(AM coverage is now closed; PM COVERAGE IS HERE; for a list of handy links and closed/open reports, CLICK HERE)

Live updates resuming. Please share road/bus stories for those who can’t stay home.

5:14 AM UPDATE: For bus riders – As of 4 am, as promised, Metro resumed updating its list of which bus routes are and aren’t running. See it here. A new forecast is out as of last hour; the accompanying “discussion” says some snow shower chances continue this morning but promises “DRIER NORTHERLY FLOW SETTING UP OVER WESTERN WASHINGTON TONIGHT.”

5:24 AM UPDATE: Words of warning from Linda Thielke, who should know because she’s coordinating media/public info for Metro and hearing from bus drivers all over: “Please warn everyone that road conditions are bad out there this morning. Even in the Seattle CBD (central business district), there are still snow-covered streets.”

5:36 AM UPDATE: Washington State Ferries says: “Normal service on all routes.” WSF’s service-bulletins list is on our list of links/what’s open/what’s closed (which we are updating for your reference IN ADDITION to including new info in this post as we get it).

5:52 AM UPDATE: Got word that the White Center Food Bank – which serves part of West Seattle too – REALLY needs help. From executive director Rick Jump:

The White Center Food Bank has 300 families scheduled to pick up their holiday baskets on Monday and another 300 scheduled for Tuesday. Our plan is to be open for those with appointments but I will probably need some additional volunteers to make this happen. A few of our loyal volunteers showed up last Friday and we served 144 families (out of the 300 scheduled that day). We will be open from 10am to 6pm. If there is anybody who lives within walking distance of the food bank OR has a 4 wheel drive vehicle and can safely get there we would greatly appreciate the extra help. I will also need help shoveling the sidewalks and part of the parking lot to make it safe for those who show up. Please help spread the word.

The food bank is at 10829 8th SW; here’s a map.

6:17 AM UPDATE: Via Twitter, WSDOT reports, “Road conditions in most areas of the state are compact snow, with ramps and overpasses still trouble spots.” We’re monitoring the scanner as well as TV, online, etc. And we’re watching airport-related news; a Twitter friend who’s at Sea-Tac says, “Departure lanes at Sea-Tac not moving – people getting out and walking to terminal.” Co-publisher Patrick reminds us we should mention this — the city DID NOT EXPECT to be able to pick up trash today (2nd Monday in a row for some of us) — we are checking with SPU to verify, but as of now, not that you can get it out anyway, likely not worth trying.

6:50 AM UPDATE: Our road report – looks like some clearing/compacting at California/Thistle (both arterials) but still very slow going. Thistle coming down the hill toward Cali:

And around the bend, heading north on Cali:

If you’re on an arterial (or other busy road), please send a pic if/when you can, particularly after sunrise – really helps in addition to the anecdotal reports in comments – editor@westseattleblog.com

CLICK AHEAD TO READ MORE OF TODAY’S AS-IT-HAPPENED COVERAGE:Read More

(scroll/refresh for the latest updates; AND for a list of handy links and closed/open reports, CLICK HERE)

(photo courtesy Amy, looking east/uphill on Thistle from Delridge)
It’s time to kick off the evening coverage, with a special focus on what we learn about planning for tomorrow – it may be school break, but a lot of folks are going to have to try to get to work tomorrow, so we’ll do what we can to help, with the latest news — including info from YOU, in the comments or via e-mail (editor@westseattleblog.com) – if you’re away from a computer and have something to share, call us 24/7 at 206-293-6302. First update: Some have asked when Metro will put up its information for tomorrow here. Metro’s very helpful and proactive Linda Thielke e-mailed WSB to explain:

We don’t want to update the snow & ice page until about 4 am Monday, because we still have Sunday service out on the road. If we were to put Monday’s service info online tonight, it would really confuse people. Anyone planning to ride Metro on Monday morning should check the site and then check again just before they need to leave home, because road conditions are changing rapidly.

Our Monday live updates will start by 5 am, by the way, to help with the morning commute. But in the meantime, we’re here for many more hours. Also note our new post with quick info-links and also known closures/who’s-open (like who’s delivering pizza tonight); that’s not meant to REPLACE discussion here, but a place to record what comes up here for your quick reference.

