West Seattle, Washington
07 Sunday
**NOTE – AS OF 1 PM MOST OF THIS IS LIKELY A MOOT POINT, SINCE MOST THAT WERE OPEN JUST OPENED FOR THE MORNING**
The past two Christmases, we’ve compiled this list in advance, both by phone and by driving around to check what’s posted. This year – forgive our lameness; we’ve been a little busy, AND the weather has rendered advance plans subject to change, anyway. So here’s the next best thing: We’re listing the ones that just MIGHT be open, based on past holidays, and we looked up their numbers. We’ll make calls when we’re up and update with whatever we discover; if you call anyone to check before that, please post what you found out.
CONFIRMED AS OPEN (updated 10:44 am with WSB’er reports – thank you!)
Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor), 8 am to (approximately) 1 pm
Morgan Junction Starbucks
Morgan Junction Tully’s
CALL AND CHECK (10:51 am note – we have dropped some off the list after calling and getting no answer)
Admiral Starbucks 206-937-5010
Aimonetto 206-937-0920
Alki Starbucks 206-933-6974
Alki Tully’s 206-938-0732
Bird on a Wire 206-932-1143
Cupcake Royale 206-932-2971
Diva 206-937-5225
Drive-Thru (Triangle) Starbucks 932-4230
Easy Street coffee bar 206-938-EASY
Java Bean 206-938-5665
Westwood Village Starbucks 206-937-1732
Thriftway, QFC, and Metropolitan Market are closed for Christmas, but all 3 West Seattle Safeways are open 9 am-3 pm today, according to phone recordings. (If you don’t know which one’s close to you, here’s the Safeway store-finder.) Convenience stores, too, and Walgreens.
7 minutes of Lowman Beach snowy holiday duckiness, courtesy of Ron Sterling, whose “Duckies Rule!” sideline was featured in this WSB story in October.
Back at the keyboard after keeping a looser eye on things the last several hours — so far as we know, all’s relatively well; some photos have come in and we’ll be adding them here shortly while catching up. First of all, from MargL in Arbor Heights:
She explains: “After our snowman fell over we took advantage of the (hopefully) last opportunities for fort building. Didn’t quite get to igloo stage but the snow was soggy and packable which made for quick additions, like the stairs so the 2-year-old could ‘storm her castle’ with ease.” Next – If you heard footsteps on the roof, the latest video posted by NORAD Tracks Santa will explain:
(Including Smith Tower is a nice touch; we have fond memories of our ABCNEWS.com days there at the turn of the millennium.) Next: there’s no love like snow love: Here are Veronica and Jeff, next to what he drew in the snow on Alki earlier this week, “just for me,” she e-mailed:
You may already have heard of those two, who caught a P-I photographer’s eye with the huge snowman they built in front of Veronica’s home on Fauntleroy Way between Lincoln Park and the ferry terminal; copyright keeps us from posting that photo here, but she sent us a different photo to use:
And we conclude this post with a sighting by Creighton, who prefaces: “Went up the Junction for a few last minute things, around 5pm today, and on my way a jogger bounded skillfully around the massive melt puddles at 45th and Oregon! As this walk to the Junction was my only workout in several weeks I was impressed at his dedication. West Seattle HS cross country runner? Santa’s helper late for work?”
Thanks SO much to everyone who has shared photos, stories, information during these challenging, snowy days. We hope to hear from you again even in less-momentous times – something you saw, heard, wondered about, want to know more about, since WSB is truly 24/7, we invite you to contact us any time – here are the many ways to do that.
(Photo courtesy Austin)
Since Snowmare ’08 (or whatever you want to call it) is seguing directly into Christmas, few things really “get back to normal” for quite some time. Metro bus service, for example. Linda Thielke of Metro, e-mailed WSB a little while ago, wanting to make sure the many bus riders in WSB-land know what’s in store:
I’m concerned that your readers aren’t realizing that before this bad weather hit Metro was already planning for holiday schedules between Dec. 25-Jan. 2. Also, we’ve added a few more next week on historically low-ridership days to give us some recovery/repair time for the buses.
I see several comments in the blog about getting buses back to the normal schedule. So, people need to check what the schedules will be in the coming nine days. I think most of the West Seattle service will be fairly normal (barring more weather emergencies), but there are some individual trip cancellations and route cancellations coming up.
Dec. 25 – Sunday schedule
Dec. 26 – partial holiday schedule – this is the schedule we introduced on the day after Thanksgiving and plan to operate on 10 days in 2009. It’s denoted by an “H” in the paper and online timetables
Dec. 27 – Saturday schedule
Dec. 28 – Sunday schedule
Dec. 29, Dec. 30, Dec. 31 – partial holiday schedule (see above)
Jan. 1 – Sunday schedule
Jan. 2 – partial holiday schedule
Once again, operating these schedules fully will be dependent on road and weather conditions; and how much physical abuse the buses that have been running have taken.
Metro’s website, as you are likely well aware by now, starts here.
We asked the folks at Twilight to send a photo of what’s come in so far for the Treehouse for Kids toy drive they launched to turn something bad — this week’s art theft — into something good. If you’re going to The Junction, drop new, unwrapped toys off at Twilight (west of Easy Street) before they close at 3 pm. They’re collecting nonperishable food for West Seattle Food Bank, too.
(scroll/refresh for latest WSB updates and WSB’er comments – WSB Traffic cams page HERE – links/open-closed list HERE)
We got that photo on Monday, set it aside, and can’t find who to credit. Regardless of how you feel about the snow, it just says “Christmas Eve” to us. So – good morning! If you have early info to share or questions to ask, this is the place. Live updates from the multiple sources we monitor will resume around 5:30. Till then, here’s our list of links/open/closed (and remember, Metro’s put out a service advisory for not just today, but the holiday schedule that follows).
6:29 AM UPDATE: As Sage K was first to note in comments, it’s been snowing about two hours. So if we’re supposed to get up to four inches out of this, that means it’ll be doing so for some hours to come. The early-morning forecast has the “winter weather advisory” in effect till 4 pm. How much snow? Via Facebook, Talani at Stor-More Self Storage (WSB sponsor) says 2″. On TV, someone just said WSDOT has picked up half a ton of broken (or otherwise lost) chains from local freeways. Scott K sent proof of snow-clearing on California SW (past the long-closed Chuck and Sally’s) around 1 am:
7:05 AM UPDATE: Reminder that bridge cams and other West Seattle-relevant road cams are on the WSB Traffic page.
Snow report from co-publisher Patrick‘s first shoveling of the WSB HQ walkway (and we’re 300-plus feet elevation if you’re keeping track): “Wet, pliable, mushy, there’s some holes in the snow, which means there’s some rain mixed in out there.” Not the same as the dry stuff we had during those VERY cold days. Meanwhile, here’s a heartwarming (and bonechilling) story of what happened while you slept: Kevin writes in the WSB Forums about neighbors digging out a stuck bus south of Morgan Junction overnight.
7:41 AM UPDATE: Reports in the comments and via Facebook suggest bus-catching is working relatively well this morning. Thanks to everyone who continues to share stories so your West Seattle neighbors will get first alert when it’s not. Quick update just in from SDOT via Twitter: “SDOT plowing inbound commute roads in Seattle. Arterials are plowed with passable road conditions. Motorists should go slow.” (Twitter is limited to 140 characters per message, if you didn’t already know that.) Weather update – Some commenters report it’s raining. You can hear that toward the start and end of this clip from California/Thistle within the past half-hour:
When it’s light – if you’re home – please remember to check your downspouts and storm drains, to avoid a whole new round of trouble (flooding, puddling, worse) once The Big Melt is in full swing.
