(9:45 PM TOPLINES: More school cancellations for Wednesday (here’s the list) … Late-night forecast updates now coming in)

While some other parts of the city have snow, as of right now, we still don’t. But the snow elsewhere – and anticipation here – has still led to some changes, so here’s where we are publishing updates:

(Lincoln Park this afternoon, courtesy David Walega)
(updated 10:02 pm) LATEST FORECAST: Cliff Mass‘s late-night update suggests 2-4 inches most likely here. Still awaiting Nat’l Weather Service’s late-night take … (added) Here it is: They see maybe 4-8 inches over the city and are keeping warnings in place.

(updated 9:43 pm) CHANGES/CLOSURES FOR TONIGHT/TOMORROW: Seattle Public Schools will be CLOSED WEDNESDAY … Explorer West Middle School will be CLOSED WED. … Westside School will be CLOSED WED. … Holy Family School will be CLOSED WED. … Hope Lutheran School will be CLOSED WED. … South Seattle Community College closed at 4:30 pm today, evening events canceled … The city meeting at the ex-SW Community Center re: emergency preparedness is canceled … Sustainable West Seattle has postponed its forum/volunteer fair … Southwest Pool lessons canceled, according to a call received by a WSB’er … “Finding Kind” screening at Explorer West rescheduled for March 14th, 7 pm … PCC Cooks classes are canceled tonight and tomorrow … Seattle Municipal Court will be closed tomorrow … West Seattle Community Orchestras have canceled their rehearsals for tonight … Relay for Life-West Seattle has postponed its scheduled Wednesday night kickoff party … ArtsWest is canceling its WEDNESDAY night performance of “All Through the Night” (but TONIGHT is still on) … Anything else to add? Let us know!

(updated 8:32 pm) TRANSIT: Metro is staying on snow routing TFN. Its latest update includes this:

Due to the weather forecast for treacherous and impassable roadways, Metro is scaling back some service Wednesday to be able to operate the rest of its system safely and as reliably as possible. The routes scheduled to be canceled for Wednesday are: 2EX, 38, 42, 45, 46, 51, 53, 79, 114, 161, 162, 175, 192, 193, 197, 205, 210, 215, 216, 219, 224, 237, 251, 268, 277, 316, 355, and the Center Park Shuttle. Information about these Wednesday route cancellations will be added to Metro’s snow page after midnight tonight.

Metro also made a special point of saying it does not serve the 2nd/Columbia bus stop downtown while on snow routing. Use 3rd/Spring instead.

WEDNESDAY TRASH SERVICE? So far, Seattle Public Utilities says, they’re planning on it. They were planning on a normal pickup day today, and had also advised everyone who was missed yesterday to leave theirs out till end of day today.

More to come (till we launch a new late-night roundup).

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Seattle Public Schools is DISMISSING 2 HOURS EARLY, just announced, see separate story.)

(Latest bridge and Viaduct views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
No snow on the ground – at least where we are – but some is falling, off and on. Closures, changes, forecast updates:

(updated 10:42 am) FORECAST CHANGING? : Though a winter storm warning takes effect tonight, famous forecaster Cliff Mass has JUST updated his website, saying it’s scaling back, though still tough to tell. He was on KPLU Radio, saying basically the same thing. … Meantime, the National Weather Service’s midmorning “forecast discussion” is not quite so scaled-back, saying that they’re still expecting serious snow after midnight and that “5-10 inches” still looks plausible for Seattle.

(updated 12:46 pm) SCHOOL CHANGES/CLOSURES: Two new announcements: Seattle Public Schools is DISMISSING two hours early; Explorer West Middle School too.

(earlier) Seattle, Highline, Vashon districts are all opening two hours late. Explorer West Middle School and Our Lady of Guadalupe School open at 10 am. Westside School opens at 9:30 am … Community School of West Seattle, 1 hour late … Burien’s Kennedy HS is closed. More details in our ongoing list.

(updated 7:46 am) TRANSIT: Metro remains on snow routes. Route-by-route info here. Note: There are scattered reports of buses NOT taking snow routes, but they’re all SUPPOSED TO …

(updated 6:38 am) OTHER CHANGES/CANCELLATIONS: Downtown (etc.), King County Superior and District Courts are opening at 9:30 am. (King County updates are all here.) … As announced Monday, tonight’s West Seattle meeting to talk about the city emergency plan is canceled …

(updated 7:06 am) TRASH (ETC.) PICKUP: Just in from Seattle Public Utilities:

While some roads in Seattle may still be icy, Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is advising customers to treat Tuesday as a normal day for garbage, recycling, and food/yard waste collection. But customers should note that collections may be restricted in hilly locations.