7:24 PM UPDATE: Just in from Josh Sutton of the West Seattle Family YMCA (WSB sponsor):

MONDAY: West Seattle Y Facility open at normal time

Fauntleroy Y Facility open at normal time

YMCA Licensed Child Care
Programs at Cooper, Concord & Arbor Heights Elementary are closed.
School Age Kids from all licensed Y programs can go to WS Elementary (High Point), open at 9am.
Preschool Kids from all licensed Y programs can go to WS YMCA PSCC, open at 8:30am.

Check website at westseattleymca.org anytime for more updates.

King County has just posted a running list of its open/closed info – here it is; also adding to the aforementioned links page.

7:36 PM UPDATE: More on the power-outage warning we posted at the end of the afternoon coverage – Now WSDOT has noted via Twitter that there’s word of some outages in Kitsap. No Seattle outages noted yet, but again, have your flashlight/etc. ready. This time, it’s not wind, but heavy snow taking out branches/lines, etc.

From Ingrid: “Happy first night of Hanukkah to the West Seattle Jews!” Indeed.

8 PM UPDATE: From Big Red at 29th/Thistle, side by side comparisons of how much snow has fallen in the past several hours – 3:30 pm at left, 7:30 pm at right:

Thinking about escaping to California? L.A.’s expecting a storm too. Tame compared to ours.

SEE THE REST OF OUR AS-IT-HAPPENED COVERAGE FROM THIS NIGHT BY CLICKING AHEAD:Read More

(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!

(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)

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.

(This post covered morning/afternoon/early evening; go here for the rest of the night – SATURDAY CLOSURES/CHANGES: Libraries closed at 4, Community centers/pools closed at 4 – Both YMCAs closing at 5 – Kenyon Hall show postponed to 1/3 – SUNDAY CLOSURES/CHANGES: Farmers’ Market canceled – No church at Westside Unitarian – Admiral Sings Christmas postponed to 12/28 – No mule rides in The Junction BUT as of right now Santa pix ARE still on – POWER OUTAGE SAFETY INFO AND READER TIPS HERE)

(latest image from West Seattle Bridge – refresh to update it)
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT 10:31 AM (post itself is retimestamped so it’s at the top of the home page): Had a request to start another post with road info etc. — so here we go. More to come; we’re back on live-update watch. Here’s some info from Seattle Parks:

Seattle Parks and Recreation’s facilities, including community centers, pools, environmental learning centers, Amy Yee Tennis Center and Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center are open until 4 p.m. today, but all regular programming has been canceled.

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

Parks cautions visitors to Green Lake Park that while there is ice on the lake, it will not bear weight, and is not safe to walk on.

For more information about the center near you, please call that facility directly.

From Josh at the West Seattle Family YMCA (Triangle and Fauntleroy branches; WSB sponsor): “Both facilites are open, but Youth Basketball games are cancelled this weekend.”

11:11 AM UPDATE: The National Weather Service updated the forecast last hour. Mostly the same – snow not expected before sunset, so far, so you should have the whole day to get shopping and preparations (our “power outage advice/precautions” thread continues here) done. Here’s the NWS forecast discussion (note it pegs Sea-Tac as the northernmost point for the “heaviest snow” – since we’re not too far north of there, brace yourself).

(latest image from Fauntleroy/Alaska looking NE – refresh to update)

11:37 AM UPDATE: Minoru posts a comment from “a looooooong line” at the grocery store, and notes some items are out. If you see a delivery truck at any local supermarket, please advise!

12:53 PM UPDATE: Speaking of long lines – Arlene Carter from The Mount just called (206-293-6302, if you can’t get to e-mail, call us with tips or questions any time, it’s a mobile so we answer 24/7) — she says the line TO GET TO A CASHIER in Westwood Village Target STRETCHES ALL THE WAY DOWN THE STORE TO ELECTRONICS — Arlene says, “I have never seen anything like it in my life.” Via Twitter, Rhonda Porter (WSB sponsor) reports “QFC is a zoo.”

1 PM UPDATE: City of Seattle has posted a new news release (dated 4 pm today! may be why we haven’t received word of it by e-mail yet). Mostly recaps pre-possible-outage reminders and says in part:

“We are concerned about the possibility of some high winds hitting our service area late this afternoon,” (City Light) Superintendent Jorge Carrasco said. “We are holding some crews to be ready for what may hit us later today. Our fleet is chained up and fully equipped in order to respond to possible outages. We are prepared for the storm that will pass through the area later today. Snow is generally not a problem for power delivery, however, severe cold, ice and wind can become a problem for us.”