7:59 AM UPDATE: “Wintry mix” is our description for what’s happening out there. On the forecast beat, Cliff Mass says this morning that it still appears more rain is in store as a “stronger system” moves in this afternoon. Airport update from TV – “No weather related problems” but parking is tough to come by. Meantime, if temperatures drop again tonight, the issue will be the same as last night – you can get there in the morning but can you get home in the evening? This e-mail just in from Tamsen (e-mail us any time at editor@westseattleblog.com):
I just checked your site and don’t see many reports about the commute this am. But, I am going to wait awhile before trying to go into work because last night I couldn’t get out of downtown Seattle. Three 21 buses passed us up at Seneca and 1st ave from 5:00pm – 7:00pm. Two cabs said they wouldn’t go to WS and then finally one cab driver said he’d take us. Four of us piled into the cab and he took us as far as 35th and Morgon. So, if I go in to work it will depend on if this changes to rain so I can hope to get back home.
8:16 AM UPDATE: The Velvet Bulldog sends a photo of Caffe Ladro barista Leslie making snowmen because customers were few and far between this morning:
8:30 AM UPDATE: As already discussed in comments, there’s a new problem at Sea-Tac – de-icer got into a ventilation system. It’s happening on board a plane at gate N-17, per KIRO. KING says eye irritation is the major problem.
8:35 AM UPDATE: A report from the airport – NOT regarding that problem, but in case you’re wondering what it’s like at the airport in general (NOTE THE PARKING RESERVATION PROBLEM), Brian just sent this:
On plane now, waiting an hour for deicer truck. I’m sure other flights are delayed too. All parking is gone at airport, MasterPark and Thrifty. We had a reservation at Thrifty and they denied it. We literally got one of the last 5 spaces at the airport.
On the bright side, security was fast and friendly.
Bus update from orcmid on Twitter: “08:00 MT #55 and #54 depart Alaska Junction for downtown, seem on schedule.” On TV, Bellevue has switched from rain back to big fluffy snowflakes, in case you have to head that way. But driving is VERY slick – co-publisher P just reported somebody going sideways downhill on Thistle.
8:42 AM UPDATE: The official word from the city on residential trash pickup. None, AGAIN, today:
Residential garbage, recycling, food and yard waste
collection has been delayed in Seattle today, Wednesday, Dec. 24, due to
dangerous road conditions. Wednesday residential customers will be
collected next Wednesday Dec. 31.The city*s collections contractors have been running limited commercial
routes around the clock this week, providing service urgent commercial
accounts where containers are accessible. Service priorities include
hospitals, health facilities, grocers and other accounts with severe
capacity constraints.*The collections crews are working around the clock to reach priority hospitals, health facilities, grocers and other urgent accounts with limited capacity,* according to Hans Van Dusen, solid waste contracts manager for Seattle Public Utilities.
*They have about 35 trucks out today in Seattle with full chains and double crews to reach the vital accounts. However, snow accumulation is still hampering access to streets, alleys and many commercial containers.*
Residential collections were suspended Thursday Dec. 18, through today, Wednesday Dec. 24, due to snow fall and road conditions. Limited commercial routes have been run Monday through Wednesday this week reaching approximately 30 percent of the businesses accounts in the city. Contractors are continually inspecting all neighborhoods throughout the day for service opportunities.
Due to the Christmas holiday on Dec. 25, Thursday and Friday customers will be delayed one day. Thursday customers will be collected Friday, Dec. 26, and Friday customers will be collected Saturday, Dec. 27.
Customers whose collections have been delayed by a week can set out double their normal amount of garbage at no additional charge. When setting out extra waste, customers are encouraged to place perishable food items in their collection containers and set bagged non-perishable items next to the containers. Customers who have had their collections missed two weeks in a row can also take their waste to Seattle*s Recycling and Disposal Stations, where it will be accepted at no charge.
Seattle’s recycling and disposal stations, at South Park and Wallingford, are open today, but will be closed on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, and New Year*s Day, January 1.
And remember that if you are among those of us who have been missed for TWO weeks, the city says that’s TRIPLE pickup next week. Here’s hoping this is all gone by then.
8:45 AM UPDATE: Alaska Flight 528 from Sea-Tac to Burbank was the flight involved in the deicer mishap, says Alaska spokesperson on Channel 5. Plane’s been “evacuated.”
8:52 AM UPDATE: If you’re Ballard-bound, beware of a big bus mishap causing traffic trouble there, per our pals at MyBallard.com.
9:13 AM UPDATE: Signs of life in The Junction — Lora at Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor, and planning to be open Christmas morning at 8 am) says it’s raining and people are “starting to walk around” – she sends pix, starting with this look south on California SW from outside her coffeehouse:
And looking north (that’s the California/Genesee stoplight in the background):
And a road update from Talani at Stor-More (via Facebook, where you can “friend” us at WS Blog): “”Update on Avalon…cars seem to be traveling without too many problems in a lot of slush, as we have mixed rain at this hour…snow is still piled up in the center lane on Avalon…”
9:27 AM UPDATE: A side conversation on Twitter re: clearing your storm drain led to a reminder from Hopey about a link that might help if you’re looking for yours – we reported it here on WSB almost two years ago as a “cool tool” for researching your home’s history – look up your Side Sewer Card here (the “back” has a list of some of the neighborhood names back in the day).
9:55 AM UPDATE: Words of wisdom from whomever’s sending out the WSDOT Twitter updates: “Be prepared for winter driving conditions, slush is only fun in Slurpees.” Another weather note: It’s getting a bit breezy out there. And yes, it’s yucky everywhere – via Twitter tip, here’s a YouTube link to video of stuck and abandoned cars at 24th/Aloha on Capitol Hill.
If you need to get to a city Neighborhood Services Center to pay a bill or handle something else today, Delridge NSC coordinator Ron Angeles has sent an update on planned hours today – his is open till 6 pm (except for lunch break 1-2 pm), the one in The Junction is closed.
10:40 AM UPDATE: Just got some bus updates and advice from West Seattleite “orcmid” via Twitter: “The 08:09 MT #54 to downtown from Alaska Junction took viaduct and Seneca to 3rd avenue (but not s topping at Seneca) … MT #14 toward Summit from 4th & PIke could not get up to Broadway around 9:20, passengers had to walk … With Metro buses on reroutes and variations of snow routes, always ask drivers about your destination. … At a rerouted destination, ask driver where to find return bus and what markings might be. May not match nos. at stop.” In the “more practical advice” department, the city of Burien has just sent a news release about roofs and the load caused by water-laden snow – it’s not really city-specific so you might want to read it.
10:51 AM FREE CHRISTMAS TREE BULLETIN — Just got a phone call (206-293-6302, call us 24-7) that Holy Rosary Tree Lot behind Admiral Safeway is GIVING AWAY THE REST OF ITS TREES starting at noon.
