conditions. Airport is open and other carriers are continuing operations. There is sufficient deicing fluid for the airfield through Monday and SeaTac is sharing with surrounding airports. Aircraft deicing supply trucks are stuck on the east side of the pass. There are a significant number of passengers stranded in the airport. Alaska has instructed all passengers who live in the area to go home and rebook their flights online or by phone.

Sharonn Meeks sent a pic with word that The Mount has had enough snow-clearing to access relatively safely:

Update from the city Parks Department:

Seattle Parks and Recreation’s School Age Care Winter Break Camps at all community
centers will be closed on Monday, Dec. 22, due to weather conditions. A child care hotline is available for additional updates on Winter Break Camp operation. Call 206-684-7123 for Hotline Updates.

Early morning lap swims for Monday, Dec. 22, are closed at Medgar Evers Pool and Southwest Pool, but these facilities will open at their standard operating time. All other pools that normally have early morning lap swims, including Ballard, Evans, Queen Anne and Meadowbrook will be open for this use. Madison and Rainier Beach pools will have normal operating hours.

All other Seattle Parks and Recreation facilities will have normal operating hours on Monday. These include community centers, pools, environmental learning centers, Amy Yee Tennis Center and Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center. Regularly scheduled programming has been canceled, but drop-in use of these facilities is available.

Public golf courses, including Jackson Park, Interbay, West Seattle and Jefferson Park are closed for golf, but are open for sledding.

New forecast posted within the hour – includes the previously mentioned “up to 6″ new” through tonight, then snow showers in almost every daypart through Tuesday night, when “snow likely” is the phrase. Read it here.
In comments, update from Jessie at Skylark, where usually there’s all-ages live music on Sunday nights (and live music SIX nights a week):

Two out of three bands have understandably cancelled tonight, but we are still planning on staying open. If you have cabin fever in the Delridge neighborhood feel free to stop by for hot food and/or warming beverages. We close at 11pm on Sundays and are all ages/full bar with ID. Everyone’s disappointed we didn’t get the expected “slightly warmer weather and rain” reprieve…but bands are all rescheduling for early ‘09 so it’s not so bad.

Just created a separate post for a harbor seal photographed at Lincoln Park. Thanks for all the photos — keep ’em coming, we’re still catching up. Snowing heavily again where we are, by the way. TV reporter at Sea-Tac says Alaska may not get more de-icer till tomorrow (as posted above, they’ve suspended all flights anyway).

4:14 PM UPDATE: Metro’s Linda Thielke is doing a phone interview on TV noting this is the TENTH day of snow operations. We are making a separate post with quick links and other info (closures/changes) that you might want to refer to frequently without scrolling back thru the WSB running coverage – let us know – editor@westseattleblog.com – if there’s anything in particular you’d like to see in such a list. One of them, of course, will be the Metro reroute/canceled/suspended list. Meantime – levity of course is a saving grace (or however that saying goes) – Bridgette posted on Facebook, “Now announcing the opening of the West Seattle ski area … lifts under construction.” Jim and Laurie sent this next photo with the subject line “Pigeon Point Hummer!” and we thought perhaps it would be a big ol’ vehicle munching up a hill – but no – it’s those little guys we’ve been discussing:

4:25 PM UPDATE: Here’s the latest from Metro regarding tomorrow morning:

King County Metro Transit will be operating approximately half of its regular service Monday morning, Dec. 22, because of ongoing difficult travel conditions due to heavy snowfall over the weekend. Also, roads throughout King County are expected to be dangerously icy Monday morning.

Please check the Metro Online website before you leave home to see if your bus route is operating and if it is on snow routing.

As it enters its 10th day of snow operations, Metro plans to operate with a level of service similar to last Friday. On Monday morning, about half of Metro’s and Sound Transit’s bus service in King County will be temporarily suspended due to weather and road conditions. If the roads clear during the day, Metro plans to add more service on the routes in operation.