1:12 PM UPDATE: Hometown Holidays status for SUNDAY AFTERNOON from Susan Melrose at the West Seattle Junction Association:

For starters, the mule trolley rides are off! The commute from Port Angeles and they’re expecting a blizzard. However, the Pathfinder volunteers (wreath selling by KeyBank) couldn’t be more enthusiastic! And (musician) Patrick is eager to spin disks as long as his equipment doesn’t get damaged. We’re considering creating more of a shelter/den where people can come in from the cold and wind for coffee and a quick snuggle with the electric blanket or warm their feet by the heater.

And I just spoke with Mrs. Claus. Santa can’t wait to meet all the children who might walk, sled or ski to the Junction for a last minute visit.

As of now, our plans are to continue to host a cheery Holiday Headquarters in the midst of a snow storm, but if conditions turn to severe, we might back out early or altogether.

That’s tomorrow, noon-4 pm in The Junction (WSB sponsor). Updates as we get them (and thanks for sharing updates on other events – including church services for tomorrow – if any are canceled, let us know – editor@westseattleblog.com).

1:41 PM UPDATE: In comments, it’s pointed out that the snow has started in the South Sound. Sure LOOKS impending-snow-like out the window. Even more ominously, Scott C sent this link to KOMO radar animation (wow!) with the subject line “It’s coming.” Also, a tip from Meredith via Facebook: “If you are planning on stocking up lines at Admiral Safeway are crazy… hint, if you only have a few items, enjoy a latte and buy your few items at the Starbucks register.”

1:54 PM UPDATE: Speaking of Admiral, thanks to Cathy M. Woo for this road report:

From Admiral, up 59th to Genesee Hill is still a sheet of ice. Drivers are coming down 59th SW waaaayyy too fast and sliding into the Admiral Way intersection. Some doing 360’s at the bottom. See attached photo. Closest car has crashed into a fence. Fortunately that’s all it was. And you can see across Admiral where someone missed the right hand turn onto 59th and hit the car parked there.

Also – via Twitter, mcneight reports Les Schwab on 4th (South Seattle) “just got a load of tire chains in from Portland.”

2:26 PM UPDATE: SNOW HAS STARTED TO FALL AT WSB HQ IN UPPER FAUNTLEROY …

2:37 PM UPDATE: Latest from Skylark Club and Cafe (WSB sponsor):

“Skylark is open until 7 pm tonight. Bands will be rescheduled. We have a few plans in place for Brunch tomorrow, I’ll update our myspace.com/skylarkcafe status with the latest news. Thanks to everyone who has been valiantly braving the threat of icy roads to get here for the last two days…our wonderful and attractive staff and our fabulous and discerning customers. You rock West Seattle.”

Getting more reports from all over West Seattle (and beyond) of Return of the Flakes ’08. Hope it stays light so folks can finish shopping etc. before nightfall. Should have a new forecast in an hour or so to give us some idea of when wind will be added to this – although it’s still expected to be worse in Cascades foothills, Eastside, wind-wise, than here in the central metro area, though 30 mph would be bad enough.

3:16 PM UPDATE: Field report from walk around the block. Snowing harder now. Breezy. Every single little grain is sticking, since it’s so cold. Junction TrueValue out of Ice Melt, says Alice in comments. Hope you don’t have to drive, but if you do, WSDOT tweets this advice: “If stranded tonight, move vehicle out of travel lane and use emergency flashers. Stay in car and if running, keep the tailpipe area clear.” California north from Thistle looked like this a few minutes ago, but there’s no doubt the road surface won’t be visible for long, now that it’s really coming down:

Scott C sends the crowd shot from inside Thriftway at Morgan Junction:

And he notes the slippery dangers of snow getting tracked into Rite-Aid (the one on California):

And just north of Thriftway, looking east to Fauntleroy/Morgan:

Cliff Mass notes on his site that the wind’s not here yet because this hasn’t switched over to easterly yet – that’s running later than expected, though the snow ran a bit early.

Site note: We are now re-timestamping this entry to 11:22 am so that it appears at the top of the home page. The original time, 10:31 am, is now noted at the start of this post’s text.

3:40 PM UPDATE: RealLowVibe tweeted moments ago: “plenty of candles, batteries remain at Admiral Junction Bartell’s, and a delivery guy was bringing in milk and eggs at Met Market.” You can watch citywide reports of the snow via Twitter on the Web here (if you use Twitter, send a storm-related note with the “hashtag” #seatst – for Seattle TwitterStormTeam – and the search will pick it up). Also, a road report from Scott C (who sent various photos above): “Morgan Street going east is open, had NO problems getting up the hill. Morgan Street going west has a road closed sign at 35th in front of U-Haul.”