11:24 AM UPDATE: Co-publisher Patrick went out on a road-scouting mission and reports that in general, California SW is “bare and wet” – it’s the side roads that are still trouble, with big piles o’snow. Photos should be back shortly. CANCELLATION UPDATE – Just got word that Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation has canceled tonight’s service. We have a running list of previously scheduled Christmas Eve services on the Holidays page; we’ll be checking to see if anybody else has changes/cancellations.
11:51 AM UPDATE: From scootinoldskool via Twitter: “California Ave STILL has a Jersey barrier made of snow… except where there’s a traffic island made of snow.” Meantime, we’re uploading our pix now. Main roads passable but LOTS of people out there. … And in fact, our photos show that “Jersey barrier” – from The Junction, first:
North from The Junction (that’s JF Henry on the left):
SDOT communications director Rick Sheridan is doing a phone interview on TV right now and said they’re aggressively working on secondary roads. Meantime, one more photo from the recent WSB scouting trip – Morgan Junction:
12:36 PM UPDATE: Lari sent this photo of the traffic backup in the Admiral Junction area (eastbound on Admiral, she said it was backed up to at least 49th SW):
12:47 PM UPDATE: Karen sends this photo of a Seattle Public Utilities crew doing some work at Delridge/Myrtle:
We’ve said it before but gotta say it again – GO MAKE SURE YOUR DOWNSPOUTS AND STORM DRAINS ARE CLEAR now that the melt is on – we don’t want to have to be doing flood-crisis coverage next! Also, take care of your neighborhood birds – we just cleared our bird bath – they’re thirsty! Check out this great shot Darren sent from Arbor Heights:
One more note – we’ve checked with West Seattle grocery stores regarding what time they close tonight, since it’s Christmas Eve after all – Metropolitan Market, QFC, Thriftway all say 6 pm — all West Seattle Safeways are closing at 7 pm.
2:31 PM UPDATE: As discussed in comments, the mayor had a media availability within the past half-hour. We didn’t get notice in time to change direction and get over to 7th/Dearborn from White Center (Pho 54, open till 6) in time. Here’s hoping a tv station turns around the “raw” (unedited) video before long. We’ll link any other accounts we find of it, too. HA.org calls the salt/no-salt controversy “Frozenwatergate” and a commenter mentions a new (albeit misspelled) Facebook group.
Weather note: Rhonda Porter (WSB sponsor) just tweeted that Alki just had a 44 mph wind gust – it’s raining fairly steadily out there too – other parts of the city reported flickers early today so be forewarned.
2:50 PM UPDATE: KING account of mayor’s news conference – he gave the response a “B.” 684-3000 is now a city hotline for problems relating to city services — 684-3000, for frozen pipes, flooding, power outages, etc., and it will be answered tomorrow too, 9 am-5 pm, 24/7 otherwise.
3:15 PM UPDATE: On our way back from White Center, brought back a photo of 35th, looking north after turning from Roxbury:
Here’s the link to raw video of the mayor’s news conference. Looks like the Q and A is a separate link (we’re still watching the first one). (Watching it: Hizzoner said he too was “frustrated” but also said that once in a while “Mother Nature will challenge us.” He promised a review, “did you have the tools you needed to do the best possible job? what if we were to get hit by this or something similar in the future? … We’re not Buffalo or Cleveland where we have hundreds of pieces of equipment to deal with this … Those Midwest cities are flat and that means additional flexibility. … (Today) we’ve brought on a private contractor with a road grader and additional pieces of equipment.”)
Several power outages are reported in other parts of the city; here’s the latest list.
3:37 PM UPDATE: The Holy Rosary “Christmas tree giveaway” (mentioned earlier) is over – they’ve closed the lot.
3:55 PM UPDATE: More pix just in – Robert sent this from The Junction’s latest traffic jam:
And Alki slush from Orin O’Neill:
Got a little shopping yet to do? Just got this from WSB sponsor Click! Design That Fits, via Twitter: “Customers still coming in, so we’re still open, past closing time of 3pm. But call before heading down to make sure we’re still here-328-9252”
4:10 PM UPDATE: Another Alki Ave angle from Orin, looking west this time, past the bathhouse:
Here’s the newest forecast — still possibly some snow showers ahead. But in general, it’s still mostly melty out there, as evidenced by the “listing snowman” photographed in Gatewood by Jill Schmieder from Altena Photography:
(Monday photo, courtesy of Creighton)
With the uproar today over the city not using salt on roads, after this Times article (which we and sixty-skabillion other sites have linked to in the past 20 hours or so), we asked Rick Sheridan at SDOT if there is an official city statement, just to get their side of the story. Here’s what he e-mailed back:
The City of Seattle has not used salt as its principal de-icer since the mid 1990s. Instead we use a chemical de-icer that is effective, more environmentally friendly and less damaging to vehicles and roads. Salt, when it runs off from roadway surfaces, is harmful to vegetation, waterways and wildlife. Fresh water habitat, which shelters fish such as salmon, is especially impacted. The other significant problem is the corrosive impact of salt on metal and other man-made materials. It corrodes cars, city equipment, roadways, and our many bridges and viaducts. So the use of salt comes with a very heavy price tag.
The City of Seattle uses a de-icer, Geomelt C, that provides similar benefits without all of salt’s problems. It has worked effectively in all of Seattle’s recent winter storms, to include the big storm of 1996. The City of Portland and the Oregon Department of Transportation use the same approach. Our de-icer helped clear primary arterials citywide, such as Fauntleroy Way SW and the West Seattle Bridge, and is now part of our efforts on secondary arterials throughout the city.
On a slightly related note, we also asked for a little more info on this grader, which we didn’t recall hearing about or seeing before today (photo’s from California/Thistle at mid-afternoon):
Here’s its backstory:
The road grader is from SDOT’s vehicle fleet. SDOT purchased it within the last
year for grading projects, and snow and ice removal. It typically serves in the northern part of Seattle on Aurora Avenue, a long straight roadway, and is utilized when we have significant accumulations of snow and ice. Given needs elsewhere in the city, SDOT deployed it to Elliott Avenue, downtown and West Seattle. It is great for straight roads and hills (due to its traction). The grader is one of many vehicles we have working on snow and ice clearing in Seattle.
It was seen today on SW Thistle and SW Holden (both hilly and straight).
(WSB Traffic cams page HERE – links/open-closed list HERE)
WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli sent that photo from the 41st/Edmunds truck nightmare that unfolded within the past hour or so. As we wrote near the end of afternoon coverage, AVOID THAT AREA – “sheet of ice.” Just a block away, at 41st/Alaska, Christopher reports, “Alaska is wet but intersections are a mess of slush and ice.” See for yourself:
If you are just checking in for the first time in a few hours, by the way, you may find some helpful commuting/shopping information in the post/comments we just closed – see it here. One shopping note from e-mail: WSB sponsor Click! Design That Fits is open till 7 tonight in the Admiral District, and tomorrow till about 3.
6:33 PM UPDATE: And there’s news from north West Seattle, from Jackie:
To add to all the other difficulties we’re undergoing, water has been shut off on SW Lander below Admiral (map) since mid-afternoon – there’s a break or some other problem opposite SW Campbell Place. The upside is that the city had to clear at least one car’s width of snow from the road so that the repair trucks could get to the problem area!
And scanner now has word that Edmunds/California eastbound (map) is blocked. Not sure if this is a new problem, or being shut down because of the aforementioned hill woes. Just avoid the area.