Please put your garbage, recycling, and food/yard waste out by 7 a.m. to ensure pickup. If your collection is missed, please leave your materials out for one more day. If your materials still have not been collected by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, please put them out on your next regularly scheduled pickup day.

For Customers Who Were Missed Yesterday: Customers, who were missed yesterday, January 16, should set out their materials today for pickup. If your material is not picked up today, set it out on your next regularly scheduled pickup day.

Missed customers will be allowed to set out double their normal amount of garbage, recycling and yard waste at no additional charge.

(added 7:49 am) COMCAST OUTAGE: We’ve had three reports via Twitter of trouble in Gatewood. One says they called it in and were told it’s a priority, they’re “working on it.”

The weather experts have warned that this is tricky to predict – but the National Weather Service is out with its 9:30 pm forecast discussion, and also mentions the “model” that suggests it could stay snowy in the city till Friday. Read it here. As for tonight/tomorrow, snow showers are still expected, the forecast says, and that could mean you get up to a little new snow on the ground.

More snow fun today – and a few holdover photos from Sunday – so we’re putting together this roundup. First two photos are by Doug Branch; that’s Holly and Simba (enjoying his FIRST snow) above, and Nick, below, in Seaview:

We’ve received more snow-creation photos too – Steve Fredrickson was on his way to Bartell Drugs in Admiral, he tells us, when he caught sight of this biker snowman on Admiral near 38th:

That’s a “Sons of Anarchy” vest, by the way. In a holdover photo from Sunday night, Rod Moody shares his snowman photo:

Sadly, someone knocked it down overnight, he reports. Another holdover – Norman’s take on the West Seattle version of Easter Island:

From the WSB Flickr group pool – continuing the tropical/wintry contrast – Kristina Noir found flamingos in the snow:

Paul Swortz was out on Alki on Sunday – and says Groot McCann, creator of Cooper’s Pack, was too!

Not all the snow creations are characters – we’ve got an igloo here, photographed by Edgar:

And a snow fort of sorts at Hiawatha last night, discovered by Clove Burt:

Now, a pet photo! From the Borrells – thanks!

In addition to fun and scenic photos, informational photos – road conditions, etc. – are also incredibly helpful once the snow returns, so we appreciate your help, so other WSB’ers can see what things are like where you are. editor@westseattleblog.com – also on Facebook, be sure you have “liked” WSB at facebook.com/westseattleblog – on Twitter, twitter.com/westseattleblog – and on Flickr, here.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: This story will stay atop the home page through the evening, but we’lll be adding new stories, snow and non-snow, beneath it – scroll down!)

(Latest bridge and Viaduct views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
2:30 PM: Here’s where things stand as the afternoon commute, for those who weren’t off on this MLK Day, approaches:

–Main roads in West Seattle are in great shape.
–Bridge, Viaduct the same.
–Side roads may still have spotty problems, though one of our nearest offenders is almost as bare and wet as the nearest arterial.
If you encounter a road problem, please advise (comment, or text/call 206-293-6302) so we can share the news.

In the forecast department – we appear to be in the calm between the storms. We’ve had some flurries today but no real added accumulation. (The sun is even peeking through as we write this.) The chance of snow showers remains in the forecast through the night – maybe good for another inch or so, maybe not. The forecasters are continuing to warn that a BIG round of snow may be on the way for tomorrow night/Wednesday – see the “winter storm watch.”

More to come. And new photos welcome, too – we’ll be creating a spot for them a little later this afternoon. (If you’re looking for our morning/midday coverage – including today’s closures – go here.)

4:53 PM: So far a trouble-free commute by all accounts. And the city is clearly gearing up for tonight and beyond – a de-icer truck just stopped in front of WSB HQ (we ran out with a camera; he says he’s assigned to “high hills and bridges”), while a snowplow headed by on the nearest arterial. Commenters are discussing the situation with school tomorrow; we’ll publish any announcements we get as soon as they come in, private as well as public. Metro just reiterated that it’s on snow routing TFN. No trash pickup today? As noted in our morning report, Seattle Public Utilities had said they would have trouble in “hilly” locations; Waste Management said their crews were running two hours late. We are watching for any school-closure reports for tomorrow – please let us know if you hear of any we haven’t reported. Seattle Public Schools notes that they typically decide by 5:30 am.