Metro’s operations have been impacted by the weather throughout King County, but the hilly streets and amount of snowfall inside the city of Seattle have made travel in the city unusually difficult. Also, in many areas travel lanes have been restricted, which is slowing down both buses and general-purpose traffic.

Bus passengers should be aware that travel conditions can change quickly, and this list of disrupted service may be revised at any time due to weather and road conditions. In some locations, where roads are impassable for large buses, Metro will be operating chained shuttles.

In order to safely transport as many passengers as possible, Metro is focusing on providing bus service on cleared highways and arterial roads, and to major transit centers and park-and-ride lots.

Passengers should be prepared to board buses at major transit centers, flat arterials, or at the top or bottom of hills. Please dress warmly, wear appropriate footwear, and be prepared to wait. The buses that are running are expected to be significantly delayed.

This transit plan will continue until weather and road conditions improve, which means almost all bus service will be significantly limited. Metro appreciates everyone’s patience, and reminds customers that safety for passengers and bus drivers is the agency’s No. 1 concern.

Information about bus status is available on Metro’s Ice & Snow page, but conditions are changing rapidly. You can also call the Metro Customer Information Office at (206) 553-3000, but call volumes are high and there may be a wait to talk to a CIO representative. People should closely monitor the latest weather and traffic reports for information about travel conditions.

4:31 PM UPDATE: In comments, Ellen mentioned a festive atmosphere in The Junction. Here’s pictorial proof:

However, she reports, nobody was going to let Santa cut in line for coffee at Cupcake Royale (where Santa photos are over for the day now – thanks to everybody who made it down to The Junction!):

Speaking of Christmas fun, Kate e-mails about walking from High Point to the Admiral District for the free show this morning of “A Christmas Story.” She says “lots of people were out to laugh at Ralphie” and she also sent back sights along the way, including this “snow dragon”:

4:49 PM UPDATE: A reminder from Angelina:

Can you please remind people that it is illegal to go snowmobiling and four-by-ing in parks? We have had people driving through High Point Park and it tears up the ground underneath… Not to mention it is a safety hazard.

5:27 PM UPDATE: Started a separate post to be a standing list of hopefully helpful links. Bernie pointed out that Amtrak isn’t getting much mention but it’s had trouble too – this alert notes its Northwest service was completely canceled today. If you have a suggestion for additional helpful links, we’ll continue to build that list through the night, so please leave a comment.

5:41 PM UPDATE: From Jenny on Genesee Hill – another example of that ice layer we mentioned earlier (the “creme brulee” effect as some have described it):

From Jim and Sharon:

Found Dec. 20 on Pigeon Point: 1 pair cross country skis boots and poles. 935-1532

The WSB Forums are usually a good place for lost/found (and we post lost/found dogs/cats/etc. on our Pets page – e-mail us any time), BUT in these circumstances the front page is where many people are hanging out so we’re noting it here.

5:54 PM UPDATE: From Amy at Delridge/Thistle, a couple photos – starting with this one looking north on Thistle at dusk:

And the Longfellow Creek/Thistle Greenspace P-patch, a view we haven’t seen so far:

Via Twitter, County Executive Ron Sims sends word that Cliff Mass filed a 5 pm weather update. Cliff says this band of snow will move through by mid-evening and that there shouldn’t be anything much behind it, for now. Want to be amused? Check out how excited we got over a bit of a flurry last Christmas.

6:41 PM UPDATE: Will be switching over to an evening post soon. From Twitter, word that Beveridge Place Pub in Morgan Junction “is packed.”

This is important: There is word of some power outages here and there – not in Seattle so far – because of heavy snow taking out branches and then lines. So be sure you know where your outage-related items are. So far, we have heard (not confirmed via official sources) about some trouble in Olympia, north Vashon (via comments), and the Eastside.

Via Twitter, word that the National Weather Service noted record daily snowfall at Sea-Tac today – 3 inches, the most ever on December 21, breaking 2.6 inches on 12/21/67.