3:57 PM UPDATE: National Weather Service midafternoon briefing called this storm “life-threatening” in some regions of Western Washington — briefing slides are posted here (highlights – temps warming tomorrow, maybe even into low 40s, but new lowland snow threat tomorrow night!).

4:06 PM UPDATE: Just got a call from Alice – library branches all closed at 4. Community centers, as we reported earlier, all closed early too. Any other reports of closures and changes welcome – editor@westseattleblog.com or 206-293-6302. ALSO – Both YMCA’s closing at 5 tonight – AND CLOSED TOMORROW. Says Josh from the Y, “Stay home and stay warm.” On the STILL HAPPENING side, we have a note that the West Seattle High School girls’ basketball game vs. Vashon at 5 pm IS STILL HAPPENING – Kim suggests “it would be a nice late-afternoon activity for those within walking distance.”

4:23 PM UPDATE: Kari at Westside Unitarian says church is canceled for tomorrow (including the solstice play) but “folks who live close by will be there with hot coffee and good conversation for anyone who wants to show up.” Website’s at www.wsuu.org. Also, from comments: Thriftway closing early, at 7 pm. We will start a list of closures/changes at the very TOP of this post so you can access them any time. No wind trouble yet BUT a reminder that King County Public Health has sent out an important info list, including how to avoid carbon-monoxide poisoning (which killed people in the 2006 power outage), with infosheets in multiple languages – here’s the link again — adding to top of post too.

4:41 PM UPDATE: Snow VERY light right now – just stepped outside for a photo of the road before it’s completely dark – this is Thistle looking east from California, you can assume any previously cleared road is now frosted from the snow that started 2 hours ago:

4:53 PM UPDATE: Just in from the city, which says this briefing will be shown live on Cable Channel 21 (we’ll watch to take notes):

As a winter storm moves in, the City of Seattle has activated its Emergency Operations Center and will provide regular updates on its storm response beginning at 5:00 p.m. today.

At 5:00, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels will be joined by representatives from the Seattle Department of Transportation and Seattle City Light with the latest information on road conditions and power systems.

A report from WSB’er Olivia downtown: “Snow falling fast downtown. The Seattle symphony 8pm performance of The Messiah still is on, but they will let you exchange tickets for other performances – very nice and understanding. Photo from 3rd and spring.”

TO SEE THE REST OF THIS AS-IT-HAPPENED COVERAGE, WITH PHOTOS ETC., CLICK AHEAD:Read More

(***scroll down/refresh for frequent updates, in the main text below and in “comments”*** – INFO LINKS: WSB TRAFFIC PAGE WITH CAMERAS – METRO ROUTE STATUS LIST – SEA-TAC FLIGHT STATUS – COUNTY CLOSURES INCLUDING COURTS – OTHER NOTES: “PLAID TIDINGS” STILL ON – SATURDAY MAGIC SHOW AT ADMIRAL STILL ON – “ADMIRAL SINGS CHRISTMAS” FOR SUNDAY, POSTPONED TO 12/28 – WEST SEATTLE FARMERS MARKET FOR THIS SUNDAY HAS BEEN CANCELED – TODAY’S TRASH SERVICE CANCELED (DETAILS HERE ON WHAT’S NEXT – TOM RASMUSSEN’S VIADUCT CHAT STILL ON FOR 8:30-10:30 SAT MORNING AT JUNCTION UPTOWN – SAT. CHRISTMAS KEYBOARDS AT KENYON HALL POSTPONED TO 1/3/09 — please e-mail updates to editor@westseattleblog.com)

(Carryover photo from the morning – courtesy Dan – 18th/Brandon/Dawson 8″ water-main break, 50 homes without service; late-afternoon update from Dan, OPEN AGAIN)
Launching the afternoon update now. ALL MORNING INFO, INCLUDING EXCELLENT FIRSTHAND REPORTS IN THE COMMENTS SECTION, IS HERE.