6:56 PM UPDATE: Heartening news from Mary at Twilight, re: the followup we published earlier today on their decision to try to turn the art theft (yesterday’s original story here) into something good: A commenter asked when Twilight will be open tomorrow, and she answered quickly, “I will be here 11-3 with jingle bells on! I may try to get here earlier, but call first 933.2444. Thanks for all the support! we filled a box with toys today! We are still collecting for the West Seattle Food Bank too.” Twilight is on SW Alaska just west of Easy Street. Meantime, for those of you awaiting UPS deliveries – a truck just showed up on California south of Thistle (map) a moment ago, so they’re still out there. And if you’d like a look at Admiral/California, RealLowVibe‘s Twitter stream included the link to this recent photo. And shortly afterward – a snowplow appears, in this pic. ** Listening to city crews on the scanner – 42nd/Oregon (map) also “ice-packed.”
7:11 PM UPDATE: From Genesee Hill, Creighton sends word (and picture) of a postal truck’s woes at 49th/Genesee (map): “Poor guy is trying his best to get up the street, after delivering a package about half way up the hill, but his chains aren’t enough. He’s just sliding around. With the help of some generous neighbors they’re about to attempt a push.”
8:08 PM UPDATE: Scott C sends this link to the latest radar animation with the alert: “It’s coming.” And from Christopher, video of the stuck-truck trouble he covered earlier on the back side of Jefferson Square:
Happy ending! (But how about those SPARKS?)
8:27 PM UPDATE: Scanner says there’s a vehicle blocking northbound traffic on Delridge at Orchard. Also, as we just wrote in comments, our request to SDOT for the official city statement on the no-salt controversy (and for some more info on the grader that appeared today) has been answered, and we just published it here.
8:59 PM UPDATE: Update from Creighton on the postal truck on Genesee Hill (see above):
Mini saga over just now: The neighbor’s efforts to push such a large truck uphill proved futile. A USPS tow truck was called in and hooked a cable to the front of the stuck postal truck to spin it 180 degrees downhill. Wondering whose packages didn’t get delivered (albeit with valiant effort!) tonight?
And Ingrid in Sunrise Heights tells the tale of the commute from hell, getting home from downtown:
I arrived at a bus stop at 2nd and Columbia at about 6pm tonight, and there was a woman there who¹d been waiting since 3:30! We watched several full buses go by - apparently, Metro wasn¹t running articulated buses tonight. Several of us ended up waiting at the bar, Contour, and rushing out to find each bus full, only to go back inside. I eventually got a ride from my partner. I had no idea it could be so hard to get home!
9:20 PM UPDATE: Sage K has more on the Delridge/Orchard (intersection by Arco/Home Depot/etc.) problem mentioned above:
“Just came home and there is a gas tanker truck stuck in the northbound lane of Delridge at Orchard. It was attempting to turn into the Shell station there. They are attempting to dig it out and have people directing traffic around it. Don’t know how long it will be there.
9:54 PM UPDATE: The county has updated its list of closures. Newspaper columnists are starting to sound the horn for marching on City Hall; there’s one thing we’re reminded of, reading the comments that follow this P-I column — We haven’t seen much of Hizzoner since things got ugly. Back on Saturday, he led a “briefing” at 5 pm, then another one at 7 pm (without saying much, as we noted toward the start of our Saturday night coverage), and since we are on the media-advisory list, we knew about those, but we haven’t seen anything since. Same thing happened during the days of powerlessness after the December 2006 windstorm — not even an “I feel your pain” type tour. If we were him, we’d have a news conference on the steps of the house that, as Gina pointed out in afternoon comments, is on a street as unplowed as many of ours, and just say, hey, we know you’re ticked off, we’re trying to do better day by day and we’ll figure out what to do better next time. Honesty helps too. /soapbox
10:12 PM UPDATE: And here is yet another example of the problem – another video clip from WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli showing the crazy road conditions in The Junction – West Seattle’s “downtown”:
Listening to the scanner for the nth hour, the drinking-game phrase can now switch from “sheet of ice” to “kids throwing snowballs at cars.” Police somewhere out there being dispatched to just such a call, again.
10:24 PM UPDATE: Our friends at Beacon Hill Blog reported, via Twitter, they just got a package delivered by UPS – after 9 pm. So if you’re waiting, there’s still hope.
MIDNIGHT: This thread stays up overnight – like Tuesday, our morning post will open at 4 am, and we’ll be on live-update watch by 5:30-ish. Going to go update the links/open/close post now, since there’s a fair amount of info available about what’s planned Wednesday (as in, today).
12:15 AM UPDATE: The Times has posted the followup to what we’re sure was the smash hit story of their site on Tuesday — the saltlessness shocker — today, why (some) environmentalists say “huh? sand is worse!”
12:33 AM UPDATE: As for Cliff Mass‘s latest post (Tuesday night), he doesn’t seem to know what’s going to happen with the weather today either.
1:10 AM NOTE: Not West Seattle, but — 3 am is when our favorite Christmas website, NORAD Tracks Santa, goes live. If you’re wide awake and looking to get in the holiday mood, you’ll find it here.
The winter storm slammed Seattle right in the middle of what already was a hectic, stressful process: Seattle Public Schools trying to get through a blizzard of hearings related to the plan to close half a dozen or so schools. Some got canceled because of the weather. We checked earlier today with Patti Spencer on the SPS communications team to see if updates were forthcoming – new dates for hearings/meetings, and transcript publication from the Genesee Hill public hearing that DID happen (a week ago tonight) before the storm moved in. She just sent word of:
-The Genesee Hill transcript being added to the district website (read it here)
-The official public hearing for Lowell Elementary (which is of interest to dozens of West Seattle families whose kids go there because it’s the only citywide site for the Accelerated Progress Program), canceled last Thursday, is now set for January 20th.
-Superintendent Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson‘s presentation from last Wednesday’s School Board meeting also is now online
The district says the cancellations and changes will NOT change the timetable for the closure decisionmaking process — the superintendent’s proposed “final recommendations” are still scheduled to be announced Jan. 6th, the second day of district operations post-winter break. All WSB coverage on the current school-closure/change process is archived here, newest to oldest.
(multimedia encaustic by Cyn Moore, stolen from Twilight yesterday)
That’s how Mary at Twilight Artist Collective in The Junction headed what they just sent as a followup to yesterday’s theft (WSB story here), along with the image above. Here’s the “good thing” part:
What type of person STEALS art?
Think your holidays suck? Imagine the poor soul who had to resort to stealing 4 pieces of Art from Twilight…Imagine not being able to buy your loved one a gift. So we’re hosting a gift drop-off for foster kids at Twilight…Don’t have a toy to drop off? We’ll donate 10% of proceeds from sales today and tomorrow to Treehouse for Kids.
ABOUT TREEHOUSE
Since 1988, Treehouse has filled the gaps for kids in foster care, providing services that no other agency addresses: money for extra-curricular activities and summer camp, professional educational support services, resources to fully participate in the everyday activities of growing up, clothing and supplies to help them fit in at school. www.treehouse4kids.orgABOUT TWILIGHT
Twilight Artist Collective is a high energy, creative group of artists focused on providing the venue for other local artists to share inspiration, expose people to original ideas through art, and build a sustainable artist community. We are committed to making art a part of our everyday lives, and strive to be the catalyst for a greater collection, exhibition and appreciation of fine art.In addition to exhibiting throughout the region, the Twilight Artist Collective also operates two stores, one in Pike Place Market and the other in the West Seattle Junction, where they show and sell work from all the artists in the collective. The store offers fine art in a variety of mediums including: paintings, photography, sculpture, jewelry, ceramics, clothing and much more. Please visit www.twilightart.net or our store for more information about the collective and our unique art from local artists.