7:01 PM: Before we close this post down – one more cute kid pic – The Andersens in Arbor Heights, in fact, e-mailed this with the explanation that it’s one of their “cute kids eating snow.”

The Sunday evening post has now begun – please join us there!

West Seattle snow: Sunday morning-midday updates

December 21, 2008 6:03 am

| 149 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(Scroll/refresh for the latest info at BOTTOM of this post – 12:13 PM UPDATED QUICK SUMMARIES OF REPORTED SUNDAY CLOSURES/CHANGES/ETC: Farmers’ Market canceled – No church at Westside Unitarian – Admiral Sings Christmas postponed to 12/28 – ADMIRAL LIBRARY OPEN, OTHERS IN WS CLOSED – BOTH YMCAs CLOSED – SANTA PHOTOS AT CUPCAKE ROYALE ARE STILL ON, TILL 3:30 PM – SANTA PHOTOS ALSO ARE STILL ON AT WESTWOOD VILLAGE, TILL 4 PM – “PLAID TIDINGS” SHOWS ARE ALL STILL ON AT ARTSWEST – AMA-AMA OPEN FOR BRUNCH – HOTWIRE COFFEE OPEN – ENDOLYNE JOE’S, ORIGINAL BAKERY OPEN – TIBBETTS UMC “BLUE CHRISTMAS” SERVICE CANCELED – CLICK HERE FOR METRO BUS ROUTE UPDATES)

{map image removed – outdated now – thanks again to Alice Enevoldsen for tirelessly updating Google Maps based on WSB’ers’ road reports)

Snow can be fun, too, as that photo of Jackson Colby, shared by dad Mark, reminds us. And after many long hours of windblown snow, today will be interesting, in ways both fun and not-so-fun. We’re opening this post early, to start with earlybirds sharing info about road conditions and other discoveries. A few reminders: The West Seattle Farmers’ Market is canceled for today, according to word we got from organizers a few days ago. There’s still a tentative plan for Santa photos and other Hometown Holidays cheer to be on in The Junction noon-4 pm as scheduled; if that changes, we will let you know here. Got a closure, cancellation, road report, something else to share? Please post it as a comment here till we restart our “live updates.”

9:07 AM UPDATE: Official Sea-Tac update says it’s open BUT many airlines have cancellations. Just got word from Seattle Public Library management that only five branches are open in the city today – one is the West Seattle (Admiral) branch, which will open at noon. Jessie from Skylark Club and Cafe (WSB sponsor) e-mailed, “Skylark is postponing brunch for a few hours. Hopefully that gives everyone the chance to get in, and the weather will clear up a bit. We are aiming to open at 11:30am.” Metro update:

Once again due to the weather and dangerous driving conditions, King County Metro Transit will be operating approximately half of its normal bus service for Sunday, Dec. 21.

Please check the Metro Online website before you leave home to see if your bus route is operating and if it is on snow routing; and note that travel conditions can change quickly so the list of disrupted service may be revised at any time due to weather and road conditions.

Heavy snowfall in the past 24 hours, particularly in the Seattle area, has closed roads and made travel difficult. In order to safely transport as many passengers as possible, Metro is focusing on providing bus service on cleared highways and arterial roads, and to major transit centers and park-and-ride lots that normally have Sunday service.

As of early Sunday morning, Metro plans to offer its Seahawks shuttle service to Qwest Field from Eastgate Park-and-Ride in Bellevue, Northgate Park-and-Ride in North Seattle, and the South Kirkland Park-and-Ride.

These shuttles will begin service at approximately 11 a.m. Fans should expect crowded conditions on the shuttles, and should give themselves plenty of time to get to the game because the buses may be delayed by road and traffic conditions. Another transit provider handles service from the Federal Way and Kent park-and-ride lots, and does expect to provide shuttle service from those locations today.

For regular Metro service on Sunday, passengers should be prepared to board buses at major transit centers, flat arterials, or at the top or bottom of hills. Please dress warmly, wear appropriate footwear, and be prepared to wait. The buses that are running could be significantly delayed by road and traffic conditions.