5:37 PM: Here’s the Weather Service’s infographic for tonight into tomorrow – we’re in the “1 to 3 inches possible” zone.

5:51 PM: Just out of the inbox, the city’s words of warning:

SEATTLE – With weather forecasts predicting significant accumulations of snow in Seattle, Mayor Mike McGinn urged residents to be prepared for a series of winter storms over the next few days. The National Weather Service predicts lowland areas, including Seattle, could get three to seven inches of snow through Tuesday morning. They are also forecasting the possibility of another six to 12 inches of snow over the lowlands on Wednesday.

“With the possibility of significant snowfall, we are urging residents to be prepared,” said McGinn. “The Seattle Department of Transportation is treating major streets around the clock, our Emergency Operations Center is activated and other city departments are taking readiness steps. The public should get ready as well, making sure they have needed supplies in the event we do get a lot of snow.”

The City of Seattle also recommends that residents:

· Consider options now for travel, staying off the roads if possible.
· Move cars off streets, if possible, to aid with snow removal.
· Check on neighbors, especially the vulnerable.
· Wrap pipes and outdoor faucets to prevent ruptured pipes and flooding inside homes.
· Turn faucets to a slow drip to prevent pipes from freezing.
· Be careful how they choose to heat or light their homes. Open flames and unattended candles are dangerous. Do not bring open stoves or gas grills inside as the fumes can be poisonous and deadly.
· Find and clear street storm drains. Snow followed by rain can clog drains and cause flooding.
· Have coats, hats, gloves and blankets at hand to stay warm during possible power outages.
· Bring pets indoors.
· Only call 911 in a life-threatening emergency.

Businesses and residents are reminded to keep their sidewalks clear to help pedestrians walk safely. Pedestrians should be cautious on snow or ice covered surfaces.

We have some driving advice, meantime, from WSB sponsors West Seattle Autoworks, via Facebook. Among them: Use lower transmission gears to go downhill more slowly. (Slow driving – slow and steady – can get you through a precarious situation.)

6:43 PM: Looking for today’s fun snow photos? Find them here. (And we’re still adding more.) And as we typed that – snow started falling again.

(AFTERNOON COVERAGE can be found here)

ROADS/TRAFFIC:
We’re tracking road conditions and anything else of note over the next few hours. For starters, SDOT says via Twitter the West Seattle Bridge and Alaskan Way Viaduct are “bare and wet.” In an earlier comment thread, SSF says 35th SW is OK this morning: “I live on 35th by Camp Long. People are flying by on 35th like it’s no different than any other day.” Highland Park Way and Admiral are reported to be OK.

As SSF also notes, side streets are NOT plowed/salted by the city, so getting to the arterial(s) will be the biggest challenge. Let us know what you’re seeing if you have to be out there today. Above is the latest image from one of the bridge cams; you’ll find more nearby cams on the WSB Traffic page.

(8:10 am note) So far, no notable road problems reported in our area. The “arterials good, side streets and sidewalks the big challenge” has held true in every report we’ve received.

TRANSIT:
Metro is on snow routes (find them here) and “reduced weekday service.”
No Water Taxi today (holiday plan, not snow-related)

CHANGES/CLOSURES (updated 2:11 pm):
Nature Consortium is canceling its MLK Day of Service volunteer work party
Bright Horizons West Seattle is opening two hours late
Dr. Suzanne Fiala’s medical office closed
West Seattle Tool Library‘s “indoor winter gardening” class postponed
Kathy’s School of Dance has a “classes canceled” phone message
Little Gym of West Seattle has canceled today’s classes
The disaster-preparedness community meeting Tuesday night at the former Southwest Community Center is canceled
(Any others? editor@westseattleblog.com – we’ll keep adding)

FORECAST/OTHER WEATHER NEWS (updated 10:07 am):
A Winter Storm Watch is up for Wednesday (see it here), with the National Weather Service warning of the POSSIBILITY of a “significant snow event.” As for today – there’s an ongoing chance of snow showers. Highs are expected in the mid- to upper 30s.

As of 10:07 am, light snow is falling in West Seattle – we’ve had reports from Admiral to Arbor Heights.

TRASH PICKUP:
Seattle Public Utilities says it’s a normal day BUT “customers should note that collections will be restricted in hilly locations.”