Just out of the WSB inbox from Pigeon Point resident KK:
I just wanted to let you know two of our windows were smashed under the West Seattle Bridge sometime Sunday evening to Monday morning. They stole our ashtray, our chains, the emergency kit, and a bunch of empty cloth bags all in the trunk.
We had moved our car down to the bottom of the hill because we could not drive up and down Andover to get to our house.
I just want to give a warning to NOT park your car at night under the bridge. It is not safe. We had nothing in the car. The items stolen were about $50 at most. It cost almost $500 to fix the windows (and trying to find a place open yesterday was a challenge.)
It was a fabulous Merry Christmas; thank you, thieves/vandals. I hope no one else has to deal with this.
(THIS POST NOW CLOSED – CLICK HERE TO JOIN EVENING COVERAGE; WSB Traffic cams page HERE; links/open-closed list HERE)
(Monday photo from Alki by David Hutchinson)
Good morning! Thank you again in advance for using the comment section (and/or e-mail, or phone 206-293-6302 when you’re away from computer or handheld) to share road conditions, bus observations, and anything else to help your fellow West Seattleites get around more safely and successfully this morning – regional weather star Cliff Mass warns “(this) morning may be a real problem with perhaps more troublesome conditions than (yesterday) morning in some locations.” As usual, we’ll be sharing info, official advisories, observations, photos, etc. Reminder that our list of infolinks (Metro status list etc.) and open/closed notes can be found here.
5:50 AM UPDATE: From Jim McCabe, at Sea-Tac, in comments: “The airport looks like a gigantic homeless shelter, with people sleeping in every corner.” Metro status list is being updated.
6:05 AM UPDATE: Radio report says there are still some flight cancellations at Sea-Tac; some flights are leaving, but the crowd is still there because there’s not much standby room to get passengers onto flights that have long been fully booked. Meantime, if you missed it at the end of last night’s coverage, here’s the Times story about why the city doesn’t salt roads.
6:36 AM UPDATE: Road report via Facebook from Talani at Stor-More Self-Storage (Avalon/Yancy; WSB sponsor):
Looking Down Avalon…cars are trying it and making it…many going very slow…many still driving with chains…on the bridge in the distance we see both cars and busses going over Avalon
Still awaiting many of the morning’s “official” updates, such as Seattle Public Utilities‘ official call on whether they’re even going to try pickup today (including potentially some of the Monday homes that were missed yesterday for the 2nd straight Monday; see our story from last night).
6:56 AM UPDATE: Summarizing what people are sharing in the comments section so far – sounds like Metro bus service through/from West Seattle is more reliable this morning, in general. The city has recirculated the overview news release we published yesterday afternoon; one highlight worth mentioning again in case it affects you or someone you know, “Seattle City Light has suspended disconnection notices through January 9, 2009. Any customer needing assistance in making payments on their City Light bill should contact the Call Center as soon as possible to make arrangements. Customers can call (206) 684-3000 Monday – Friday to talk with a representative.” Also – We’re monitoring citywide traffic reports via radio, scanner, and Web, no major problems so far.
7:07 AM UPDATE: JayDee just texted from his bus – “56 at seven (am) running, whew.” More evidence the bus service is doing better. The arterials mentioned so far in comments sound better too; the corner nearest us (California/Thistle) also has the sound of faster driving this morning – going out in a bit for a photo.
7:35 AM UPDATE: Another text from JayDee – 56 still going well but “of course (standing room only) since California.” Another public-service reminder: If you haven’t cleared your storm drains and checked your downspouts – more melting is likely today – it’s an important thing to do. Especially given the likelihood of more stormy weather on the way, one way or another – just noticed that Cliff Mass actually filed a significant update fairly late last night, not only with his thoughts about more snow on the way, but also his opinions on the snow-removal issue. He concludes:
I am no economist…but image if the city had 3x more snowplows and could keep the roads in far better shape. What is that worth? Tomorrow the UW is closing for a second day. Image the cost of that in lost productivity…certainly tens or hundreds of thousands of productivity lost. What about the loss of business to retail? Any reasonable analysis should reveal that better snow removal capabilities would be a extraordinary investment.
8:21 AM UPDATE: Seeing some snow-related items popping up in the West Seattle CL items that you can find on our “More” page any time (first half of the page is regional news coverage mentioning West Seattle or The Viaduct; second half is the latest 50 CL posts tagged West Seattle; both are automated feeds so they’re continuously updated (see ’em here). More reading suggestions – we published a few non-snow stories last night and added to the “amazing snow creations” post, so scroll further down the home page if you get bored!
8:50 AM UPDATE: Radio reports about downtown hills say some are still shut down, like Cherry (very steep near City Hall). Otherwise, traffic volumes are down regionally. Photo traffic’s slow this morning so we have a few more to share from Monday – Creighton sent this one:
And Paul sent this one, an example of bright color amid the white snow and gray sky:
9 AM UPDATE: Report from outside – “it’s trying to snow” and “on the sidewalk, where it’s been cleared, it’s icy, where it hasn’t, it’s packed snow.” The snow that’s trying to fall is VERY light, though. The forecast has a “winter storm watch” in effect starting late tonight. Meantime, word via radio, Greyhound has suspended service for the third straight day.
CLICK AHEAD TO SEE THE REST OF OUR ARCHIVED “AS IT HAPPENED” COVERAGE:Read More
Updated 12:46 am Wednesday – retimestamped again to keep it below the main post – (this list was first created Sunday). We will keep updating as info becomes available:
ROADS AND TRANSIT
WSB Traffic page with city, state, county cams specifically from, or relevant to, WS
Metro bus route cancellation/reroute status
Real-time bus updates (not necessarily for all)
King County Road Alerts
WSDOT cameras and traffic alerts
Washington State Ferries service bulletins
Sound Transit service alerts (buses, Sounder)
ESSENTIAL CITY SERVICES/UTILITIES
Seattle Public Utilities couldn’t pick up trash Tuesday, will assess Wednesday feasibility today
Puget Sound Energy service alerts
CITY PARKS, COMMUNITY CENTERS, POOLS
The latest update is on the Parks Department home page with Wednesday plans
LIBRARIES
Seattle Public Library system home page (all branches are CLOSED today and Christmas Day)
SEA-TAC AIRPORT
FAA airport-status page (which will show you what’s up with other airports nationwide)
Sea-Tac real-time flight info
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
King County running list of closures etc.
City of Seattle collection of links and news releases
AMTRAK AND GREYHOUND
Amtrak service alerts and advisories
Greyhound service advisories
WEATHER
National Weather Service – Seattle
Cliff Mass’ Weather Blog
WHAT’S OPEN/CLOSED WEDNESDAY (in categories not mentioned above)
Illusions Hair Design (WSB sponsor) CLOSED till Saturday
From the West Seattle Family YMCA (WSB sponsor):
Wednesday, 12/24
Both YMCA Facilities ClosedThursday, 12/25
Both YMCA Facilities Closed – Merry Christmas!Friday, 12/26
Both YMCA Facilities Open at Normal Times
Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) open till 3 pm
Twilight Art in The Junction open till 3 pm and collecting new unwrapped toys for Treehouse
University of Washington closed
MISCELLANEOUS
Real-time Twitter updates tagged as storm coverage – from all over the Seattle area!