At 35th and Othello, this photo (thank you to whoever sent it – we have only a number, not a name) was headed “(Fire) Station 37 digs out”:

9:21 AM UPDATE: Robin Ennis-Cantwell from Barnes and Noble at Westwood Village writes, “Just want to let you know that several members of our staff walked in this morning so we (opened) at 9:00 a.m. for all our neighborhood Christmas shoppers. Please be safe and careful if you are driving or walking to our store!” This morning’s SDOT update via Twitter:

City working on Seattle streets with 21 plows/sanders. 3 trucks are dedicated solely to the West Seattle Bridge and Alaskan Way Viaduct.

Photo of “the top” of Avalon Way, from Babs:

9:36 AM UPDATE: The Admiral Theater IS STILL GOING AHEAD WITH FREE SHOWING OF “A CHRISTMAS STORY” – the movie’s at 11 am, the theater’s doors will likely open around 10:45. Another update from SDOT:

Primary/secondary roads around Qwest Field are passable – largely hard packed snow but drivable. Crews continue to work area for game.

Leighellen e-mails with word that THE 10:30 HOPE LUTHERAN SERVICE IS STILL ON. Update from Seattle Parks:

Some Seattle Parks and Recreation facilities are open today until 4 p.m., including Delridge, Hiawatha, Rainier Beach, Rainier and South Park community centers; Ballard, Helene Madison, Rainier Beach and Southwest pools; and Amy Yee Tennis Center. All regularly scheduled programming has been canceled, but drop-in use of these facilities is available. Public golf courses, including Jackson Park, Interbay, West Seattle and Jefferson Park are closed for golf, but are open for sledding.

Reminder: All the city/state traffic cams with particular West Seattle relevance are on the WSB Traffic page, including the two at Fauntleroy/Alaska and 35th/Fauntleroy, which has been looking at the bridge approach during the storm instead of its usual view back up 35th. Please send road pix if/when you go out – editor@westseattleblog.com (other snow pix welcome too!) – we just got one in from Barton looking toward Westwood Village – Sara shot this from 22nd/Barton looking west toward the shopping center:

9:53 AM UPDATE: Josh at West Seattle Family YMCA (WSB sponsor) says BOTH WEST SEATTLE Y’S WILL BE CLOSED TODAY. Public service reminder from co-publisher Patrick, who just shoveled half a foot of snow off our walkways: “As a veteran of the ’96 storm, KNOW WHERE YOUR STORM DRAINS ARE and go clear them” — whenever this starts melting, we could wind up with “ponding” if the drains are blocked with snow/ice.

Lora Lewis at Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) says they’re open, till 5 pm today, and here’s the proof:

More Junction photos from Ian (who writes the excellent site Conversation Marketing, one of 100 West Seattle-based sites whose latest entries appear on the WSB Blogs page), just back from a walk along California SW:

Alaska looking east from 42nd SW:

And California at Dakota:

Ian’s entire photo set from this morning is here. Meantime, a WSB housekeeping note – we have shortened the front page a bit in hopes of making it a bit easier to load – usually we have the 27 newest posts because we file about 12 news updates a day and that gets people through 2 days’ worth – but since each post during the weather crisis here is running mega-long with tons of photos, etc., and we’re only filing a few “other news” stories, the page is now 10 posts long, till normalcy resumes (a day or two?). You can still see everything else by clicking “next page” at the very bottom of the home page, or using other means of navigation – see our “WSB Categories” list in the right sidebar – each of those “categories” brings you the archive, newest to oldest, of all the WSB stories labeled with those categories, going all the way back to the site’s start three years ago.