HOLIDAY NOTES (added 9:04 am):
*Free parking in neighborhoods with city pay stations/meters
*Seattle Public Library facilities closed
*Liquor stores open 10 am-7 pm

TREE TROUBLE (added 11:15 am):
Thanks to Anne for this photo from outside Schmitz Park Elementary:

SLEDDING (added 1:42 pm)

On SW Spokane by Madison Middle School – thanks to Brian Presser of TouchTech Systems for the video.

Though the snow has stopped, the temperature is dropping, and the concern now turns to icy roads. Fewer will be on those roads tomorrow than most Mondays, since it is the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, with schools out and governments closed, but many will still be out there headed to work. SDOT promises it will have full crews working on major roadways overnight; we photographed the snowplow above in The Junction just before dusk. If you plan to use transit, note that Metro is on snow routes again tomorrow, and also a reduced-weekday schedule for the holiday. We haven’t heard of business closures yet – we had some today in our afternoon coverage – but if you do, please let us know (editor@westseattleblog.com, or the comments section here) so we can help get the word out.

Meantime, we’re still going through more photos received this afternoon. Yes, there are people sleeping outside in the snow; WSB Forums members who visited the “Nickelsville” encampment in Highland Park this afternoon took photos:

That’s from Munchkin22. The current camp population includes children and teens, we are told, who worked on this snowman:

You can join the discussion about donating warm clothing and blankets, if interested in helping – here’s the Forums topic. The Union Gospel Mission also is collecting blankets to help homeless people; last night they were scheduled to be out in the White Center area, looking for people sleeping outdoors.

Also from Highland Park, the future Westcrest Park expansion atop the now-covered West Seattle Reservoir has been inaugurated as a sledding spot. Deanie Schwarz caught it on video:

Deanie reports; “Paul Chu of Highland Park walked with daughter Sofia (3 years old) and neighborhood friends’ son Diego (9 years old) to the park. Chu told us it was a great safe place for young and older kids. He also said the sledding spot was free and that’s always better than a snow day up at Snoqualmie which can run well over $50 for permits and cards. ”

ADDED 11:30 PM: We’ve gone back through the mailboxes and there are still so many photos and videos to share. Adding a few after the jump, as one more look back at a snowy Sunday (with more to come, forecasters all seem to agree):

Read More

(KEY LINKS: Metro buses on snow routes; Sound Transit too … Traffic cams here … Many steep hills now closed … Winter Weather Advisory in effect, roads might ice tonight …)

12:20 PM: It’s gotten much snowier in the past hour; if you watch the WSB Twitter feed, you’ve seen our photos – we’ll add some here momentarily and those you have been sending. We were headed to the Farmers’ Market when things got serious – check what we found there:

(added) Also – Dave Montoure of West 5, selling corn chowder! Hot soup for an ice-cold day:

(added) Christopher Boffoli shot this panorama shortly after the snow started – you can click and pan around in the scene:

As of right now, there’s a line south of The Junction: North of the line, snow on the ground, on the road, falling. Here in the south, we have pinpoint “corn snow” right now and it’s only JUST begun to stick on the road – we passed the highest point in Seattle about five minutes ago and at that time, nothing even on the grass, but a mile south, the first stuck bus we’d seen today. Metro has just announced it’s on snow routes (find them here). Plows are out too – in the background of this cameraphone shot, we saw one heading back onto the high bridge from 35th/Avalon:

More to come – let us know what’s happening where you are.

12:43 PM: The photo over this line is an overview from near the Luna Park business district, courtesy of Charles. Thanks to everyone who’s sending photos! We’ve found in past storms (if you weren’t with WSB then) they provide a vital view of what’s happening all around the peninsula.

1:15 PM: Just back from a trip through Arbor Heights. Side streets covered but passable if you drive slow. 35th SW is OK, same advice, but certainly snowy/slushy (photo above is looking north toward Roxbury from 35th after 1 pm). We’re hearing that most steep hills, particularly in north WS where it’s been snowing heavier longer, are impassable – Admiral has spinouts and a stuck bus. A caller (thanks – 206-293-6302) says the bridge is having trouble too. See the latest views on our Traffic cams page. Back to the neighborhoods: From Tony in High Point –

Also just got word from Neil that SW Genesee is closed between Avalon and Delridge – very steep hill so no surprise. Pic:

Thanks for the road updates – the official sources don’t have this level of detail so your reports are key. Meantime, the West Seattle YMCA has just tweeted:

Change in plans. All basketball games 2 pm on are cancelled, pix, too. Fauntleroy Y will close @ 2 pm, West Seattle Y will close @ 5 pm.