1:26 PM UPDATE: From Illusions Hair Design (WSB sponsor), word that they’re in till about 3:30 pm today – had hoped to be open Sunday but with the next storm, they have revised plans and will be open TOMORROW (Saturday 12/20), 11 am-5 pm. If you have appointments in the days ahead, call 24-our line 938-3675 “to let us know if they are able to get here safely, and to leave messages if they wish to schedule appointments. We will notify those with appointments already scheduled if they need to be adjusted,” says Heather at Illusions, adding they still plan to be open 9 am-9 pm Mon-Tues, and Tues is the annual Open House with “goodies throughout the day and other fun stuff.” Then they’re closed for the holiday AFTER Tuesday 12/23, till 9 am 12/29.

Wondering about the forecast? Ricardo pointed out on partner site White Center Now that well-known meteorologist Cliff Mass has updated his prediction. And it still sounds … a bit scary. Be ready for possible power outages, in addition to the wintriness we’re all used to after the past week.

And as the afternoon progresses, new photos of major arterials are helpful for those driving home from work — we’ll start, looking north on Thistle from California:

We’re taking the mobile newsroom on the road for a while so we’ll have more road reports a bit later. Meantime, speaking of that next storm, a REALLY IMPORTANT reminder from King County Public Health:

High winds forecast this weekend may lead to power outages in some parts of King County . Given the cold temperatures, Public Health advises all residents to take steps to stay safe and warm and especially to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.

“We can’t predict which neighborhoods if any may lose power, so we want to encourage all residents of King County to have a plan about how to stay warm and safe during adverse weather,” said Dr. David Fleming, Director and Health Officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County . “If possible today, stock up on supplies you may need during the weekend and think about how you will stay warm and safe during a possible outage.”

Carbon monoxide poisoning

Carbon monoxide poisoning can kill you Avoid carbon monoxide poisoning by never using a gas or charcoal grill, hibachi, or portable propane heater to cook indoors or heat your home. Carbon monoxide gas comes from burning fuels such as gasoline, propane, oil, kerosene, natural gas, coal or wood and can cause injury or death.

· During a power outage or at any other time, do not operate fuel-powered machinery such as a generator indoors, including the garage
· Do not cook or heat with charcoal barbeques inside your home
· Avoid combustion “space heaters” unless there is an exhaust vent

Carbon monoxide poisoning can strike suddenly and without warning. In some cases, physical symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning may include splitting headache, nausea and vomiting, and lethargy and fatigue. If you believe you could be experiencing carbon monoxide poisoning, get fresh air immediately. Call for medical help from a neighbor’s home. The Fire Department will tell you when it is safe to reenter the home.

For a full list of carbon monoxide prevention tips and other safety and disaster information in English and other languages, visit www.kingcounty.gov/health/disaster.

2:10 PM UPDATE: From comments – a route that hadn’t been reported much yet:

I can see Fauntleroy traffic just north of the Ferry Dock from my window. Traffic is moving north and south at a reduced speed, thankfully, but seems to be operating without problems.

We’re in The Junction at the moment. Lots of people out. California’s a little compact snow/ice/bumpy from the bottom of the Gatewood hill toward here, but certainly passable. Just one request – once you start moving, please be slow and steady. People are pulling over thinking they’re doing the right thing, but that’s actually more dangerous, and unsettles those driving past.

2:22 PM UPDATE: Thanks SO MUCH to Alice Enevoldsen, who has taken the info that people have provided and created an UNOFFICIAL Google Map to current state of West Seattle road quality:

Here’s the link to it directly if you want to see it in the Google environment. THANKS, ALICE! And thanks to Scott C for sending this photo of the Roxbury Safeway parking lot:

WJG also sends this potentially helpful anecdote:

My wife and I came downstairs this morning to find that the furnace had shut off and the thermostat was blank (no power). I assumed that the thermostats had gone bad and needed to be replaced. I started calling around to purchase one. I called and spoke with Murphy at Brennan Heating and Air Conditioning. He suggested that I check the condensate line for the furnace. (The condensate or water is the result of combustion and may be set up to drain on the exterior of your home). Murphy explained that the condensate would freeze in the line and the backup of condensate/water would activate a sensor or switch which prevented the furnace from entering the heating cycle. After checking the line at his suggestion and spending 30 seconds with my wife’s hair dryer blowing warm air into the line, my furnace was back up and running. Again, while I hope no one else is having this problem, Murphy did say that a large number of their service calls during this cold snap could be attributed to this. He probably saved us the money I would have spent on the
thermostat and a service call.