Live 911 dispatch log (Seattle fire/medic only, NOT police, NOT sheriff/county fire units)
Particular links you’d like to see us add? Open/closed status to report (businesses, organizations, events, whatever)? Please leave a comment and/or e-mail us – editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!
Though the recent city budget process ended without money to build the Delridge Skatepark next year – so far – the design process proceeds as promised, and so does the series of public meetings. Last one was in late July (WSB coverage here); the date’s just been set for the next one — January 14, 6 pm, Youngstown Arts Center (across Delridge Way from the future skatepark site). See the official invitation here.
Once again this very-early morning, we’re hearing on the scanner that police are being called out to deal with allegedly rowdy sledders and snowmobilers on Charlestown hill (a few blocks west of California SW). That reminded us that the above photos had come in on Monday with the following beef:
OK, so maybe I am getting a bit older these days but having six 4-wheel ATV’s and a snowmobile tearing up Alki at 11:45 pm is a bit much… Loud and obnoxious, will we have to wait until one of them hits a pole or worse yet a person out enjoying the snow for a walk? I get using one to run up to Safeway or the Met, but does Alki Beach have to turn into an obstacle race course if it snows?
Included are pictures of the result of these folks. Unfortunate result of what should have been another beautiful scene from that master artist in the sky… Instead we have dirt kicked up from the doughnuts and loud racing last and previous nights. I doubt this activity is legal, these folks are going way too fast for my comfort level having my car parked on Alki Ave and friends/neighbors out and about.
Sincerely, Concerned at Alki
Till the snow rolled in last week, last Thursday was supposed to include the next Southwest Design Review Board meeting – with 4502 42nd SW in The Junction and The Kenney‘s $150 million redevelopment both on the agenda. The meeting was canceled, but now it’s rescheduled for January 8th, per the “Upcoming Design Review” section of the city’s website. Though the links haven’t been carried over, the presentations that were to be made at the meeting are still online — here’s the one for The Kenney, including this “preferred option”:
Here’s the presentation for 4502 42nd, with this proposed design for the residential/commercial/office building:
If you’re new to WSB and haven’t followed Design Review proceedings before – certain types/sizes of developments get these public reviews, with your attendance and comments encouraged, specifically regarding aspects of the projects’ design. This city publication explains the DR process. The Kenney’s project is one we have been covering closely for four months now; that coverage is archived here (newest to oldest, since we publish in “blog format”); all WSB coverage of West Seattle development is archived here.
MargL in Arbor Heights got that photo of crows doing what city-contracted crews haven’t been able to do for the past two Mondays — pick up the trash. Last Monday, you may recall, it was just a West Seattle situation, as our roads were still iced over from the preceding weekend’s snow; they vowed to try again the next day – that didn’t work – so the message was, set out double the amount the following Monday. That was today, and even last night, as we reported in our ongoing coverage, the city said pickup was unlikely. So now what? And why can’t those trash trucks make it around, some asked? Brett Stav and Andy Ryan of Seattle Public Utilities did a media tour late today – and offered to come out to WSB HQ too for a video interview – we’d usually go downtown for a briefing on some big issue like this, but we’ve been a little tied to headquarters by the continuous coverage. Re: why not try pickup, here’s how Stav answered:
(We chose a neighbor’s trash can and holiday lights as a scenic backdrop, in case you were wondering, there at screen right.) We also asked how they make the decision of whether they can make the rounds on a given day or not – wondering if it’s the same way Seattle Public Schools bus drivers make the call, doing an early-morning test run:
Now, the practical stuff. They’re going to try again tomorrow. So you can have double your trash AND recycling AND yard waste out, if you were supposed to get pickup today. If they don’t make it – or if we get word in the early am that they aren’t even going to try (and as he said, you’ll hear it here) – then the following Monday, it’s TRIPLE the amount. We asked whether they would be stingy or liberal with what constitutes “triple the amount.” He said, “Liberal.” (Too short to bother with uploading but we DO have it on video!) But don’t go rogue and try sneaking it into somebody else’s dumpster. If you have any way of getting to the transfer station in South Park, that offer for free disposal there still stands. Read more in SPU’s latest news release (same one we published here earlier today). And let us know if you still have questions – because we can seek answers tomorrow by e-mail or phone.
Just out of the WSB inbox from Erin at Twilight in The Junction (immediately west of Easy Street):
At some point between noon and now, someone managed to steal 3 pieces of art RIGHT OFF THE WALL at Twilight Artist Collective. 2 5×7 encaustic collage paintings (with Lemurs or a Monkey in the image) with black frames ~ $200 each, and a 5×7-ish painting of a crane on canvas ~ $100. This must have been a quick and nasty grab, probably while I was busy wrapping a purchase at the counter.
This is SO LAME, especially in these already hard economic times. Not only is this a blow to our business, but also to the local artists they stole from.
If ANYONE has information, or sees these art pieces out there, please contact Twilight immediately. We’ll gladly take them back, and in return we won’t have the thief arrested.
ART THEFT IN THE JUNCTION ~ please spread the word so other local businesses know to tighten up a bit, even during the holiday merriment.
Erin is looking to see if they have any images of the stolen items, but wanted to get the word out fast without waiting for that.
(we’ve added a few more! scroll down)
We’ve been spotlighting some of the most amazing creations we’ve received photos of – the ice sculpture with the fish and the Alki “waterfront condo” – and now, thanks to Stephen Hughes-Jelen in High Point, the snow fort. He says it’s at the “current dead end of High Point Drive.” Also, SR sent us a neighbor’s “Snow Jesus,” photographed on 34th between Barton and Roxbury:
ADDED LATER MONDAY NIGHT: A 12-foot-tall “snow angel,” by Brian, 20th between Thistle and Cloverdale (map):
ADDED VERY EARLY TUESDAY: Gavin Ho with his rendition of R2D2:
Another Alki igloo shot (forgive us for losing the photographer’s name) – not sure if this is the same one we showed on Monday, but it has the perfect decor:
ADDED TUESDAY AFTERNOON: Patty sent this and says James from West Seattle Fence “can’t build fences (right now) but can build a snowman” … 52nd/Genesee.
(scroll/refresh for ongoing updates; see today’s earlier coverage here; for a list of handy links and closed/open reports, CLICK HERE)
There is no cheerier sighting on a day like today than The Snowplow (this one headed south on California to eastbound Thistle a short time ago). Digging, plowing, and some melting seem to be the theme of the afternoon; morning coverage is here – let the afternoon/evening coverage begin.
2:11 PM UPDATE: Some reminders: Links to the latest transit info etc. are in the open/closed/links post that we’re continuing to update elsewhere on the page. Meantime, some afternoon photos – 2 pm on Yancy east of Avalon, via Facebook (where we’re WS Blog) from Talani at Stor-More Self-Storage (WSB sponsor):
2:21 PM UPDATE: This just in: “Trenton was just plowed from Delridge eastbound.”