1:50 PM: Got a report that 35th is closed at Alaska. That’s where we saw the stuck bus at noontime, photo atop this report. Meantime, some north areas (Admiral/Alki) tallying snow around 3 inches already. Thanks to Robert for this beach shot from around 1 pm:

And there’s sledding too! We’ve heard of several spots. From our WSBeat correspondent Megan Sheppard, here’s Belvidere Viewpoint Park:

It is suddenly down to a light flurry here in Upper Fauntleroy (now 1:58).

3:01 PM: 36th and 37th around Providence Mount St. Vincent were reported in bad shape – thanks to Karen and Deb from West Seattle Be Prepared for conveying that. We just came back from one more run through Arbor Heights – 35th OK, has been either sanded or well=traveled, and side streets still pretty snowy. Also took Barton down to Fauntleroy – bare and wet, same for Fauntleroy Way along Lincoln Park, though we saw some snowperson-building activity on the park grass. Here’s one on Alki – photo by Ian Coldwell, snowman by Andy Burgess, both Alki residents:

From North Admiral, Erik Walum shares the scene at Hamilton Viewpoint:

Also in Admiral, Ted measured – four-inch accumulation:

Back to Lincoln Park – tranquil scene from Trileigh Tucker:

And Alki Lighthouse is lovely in the snow – thanks to Russ Walker for this photo from his Flickr gallery:

So is DK’s backyard in Highland Park:

We’ll be going out after 4 to check out the road conditions before sunset. The Weather Service has renewed its advisory and that includes concern about roads icing over.

4:07 PM: Skylark Café and JaK’s Grill have both mentioned on Facebook that they’ll be closed tonight due to complications of the weather. By 6 pm, we’ll switch over to an ongoing evening weather update, though we’re also hoping to get some coverage of other weekend news in before then. Meantime, more photos! First, Ginny Woo says this is son Gus (10 months)’s first snow – he was out as she and his big sis Ava, 7, built a “snowlady”:

The Pals family sent their snow-giant photo – with, from left, Mommy, Ira, and Jurgen:

We even got a snowman photo from The Admiral District’s Brent Amaker:

And over at Madison Middle School, Steve shows us, they’ve been sledding:

Tomorrow was already an off-day for students, remember, since it’s the official King Day holiday. For now – more snow falling … A big line of dark clouds just advanced from the west (not long after a sunbreak in the same spot – wild weather!).

6:12 PM: Took that trip around the peninsula, traveling California and 35th among other roads. Didn’t encounter any closures – but snow was falling again. Admiral is still way snowier than Morgan Junction and many points south. Meantime, Metro says it’ll be on snow routing again tomorrow, and also reminds you that its Monday schedule is “reduced weekday” for the MLK Day holiday. We will start ongoing evening coverage in a while – after a few other things that have been in queue.

(AFTERNON SNOW COVERAGE UPDATES ARE HERE)

(Photo by Machel Spence. Yours welcome – editor@westseattleblog.com)
7:16 AM: Had almost written it off, but here it is in Upper Fauntleroy. You?

8:31 AM: After a pause – it’s flurrying again. Even up here around 350 feet, it’s just on the rooftops and cartops – so far. The National Weather Service issued a “Winter Weather Advisory” a short time ago, in effect till 10 pm (see it here), which says eventual accumulations up to 3 inches are possible. You can watch for other signs of impending snow via the Snow Watch maps.

10:24 AM: Off-on flurries/showers continue. Photo above is from one that was fast and furious – for about two minutes.

10:34 AM: Just in from SDOT, this overview:

Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) Street Maintenance crews spent the night applying deicer and anti-icer to major arterials, elevated roadways and bridges, and known trouble spots along the snow route network. Despite an early morning snowfall, thus far, the roads south of the ship canal are bare and wet and are also in relatively good shape in the northwest sector of the city. Nevertheless, crews are patrollng those areas applying anti-icer where necessary. The morning snowfall primarily accumulated on streets, and especially hills, in the northeast section of the city – east of Aurora. SDOT trucks are applying anti-icer, deicer, and also plowing the snow where needed. SDOT’s Street Maintenance crews will be working throughout the day to ensure safe driving conditions on the city’s key roadways, particularly on routes used by buses and emergency response vehicles. Motorists are advised to use added caution and be watchful for black ice.

11:35 AM: Serious snow in The Junction. Road is coated.