West Seattle snow: Sunday night notes; more photos, 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):

Several sent photos of birds in the snow. Danny McMillin‘s hummingbird video tells the story of the day for these little critters:

Cindy’s cat Cricket would have been fascinated:

MM shared a quick clip of her dogs playing in the snow:

Then there were the snowpeople – both little, as created by Machel Spence‘s daughter India:

And big – Kelly and family, in Admiral:

And bigger! Barb McGlothlin wondered if this one might be THE biggest snowman in West Seattle:

She explains, “The kids only needed help from an adult to stack the snowballs. We live on the 3200 block of 56th Ave SW. The kids asked me to send this to the Blog. Neighbors include: Taylor & Will McGlothlin, Jane and Natalie Miller. Flora and Kai Medina. Plus two of their friends.”

Then from tonight – Shana shot this, looking over at an ex-Huling lot west of The Triangle – an odd car ritual on a snow-frosted parking lot:

She says multiple cars have done this so far tonight.

33 Replies to "West Seattle snow: Sunday night notes; more photos, video"

  • D1 January 15, 2012 (10:03 pm)

    Patrick, What kind of snow totals are the models showing for Seattle?

  • Patrick January 15, 2012 (10:31 pm)

    Umm, well right now I am waiting for the EURO to come out but taken at face value the GFS spits out 4-10 inches everywhere, the NAM spits out 9-16 inches and the WRF spits out 7-14 inches, so it looks like minimum 4 inches but with past events somewhat similar to the type of pattern we are currently under I would go with 4-8 and that is ME being conservative right now ( VERY CONSERVATIVE)

    Stay tuned

  • D1 January 15, 2012 (10:37 pm)

    Thanks

  • Patrick January 15, 2012 (11:04 pm)

    @ D1, No Problem :)

    • WSB January 15, 2012 (11:17 pm)

      Cliff Mass sounds similarly almost-apocalyptic…

  • Sue January 15, 2012 (11:41 pm)

    So that’s what a snowplow looks like … haven’t seen one on this north end of Fauntleroy yet.

  • garden_nymph January 15, 2012 (11:58 pm)

    I hate knowing our neighbors are living in tents while homes sit empty waiting to be torn down, empty schools sit unused and old car dealerships sit empty. What does it say about our society? So very sad.

  • IcyDevil January 16, 2012 (12:26 am)

    Hi everyone, I am hoping someone in a very specific area of West Seattle will read this and help me out with some insight. I took a friend home this evening to The Overlook at Westridge…it’s at 7th Ave SW and SW Kenyon. Well anyways, it is a huge hill, totally coated in ice and I couldn’t get back out. Well a 20 block walk ;ater I am now at home, however I really, really want to get my car back home before this predicted next round of snow arrives starting tomorrow morning. Does anyone reading this have experience with that particular hill? Will Sdot salt/cinder it? Have they in the past? Will the Overlook at Westridge salt a couple of tracks up the hill so their residents can get out? Does someone live near there and be willing to advise me of an update tomorrow mid day perhaps so I don’t have to walk all the way there only to find I am still stuck, then have to walk all the way home yet again? Any input from amyone knowledgeable about this particular hill in the past and present is SOOO appreciated!

  • Dana Greenlee January 16, 2012 (1:24 am)

    @IcyDevil – So sorry about your ordeal, especially since you were helping get a friend home. I live at the bottom of the super-steep Kenyon hill – on 5th Ave SW. I understand from my neighbor that the hill is closed (as you are painfully aware). I will walk to the bottom of Kenyon Monday late morning and report back here. In the ’08-’09 storm, Kenyon between 4th (where it deadends) and 7th was impassable for a week and there were two crashed cars that slid down the full length. SDOT didn’t address it then, but maybe now.

  • Jennifer Nicole January 16, 2012 (1:42 am)

    @IcyDevil: They salted it during last year’s storm, if I remember correctly.