2:39 PM UPDATE: Brief flurry here at The Junction. Meantime, SDOT says “refreezing” tonight may require “refocusing on primary roads.” And WestSide Baby needs help. This just in from Nancy Woodland:

The weather has impacted our operations this week to a near standstill.
This is especially concerning timing with orders waiting for children
expecting warm clothes and toys for Christmas. We need extra hands to help
us sort the many donations we’ve received (yeah!) and to fill orders for
pick up by our agency partners on Monday. We’ve been closed for most of
this week but will be open on Saturday from 10am to 3pm for volunteers,
donations and pick-ups. Although our parking lot can be treacherous we’re
inviting people to make their way to White Center to help out if they are
comfortable driving. Because of the volume, we’d love to have adult or
experienced volunteers only so that we can make the most of the time we’ll
have tomorrow before the snow hits again. Even an hour or two makes a huge
difference.

Because of this week’s unpredictability, please call our phone in the
morning or check our website if there is concerning weather between this
afternoon and tomorrow. Of course, today our voicemail outgoing message
isn’t working properly so we hope that will be a good tool for communication
tomorrow.

We also plan to be open Monday 9-3 (weather permitting) and possibly on
Tuesday too. Thanks so much to everyone who supports WestSide Baby!

Photo from Ann – 16th SW, looking south from SW Henderson:

3:54 PM UPDATE: Back online after a while in transit. Some updates from the road in a moment. First, the latest from Jessie at Skylark Cafe and Club (WSB sponsor) – they’re open:

We are back in business today, all employees made it in…ElodieO from NY is rescheduled from last night and is now playing tonight at 8:00 pm in addition to the scheduled acts, so if we don’t get any cancellations from other bands we will have at least two, and likely more acts tonight (up to 4). Send anyone going stir-crazy in the Delridge neighborhood our way for hearty meals and warming beverages!

Also, 18th at Brandon is open again, reports Dan, who had originally reported its closure (see photo above). Meantime, if you’re going to Westwood Village (the other 2/3 of the team are headed there now and promised to bring back a pre-dusk photo), Todd has this alert:

Just wanted to get the word out that a possible scam artist was making rounds at the Westwood QFC earlier today. A petite Asian woman with an empty shopping cart and a QFC gift card was approaching people (my fiancee included) and in very broken English asking people to pay for her groceries in exchange for her gift card. My girlfriend very politely told her that the gift card should be usable here and we went on our way, but she tried to persuade us at least two more times. It could be an actual case of the language barrier causing this woman some confusion, but it seemed really weird and not at all reasonable, especially when she became more aggressive.

Via “lasagnahog” on Twitter, an important reminder, if you haven’t thought of it already: Charge EVERYTHING today and tomorrow in case that next storm really DOES bring outages. (We have extra laptop batteries plus extra Internet access so we’ll be online – yes, we know, you might not be able to get to your computer, but even during the ’06 windstorm when comparatively few people knew about WSB, some folks called out-of-area friends/relatives and had them read the latest updates. Or you can call us – write our number down, 206-293-6302.)

4:14 PM UPDATE: Adding some photos from our recent travels. First, Thriftway/Tully’s lot in Morgan Junction has its own snow-clearing going on:

South of there, here’s the California SW hill looking south from right about Caffe Ladro:

Same hill, looking north from ABOVE Morgan Junction:

For some reason, we liked this picture of the pigeons huddled for warmth (?) over the Junction 7-11 sign:

Just noticed the old Corner Inn awnings are finally off the future Zeeks Pizza at California/Fauntleroy:

Here’s the tricorner at Erskine/Edmunds/California in The Junction (by the way, probably too late to matter now, but we discovered the WaMuJPMorganEtc drive-through had a weather closure today – walk-in bank at Cali/Oregon was open):

And here are the Icicles of Doom over Matador:

Kelly Johnston sent this one:

Not that you were likely to be traveling that far south, but we just heard via Twitter that Zoolights is canceled tonight at Point Defiance (one of our seasonal faves but we haven’t been yet).

4:33 PM WEATHER ALERT UPDATE: Now we’re up to a Winter Storm WARNING for 4 pm Saturday to 4 pm Sunday. Newest forecast here. See the official National Weather Service briefing presentation here.

Commute reminder: West Seattle-relevant traffic cameras (including I-5, 99, 1st So. bridge) on the WSB Traffic page.

5:31 PM UPDATE: A few more road-conditions photos before they are too outdated – they’re all predusk but in some cases that’s as little as an hour or so ago. First, our trip east on SW Trenton from 35th to Westwood Village:

Minoru photographed SW Holden and says, “This is what Holden and 28th looked like about an hour ago (looking east on Holden) — they have the “closed” sign at this intersection and at the bottom of the hill by Delridge, but a lot of people were ignoring the sign (mostly SUVs). The only cars I saw spinning wheels were front-wheel drive sedans.”