10:33 AM UPDATE: Cliff Mass just published his postmortem on yesterday and look ahead. More precipitation’s on the way, but even he says it’s a question whether it’ll be snow, rain, or freezing rain. Read his update here. Meantime, let’s all dream of summer barbecues:

That came in from a cell phone so didn’t get a name, but thanks! Also, a reminder from Liz V – we have been out to tend our birdbath and we’ve seen the “early robins” she mentions:

Those of us who keep the bird/hummingbird feeders filled need to know that these guys also need fresh water to stay warm. (Apparently, they need it to fluff their feathers even in the frigid weather!) My fountain froze over long ago, so I’ve been going out every few hours to pour hot water into it. They’ve also whistled up their friends and are flocking (!) to it. The early returning robins also need it to survive.

WSB Forum members have been discussing the caring-for-birds challenge too. Just in from Susan Melrose at the (WSB sponsor) West Seattle Junction Association – SANTA PHOTOS ARE ON AT CUPCAKE ROYALE, NOON TO 3:30 PM. There will NOT be a booth by KeyBank with wreath sales or prize drawings, but she WILL draw the final winner(s) in the $5,000 giveaway and notify them by phone. Again, the Santa photos are by donation, and that $ goes to three great West Seattle nonprofits (WestSide Baby, West Seattle Food Bank, West Seattle Helpline), so if you can get there safely, go see Santa! We hope to be able to take a Junction trip ourselves in a couple hours.

If you don’t regularly check the WSB Forums – they’re worth a look in times like these – just found somebody, for example, hoping to find some help getting to work (read the post here). The Forums are always a place for West Seattleites helping West Seattleites (as well as spirited conversation too).

10:58 AM UPDATE: More from Lora at Hotwire – photo of California SW looking south from her shop (which is at Genesee on the north edge of The Junction):

And Lora’s photo looking NORTH on Cali:

Also from The Junction, Ama-Ama Oyster Bar and Grill (WSB sponsor) is open for brunch.

11:11 AM UPDATE: Thanks to the cell-phoner who sent this photo of Thriftway digging out in Morgan Junction (we caught a photo of this guy a couple days ago – apparently he also clears some areas of his neighborhood up near central 35th SW):

Renee sent the following photo saying “Fire chief Michael wanted you to know how much snow we got in the Junction area” (closer inspection reveals 7″):

11:20 AM UPDATE: Shannon sends word from Fauntleroy that Endolyne Joe’s and The Original Bakery are open. Pix in a moment. Meantime, lightly snowing again in Upper Fauntleroy, and on Twitter, County Exec Ron Sims sends word: “King County Operations Center: Another band of snow expected around 2:00 pm today. Expected to bring a trace – 2″ within our area.” Also from Twitter, word that Chelan Cafe is open. Now, those pix from Shannon:

Lincoln Park view looking northeast:

And the curve looking east just before Fauntleroy Church and YMCA (both WSB sponsors; reminder, the Y is closed today, both WS branches):

Today we hope to make more headway on our ongoing list of West Seattle Christmas Eve/Day church services on the Holidays page (if you have knowledge of what’s up with your church, please e-mail editor@westseattleblog.com). Meanwhile, though our Farmers’ Market is closed (with the exception apparently of ONE intrepid vendor, Seabreeze Farm, which decided to show up anyway), Ballard went ahead with its Farmers’ Market, per our friends at MyBallard.com.

11:47 AM UPDATE: Word from Tibbetts UMC church that the Blue Christmas service for tonight is canceled. Meantime, Jim e-mails from the Othello hill at 40th:

We found you last week, and love the information that is being shared. Check out the pictures. The wind that blew last night is evident from the cornice hanging over our deck, and check out the difference in snow depth on the rail. Now, the snow has started falling again. I haven’t driven since Saturday the 13th. The mrs., Lisa, took us for a spin on Wednesday, but we’re not going anywhere again
for a while.

We can identify. Jim’s pic:

11:57 AM: Via Twitter, tithonium sent word that Chelan Cafe (3527 Chelan SW; here’s a map) is open (as mentioned earlier and added to quick notes atop this post) and also this pic:

Now it’s SERIOUSLY snowing here at WSB HQ – fluffier flakes than the fine stuff last night, no doubt since it’s warmer. Also just out of the inbox, Paul sent this long road report – the comments are full of road reports (and they may soon be outdated if this new snow lasts long) but wanted to share it up here too since it was via e-mail:

Sun 10-11am.