3:10 PM UPDATE: The latest news release from the city includes this (plus some other info about shelters and fire safety; read the entire release here) info:
City of Seattle departments entered another day of snow response by continuing to plow roads, shelter the vulnerable and ensuring homes and businesses have power. …
The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) continues 24-hour operations to plow, de-ice and sand across the city. The department’s focus remains main arterials, bridges and other elevated road structures, streets near hospitals, and bus routes.
SDOT continues to deploy its entire winter response fleet of 27 trucks on the streets. Two of those trucks have been assigned to the downtown core. Crews will move to secondary arterials as soon as conditions allow. Due to an ice-related problem with a track switch, the South Lake Union Seattle Streetcar will remain out of service until further notice.
To date, SDOT crews have used more than 6,000 tons of sand and dispersed more than 12,000 gallons of liquid de-icer. SDOT continues to advise that motorists use caution and avoid driving if possible. 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.
City Light: No major outages, disconnects suspended
Seattle City Light currently has no major outages. Over the weekend, the utility responded to a number of small outages. No more than 150 customers were without power at any one time and crews quickly restored power. Most power loss was caused by either cars hitting poles or trees falling into lines as a result of heavy snow on the branches.
The utility has sufficient crews available for any potential outages. The wind is not expected to be an issue, helping to reduce the likelihood of service interruption.
Nickels announced today that Seattle City Light has suspended disconnection notices through January 9, 2009. Any customer needing assistance in making payments on their City Light bill should contact the Call Center as soon as possible to make arrangements. Customers can call (206) 684-3000 Monday – Friday to talk with a representative.
Garbage collection
Seattle Public Utilities will collect additional garbage at no charge when weather permits the movement of heavy trucks in residential neighborhoods. When setting out extra waste, customers are encouraged to place perishable food items in their collection containers and set bagged non-perishable items next to the containers. Customers can dispose of their garbage for free at Seattle’s Recycling and Disposal Stations in South Park and Fremont. Seattle’s recycling and disposal stations are open today.
Single-family residential garbage, recycling, food and yard waste collection has been delayed Monday, Dec. 22, due to dangerous road conditions. City collection contractors will attempt to service today’s missed customers Tuesday or Wednesday, if road conditions improve. Customers missed today should leave their containers out tomorrow. If materials are not collected tomorrow, then customers should bring in their containers until next week.
Due to the Christmas holiday, Thursday and Friday customers will be delayed one day. Thursday customers will be collected Friday, Dec. 26, and Friday customers will be collected Saturday, Dec. 27. …
Keep storm drains clear
People are advised to avoid piling snow on top of storm drains when shoveling sidewalks and driveways. These drains need to be kept clear, so that when the snow melts the runoff has some place to go. As the snow starts to thaw, you can attempt to clear snow from drains when streets are clear of cars.
Protect your pipes
Seattle Public Utilities reminds residents to prepare water pipes for cold weather. Shut off outside faucets, drain the water and protect them by insulating them with rags or foam covers. Pipes in exposed or unheated areas (attics, basements and garages) should be wrapped with tape and insulating materials, available at local hardware stores. Drain and remove all outdoor hoses, and shut off and drain in-ground sprinkler systems.
Residents are also urged to protect indoor sink pipes that are against exterior walls, by opening under-sink cabinet doors, allowing heat to circulate. During severe cold, allow the faucet farthest from your front door to slowly drip cold water. Set your thermostat no lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit, day or night (even if you are away).
If a water pipe breaks, immediately close the main shut-off valve to stop excessive flooding. If you cannot turn off the main shut-off valve, SPU customers can call (206) 386-1800 and a crew will turn off the water at the meter for a standard service charge.
Scott C adds – tending to your downspouts is vital too:
remind folks to make sure that the exits to their downspouts are clear so that they can drain. I just pushed snow off the roof over our garage and found the downspout was plugged from snow gathering in front of it, and the water melting off the roof was frozen at the end of it. This can end up with the water either breaking the downspout and or the water backing up and going under the roofing into the house. A few minutes can save lots of bucks.
Scott also sent this photo of a lethal-looking icicle coming off his roof:
Also, this just came in from Metro – the morning outlook – mostly boilerplate you’ve read before, but nonetheless, of great interest:
With travel conditions still not stabilized, King County Metro Transit will be offering approximately half of its regular weekday service on Tuesday morning, Dec. 23.
Please check the Metro Online website and click on the “adverse weather” link before you leave home to see if your bus route is operating and if it is on snow routing. Weather forecasts indicate freezing temperatures overnight could result in icy roads for the Tuesday morning commute.
Difficult driving conditions and ten straight days of snow operations are beginning to take their toll on Metro’s bus fleet. The number of buses available for peak service has decreased each day over the past week due to difficulties some coach models experience in the deeper snow or in prolonged icy conditions. There are still many roadways in Metro’s service area that are snow-packed, icy, or closed to travel.
Metro continues to take a cautious approach to providing the safest bus service possible. It is focusing on providing service on cleared highways and arterial roads, and to major transit centers and park-and-ride lots.
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.
Passengers should be prepared to board buses at major transit centers, cleared 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.
Worried about your roof as the snow becomes heavy and wet? Here’s some helpful info from the P-I.
3:31 PM UPDATE: Road report from co-publisher Patrick – SW Thistle between Denny Middle School and Delridge is UNPLOWED and NASTY. Delridge – which he traveled from Thistle to Andover – is OK. And if you’re heading south on Delridge toward/through White Center – Full Tilt Ice Cream is open (they’re usually closed Mondays; Justin explains on White Center Now why they’re open today)!
3:55 PM UPDATE: Before the daylight goes away – more photos from Scott C – first, the future park (part of it, anyway) at Myrtle Reservoir:
From there, 35th looking North:
And looking south:
If you can’t quite place Myrtle Reservoir – it’s next to the water towers, close to the highest spot in the city – here’s a map. Another shot – 35th at Webster, looking south (the northbound lanes look great):
4:01 PM UPDATE: This report just in from Tom:
Just took a walk from our house in Arbor Heights to the Roxbury Safeway. The side streets are terrible – close to a foot of snow on the road. Most of the tracks in the street are being made by the ATVs driving around our neighborhood. And the sidewalks are terrible – I walked in the street most of the way. However, Roxbury itself is fine. The snow’s melting, so the roads are bare with lots of slush on them. Sadly, we’ve got too much snow on our street for any serious melting to happen. Maybe tomorrow.
Here are some of his photos – first, Roxbury looking west (toward 35th a few blocks away):
Closer look at Roxbury and 30th:
And a snowman guarding Roxhill Park:
Reminder that traffic cams of West Seattle relevance — including the bridge, the ramp to I-5, and the ferry dock – can be found on the WSB Traffic page. Meantime, the libraries have just announced their plans for tomorrow:
The Seattle Public Library plans to open the Central Library downtown from noon to 5 p.m. and all 26 branches from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 23.
5:16 PM UPDATE: Mentioned this in comments and also published it in the Twitter box in the right sidebar (the light blue box) but for anyone who missed it there (that’s usually where we put instant word of possible breaking news, among other things) – the fire call was something small inside a house in the 6300 block of 46th SW and the resident reported it out even before the crews arrived.
5:33 PM UPDATE: No proof that it’s weather-related but no proof it’s not – Ballard had a somewhat sizable power outage for a while late today; here’s an update from our friends at MyBallard.com. With ice, snow, heavily laden tree branches still out there, keep those flashlights handy once again, just in case.