From SDOT on Twitter (twitter.com/sdotsnow, their first experiment with this increasingly popular service): “As of 5:30 p.m., major roads remain passable across the city. SDOT keeping a close eye on temps and possible refreezing.”

5:59 PM UPDATE: Another pre-dusk road-condition photo – from Arbor Heights, Julie sends this shot of SW 106th, looking toward California (map):

We’ll start the evening post within the hour, after a few more “other news” notes in separate posts.

6:37 PM UPDATE: But first, a bus-related update from the Washington State Ferries service bulletins:

Riders of Metro bus #54 which stops at the Fauntleroy terminal are advised of a 2 bus schedule now in effect due to inclement driving conditions. There is only one bus in each direction at this time. Passengers are advised to plan for long waits at stops along bus route 54. Smaller buses are being used for better handling and control.

TV says Puget Sound Blood Center really needs donations. Can you help? psbc.org

7:43 PM UPDATE: Since not much is happening, we’ll just keep this update going through the evening. Working on a “pre-windstorm essentials” separate writeup right now, so look for that later (as well as a couple of other standalone weather-related items). New forecast should be out in the 9 pm hour, so that’s when we’ll get the next assessment of how things are shaping up for the weekend. (It’ll be here … [added later] still on the same track as predicted earlier, snow/wind arriving late tomorrow.)

8:47 PM NOTE: Kenyon Hall has postponed tomorrow night’s Christmas Keyboards show till 8 pm Jan. 3. We are continuing to update the Holidays and Events calendars as we hear of postponements or changes, but we’ve also made notations when we know events ARE STILL HAPPENING – like tomorrow morning’s Holiday Magic show at the Admiral Theater (11 am).

10:06 PM NOTE: In the WSB Forums, a discussion’s under way about where to go if the power goes out. We’re continuing to research but have contributed a few resources. Do you have advice to share from 2006, or any other major outage? Join the conversation!

10:52 PM NOTE: Sounds like police may be checking out Charlestown hill (west of California SW) — just heard scanner chat about people possibly out there with beer and maybe even fireworks. And yes, there’s now another callout to 46th and Charlestown. By the way, as steep as that section is, it’s not the steepest – one of the top three steepest streets in Seattle is the section of Charlestown between 59th and 60th, 20 percent slope (full steepness list here). Update – fire engine there too, something about a burn barrel.

11:46 PM UPDATE: And ATV’s, too (again, per scanner). Wow, must be SOME scene over there. 46th SW/SW Charlestown seems to be the epicenter.

(yes, that’s the official WSB HQ arterial-meets-arterial intersection, this time Thistle to California looking west)
Finally starting a new post. First, Friday’s KNOWN area school closures (pretty much everyone):

SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
HIGHLINE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
HOLY FAMILY SCHOOL
HOLY ROSARY SCHOOL
HOPE LUTHERAN SCHOOL
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE SCHOOL
SEATTLE LUTHERAN HS
SOUTH SEATTLE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
VASHON SCHOOL DISTRICT
WEST SEATTLE MONTESSORI
Looking for another school/district? Try SchoolReport.org

Now, the latest county transit/road alert:

King County Metro Transit continues to operate with severely reduced service this evening, while Road Services Division crews concentrate their efforts on plowing and sanding major arterials.

While the snow that fell over the county for much of the day has now moved out of the area, road and transit workers have a monumental task ahead – keeping as many roads open and people moving as possible ahead of the next storm. By Saturday afternoon, high winds, and more snow or freezing rain could present yet another major weather-related headache for residents.

On Thursday afternoon, approximately half of Metro’s and Sound Transit’s bus service in King County was temporarily suspended due to weather and road conditions. Bus passengers should assume that will be the situation for Friday morning as well. 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.

In preparation for the morning commute, King County road crews will focus on plowing and sanding major arterials and other priority snow routes such as bridges, overpasses and steep hills overnight. But motorists are being warned that these targeted response efforts do not mean that arterials will not be icy in the morning given the hard freeze that’s expected during the night. So motorists should monitor weather forecasts and traffic reports before heading out. And if you must travel, you are reminded to be prepared to drive in bad weather. That includes having good all-season tires or chains and a full tank of gas in the car.