General info – roads are passable and people are getting around. Not a lot of traffic.
Main roads generally well sanded, but not much plowing, so lots of snow on road in
many places.
Lots of snow in median and on the sides, so everything is pretty much one lane each
way.
Intersections can be tricky if you have to make a turn thru all the snow.
Things do not appear to be icey, slipperyness (is that a word?) is more a function
of lots of soft, generally sanded snow. Pictures submitted earlier by others will
give you a good idea what things look like.

We took the AWD Subaru – new all season tires, chains not on, but have them.

Barton St east, cross 35th to Westwood Village – okay – pretty quiet at WW Village.
Barton has been pretty heavily sanded and has had a fair amount of traffic.
The 54 bus has been getting up and down Barton pretty well since 8 or 9 am.
We did see 2 come up within 10 minutes of each other, so there may have been some
delays earlier this morning. I did not go down to the Ferry doc to see how things
are, but since buses and cars are coming up okay, I am guessing it’s fine.

Cut over to Roxbury and went all the way east down the Olsen Place hill across the
overpass and turned around in South Park. Once you clear 16th or so, it drops into
one driveable lane each way, with a fair amount of snow on the road. Quite a bit
of unplowed snow on the hill still Saw one minivan having difficulty starting back
up the hill. If you take it easy and either have AWD drive, or FW with chains, you
should be okay.

Came back up and then took Delridge north to under the West Seattle Bridge.
Quite a bit of traffic – speed about 20 mph. Some folks are being very cautious.
No problem though, It is all flat. The Home Depot appeared open, but not doing
much business.

Avalon up to 35th. Qyite a bit of unplowed snow on the upside, but with AWD and
new tires, it was no problem. Downhill side appeared to have been plowed and very heavily sanded, so going down Avalon should be a piece of cake.

35th South to Barton St. One driveable lane each way. Still lots of snow on the road. Start out slowly from the lights if going up hill – don’t get those tires spinning.

Many side roads look deep, lightly travelled and I am sure are loads of fun, especially the hilly ones. But if you can get out to the main roads you should do okay. I see it is lightly snowing again….so you all be careful out there.

12:17 PM UPDATE: We will keep the morning post going till 1 pm – thinking Seahawks game time is a good time for switchover! Meantime, per a request in comments, we checked on Santa status at Westwood Village. Robin at Barnes and Noble kindly walked over to check for us. Short answer – YES! So Santa is in at Westwood till 4 pm, Cupcake Royale in The Junction at 3:30 pm. What a guy. Speaking of Westwood, Shell sent a recent photo:

Maybe they need the Thriftway snowscooper (shown earlier in this post). Up near the 35th/Myrtle reservoir and water towers, Scott C caught this “hardy soul” cross-country skiing:

12:30 PM UPDATE: From Tamsen near 38th/Morgan – again, remember your feathered friends:

And the SW Morgan hill, looking west/downhill from 38th within the past hour:

A closer look:

12:50 PM UPDATE: Hope it doesn’t hang the site – let me know if it does – but we added a Sea-Tac Airport cam to the right sidebar since so many people have to TRY to get there. It’s right below the bridge cam. Latest live image. Also, some pix just in from Thayer at 35th/Roxbury. First, Roxbury looking east:

And 35th looking north:

Thanks again SO VERY MUCH to everyone who’s been sending pix, sharing info in comments and via e-mail and Twitter and Facebook, and calling when no other means of communication works (206-293-6302) …

1:03 PM UPDATE: About to start the afternoon update, with a long city update. Short story, though, MONDAY TRASH SERVICE IS LIKELY TO BE POSTPONED. For those of us on Monday pickup, that’s two consecutive weeks … more shortly.