6:17 PM UPDATE: By all accounts (particularly in comments), the roads that started to get slushy today are freezing over again – so it may be even more dangerous out there than it was last night/this morning. Meantime, we just posted a separate Crime Watch story that’s going to stay atop the page for a while – the trash update is still in the works. (Bottom line though, if you have Monday delivery, don’t bring it in, they’re going to decide tomorrow morning whether they can make the missed Monday rounds on Tuesday.) We’ll also be updating the open/closed/links post by 8:30 with everything we’ve learned about tomorrow (although everything we know so far already has been posted here in the afternoon updates, or earlier). (Some of that information is already there now.)
9:06 PM UPDATE: The University of Washington has suspended operations again for tomorrow. We’re catching up with some of the West Seattle pix that have come in recently; for starters, via Twitter, RealLowVibe noted the posting of these pix from Alki Ave tonight, captioned “So much for effective plowing and sanding.” There are other nighttime road reports in comments — few of them good. Meantime – if things were normal, we would have been bringing you Christmas lights photos every night from around West Seattle. We got some of them in before Snowpocalypse ’08 (as many have dubbed it). In comments, it’s been suggested that we all plan on lights tours AFTER Christmas, once things are truly drivable again, and we can go for that. In the short run – any photos welcome if you can photograph your own lights or your neighbor’s lights – Johnston sent this closeup of his nicely iced lights:
Ours, on the shrubbery out front, are now sadly buried beneath the snow co-publisher Patrick valiantly cleared from the sidewalk. Also some nice sunset scenes tonight – Jana posted this one on Facebook after a trip to Alki:
9:38 PM UPDATE: The National Weather Service posted its latest “forecast discussion” at midevening. Excerpt:
TONIGHT AND TUESDAY WILL BRING A SHORT BREAK IN THE WEATHER. A WEAK SYSTEM WILL BRING A LITTLE MORE SNOW TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING. THE SNOW WILL CHANGE TO RAIN WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON OVER AT LEAST SOME AREAS. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING SOUTH ALONG THE COAST ON CHRISTMAS MORNING WILL BRING ANOTHER CHANCE FOR RAIN AND SNOW. A WARM FRONT FOLLOWS ON FRIDAY.
.SHORT TERM…TONIGHT IS A BLESSEDLY QUIET NIGHT. SKIES ARE PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY. TEMPERATURES WILL FALL INTO THE UPPER TEENS AND 20S. MELTED SNOW WILL LIKELY FREEZE AGAIN ON ROADWAYS…MAKING FOR A DIFFICULT COMMUTE TUESDAY MORNING.
THOUGH TEMPERATURES WILL ONCE AGAIN RISE INTO THE MID 30S ON TUESDAY…A WEAK IMPULSE MOVING ASHORE TUESDAY NIGHT WILL BRING SOME MORE SNOW. SNOW BEGINS LATE AND IS LIGHT AT FIRST…MAYBE AN INCH TUESDAY NIGHT.
10:08 PM UPDATE: We’ve published the trash-pickup story atop the home page; no startling revelations except perhaps that they don’t plan to be stingy about what “double” or “triple” pickup means when your trash DOES get picked up. Meanwhile, another closure note for tomorrow – in addition to the UW, which we mentioned last hour, South Seattle Community College (on Puget Ridge in West Seattle, for anybody who didn’t already know that) is closed again tomorrow too.
10:28 PM: Added another “amazing creation” to this post from earlier – a 12-foot snow angel. The flip side of all the snow – how easy it is to get stuck. If you are trying to get out tomorrow after staying home today, heed the advice of Kevin in Arbor Heights, who tells the tale of getting his “car STUCK in my own driveway, on relatively flat ground. I had it free after 5 minutes with a snow shovel. Just shows how little it takes to get stuck. Lots of ice lurking under what looks like fresh snow. I would advise folks to carry a snow shovel in the car if they have one.” Pic:
In case you’re wondering what else is going on out there – we’re taking some time tonight, besides sifting through the photos from today (thank you SO much to everyone who has taken the time to send them and please forgive us if we didn’t post yours), to check some of the usual sources we comb for West Seattle news in non-snowy times, plus working to update the events/holidays calendars (see the top “tab” bar under the sunset header – that’s how you get to other WSB pages) to catch up on more Christmas info. Will add updates here as we get them, of course, and watch the top of the home page for additional non-snow stories we’ll be adding in the next few hours.
11:26 PM UPDATE: Some more loose ends and interesting things to share. Remember the fire call earlier tonight, 6300 block of 46th SW (big dispatch as is SOP for a residential fire call, but it was out before crews arrived)? Kirk and friends happened to be out on a grocery run when several of the emergency vehicles went rushing by, and they uploaded it to YouTube:
11:52 PM UPDATE: Another interesting sight from the inbox – Heidi in Sunrise Heights reports they had to improvise when time came to come up with a sled for their “Little Man”:
Bonnie sent a beautiful photo earlier from Fauntlee Hills:
12:45 AM: Fascinating Times article about why the city doesn’t use salt on the roads.
1:06 AM: Seattle Police are getting called out again to Charlestown hill — “chronic location” as the dispatcher called it, “people drinking, snowmobiling, sledding.”
2:34 AM: Last item before we close this one out, with the morning post opening at 4 (and live updates resuming at 5:30) – from Hutch and company, the tuckered-out snowman:
This is the kind of event we would have covered in person if we hadn’t been Snowbound Atop Our Hill — we but thank heavens, Mike Dady of the North Delridge Neighborhood Council sent photos of the Labyrinth Walk at Cottage Grove Park last night (we originally told you about it here) — along with some notes on how it went:
All things considered, a good number of folks turned out for last evening’s North Delridge/Cottage Grove Park Labyrinth Winter Solstice Event. Michal-Ann McElhany was the person who made the event happen:-) She cleared the labyrinth of snow, spread some rock salt and provided candles and hot cider prepped on a campstove. Three young children arrived with a tin full of homemade cookies. Very thoughtful and sweet.
Michal-Ann herself (she’s also with NDNC – one of the many great West Seattle neighborhood groups we regularly report on for ongoing WSB news coverage) added:
Considering nearly every other activity in the city was canceled due to weather conditions, I am very pleased with the success of last night’s Solstice event at Cottage Grove Park. I was expecting literally a few North Delridge-ites to show up as a result of cabin fever. So, needless to say the event was scaled way back to simply a candlelit labyrinth walk with hot cider and no music. The snow extinguished the candle flames, but was so reflective it alone illuminated the event! Surprisingly, thirty people showed up, coming from as far as Bothell, and other areas of West Seattle such as Fauntleroy and Westwood Village. As it turns out, people participated for many different reasons– from romantic dates to having just moved into the neighborhood and wanting to meet some neighbors …
Michal-Ann’s looking forward to an even bigger one next year. One more photo from Mike:
Putting up a few separate items before we top the home page with the “afternoon updates” post – this deserved a post of its own. “Admiral Skier,” who clearly is familiar with our intensive coverage of West Seattle development issues and projects in less-snowy times (all archived here, newest to oldest), e-mailed:
I was out on a ski around Alki today and came across a new waterfront condo. I don’t think this one went through the design review process, but maybe you saw the permit come up?
| 46 COMMENTS