The Department of Transportation also has a reminder for parents tonight. When the area gets significant snowfall, steep neighborhood roadways become popular sledding spots for kids. But sledding on roads is an extremely dangerous way for kids to enjoy the snow. So residents are being asked to help avoid tragic accidents by suggesting an alternative safe location for winter fun.

Motorists are advised to check out King County Road Alerts for the latest information on road closures in unincorporated King County. Residents are also encouraged to report problems on county maintained roads by calling (206) 296-8100, or 1-800-KC ROADS if they live outside the greater Seattle calling area.

9:07 PM AND SLIGHTLY BEYOND: We’re taking some time to catch up on interesting info and pix we might have missed during the fast-and-furious pace of the morning/afternoon updates, now that (we hope) everyone is safe and warm at home. We’ll share what else we come up with, such as: KOMO’s weather blog explains the “thunder snow” that started all this, so many hours ago. Also: Thanks to the people who sent sunset shots; somehow we missed that peek of sun, but Maria captured it in a Christmas-card-perfect shot:

10:36 PM: Before a few more catchup photos from this momentous day, the latest “forecast discussion” is in. By most accounts, it’ll be very cold but dry tomorrow, and that next everything-but-the-kitchen-sink storm is still skulking out there somewhere for a Saturday night-ish arrival.

CLICK AHEAD TO SEE THE REST OF OUR “AS IT HAPPENED” FRIDAY NIGHT COVERAGE (INCLUDING PHOTOS):Read More

(This post is now closed, as we move on to evening updates here; our morning coverage from 5 am-1 pm is here. Recap of known FRIDAY school closures: SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, HIGHLINE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, SEATTLE LUTHERAN HS, HOLY ROSARY SCHOOL, WEST SEATTLE MONTESSORI, HOLY FAMILY, HOPE LUTHERAN ALL CANCELED FOR FRIDAY)

Time to start a new multiple-update post – the morning coverage (see it all here) reached epic length including almost 300 comments (really, more like 300 helpful reports – THANK YOU!!!! keep it coming). First info to share comes from Evan Nordby in Westwood:

Thistle between 35th and Delridge is still unplowed/unsanded. Delridge is acceptable south toward White Center… 16th/Ambaum is compact snow/ice, some evidence of plowing, minimal if any sand south to 128th. 128th is tricky over to Des Moines Memorial, and
unplowed/unsanded from there east to Military (where I rescued my girlfriend at 10:30). Measured 5″ on our deck table 5 minutes ago, at 34th and Thistle. Many if not all federal offices are closed (US District and Bankruptcy Courts, Labor, Homeland Security on Tukwila Intl. off the top of my
head)

Evan also sent a pic:

Meantime, SDOT has just reiterated: THE BRIDGE IS OPEN:

West Seattle Bridge Remains Open

SEATTLE–SDOT crews continue to plow and de-ice the high-level West Seattle Bridge today. Several on and off-ramps were closed temporarily due to accidents earlier today, but at this time we are not aware of any closures. Two SDOT trucks are devoted to providing continuous service to the West Seattle Bridge and the Alaskan Way Viaduct. The on-ramp to I-5 at Sixth Avenue South and South Spokane Street is closed at this time. In addition, 22 SDOT trucks continue to treat major arterial streets throughout the city.

Via Twitter – Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) in the Admiral District is open, and making cocoa for customers.

12:34 PM UPDATE: From Brittany in North Delridge:

11:45 here, and still snowing! i’d say we’ve got a good 5 inches so far. wind is
blowing around like crazy, too. not many cars on the road, but neighbors are out with skis and sleds. we’re on 26th behind the community center and can see the golf course out our back windows- i imagine there will be some activity there before too long. we’re just staying warm inside for now, after some tromping around and obligatory snowball fights!

Accompanying photo:

From 47th and Edmunds (map), MP says Edmunds has become a sledding hill, and also notes the USPS is out delivering there too (hats off to the mail carriers and everyone else with a MUST-DO job today who is out there doing it):

Cami sends video from Alki (the neighborhoods just inland, not the beach itself, anyone got pix from there?):

She adds that a block party is developing nearby (56th/Lander). To recap from the morning update – Bus service this afternoon will be limited, per Metro, and West Seattle, with our wonderful hills, is a particular trouble spot. Full details here.

CLICK AHEAD TO READ MORE OF OUR AS-IT-HAPPENED COVERAGE:Read More