  • roundthesound January 16, 2012 (1:49 am)

    Does anyone know if the water taxi shuttle is running Monday, route 773? I always have a difficult time understanding metro’s website, especially with the snow alerts and the holiday schedule…

    • WSB January 16, 2012 (3:17 am)

      No, since the WT is not running on the holiday.

  • Jeff January 16, 2012 (1:51 am)

    We lived at Overlook during the 2008 Snowpocolypse, and were unable to drive out for almost 2 weeks. That hill is a real pain when frozen. Since it’s not an arterial, sdot won’t plow it until all other major roads are clear. Chains are the best way to get over that hill. One night it took over an hour for us to push a stuck cab up the frozen Kenyon hill, using his floor pads as traction under the tires.
    I don’t mean to not eliminate hope, but the reality is that the Kenyon hill is near impossible without assistance in the snow. Best of luck.

    Sdot has a plos priority map around somewhere, that may at least say when Kenyon would be plowed.

  • pam January 16, 2012 (5:18 am)

    Husband left at 5 this am, our side street was dicey but admiral has one lane each way that is clear. He is heading to renton.

  • Luke January 16, 2012 (5:28 am)

    Just drove to first hill via upper bridge/ I5. Roads are deiced on first hill so the worst of it was in my ws neighborhood. Pretty smooth sailing though.

  • W January 16, 2012 (5:46 am)

    If you take the #773,775 shuttle or the #53 bus you are out of luck. Yet another holiday where Alki/Harbor Ave. peeps are STUCK HOME.

  • Lauren January 16, 2012 (5:47 am)

    Any news on driving conditions? I am coming from by camp long going to Georgetown. Safe to drive or a work from home day?? Thanks!

  • ca January 16, 2012 (5:50 am)

    Anyone hear. How bridge is?

  • MegJunction January 16, 2012 (5:56 am)

    Im headed from the Junction to SeaTac in a bit for a 9am flight (traveling for a funeral so no chance of rescheduling) – any tips from folks who have been out recently? Thanks…

  • HPRez January 16, 2012 (6:16 am)

    Anyone know if Highland Park Way is open?

  • Ssf January 16, 2012 (6:32 am)

    @ Lauren. I live on 35th by camp long. People are flying by on 35th like its no different than any other day. The hard part will probably be getting to 35th unless you live on it. Good luck.

  • Brian M. January 16, 2012 (6:33 am)

    @Meg: I headed to SeaTac at 6pm last night. It wasn’t bad at all. Alaska, Faunteleroy, and the bridge were fairly clear. I’d suggest I-5 over SR-99, as I-5 was smooth sailing. Go a little slower than normal, and give yourself a little extra stopping room. Good luck!

  • MegJunction January 16, 2012 (6:36 am)

    @Brian: thanks for the intel! Stay safe.

  • cclarue January 16, 2012 (6:36 am)

    Icydevil can you go south on 7th ave? Its an incline but not as steep.

  • IcyDevil January 16, 2012 (7:13 am)

    Thanks all for the help. I couldn’t last night cclarue…problem there was no way to get a runnng start at all becasue of the corner. I am very close to the intersection of 7th and Kenyon though (not at the bottom at 4th) so maybe that section will get more attention??? To Dana Green,
    thank you thank you thank you. You are exactly the sort of kind soul I am hoping to find who can give me a firsthand observation. I will look here in the comments late morning after the temps get above freezing (hopefully anyway), and I will also repost this in the new morning weather page in the event you reply their. I wish there was some way I could get you my email address of telephone number, but I don’t know how I could do that and still stay within posting guidelines. Thanks so much again to all for the advise. I will be looking here anxiously for your observations Dana.

    • WSB January 16, 2012 (7:16 am)

      If you want to post your contact info there’s no rule against that – just keep in mind it will be seen by many. I always recommend that people get a free webmail address they don’t mind posting publicly – you can set something up on Gmail in a matter of minutes, for example .. TR

  • roundthesound January 16, 2012 (8:08 am)

    Thanks for the WT shuttle info. I lived on alki for years but decided to move to the junction because I was sick of getting stuck down there everytime it snowed. Now I work on Harbor ave so I have the exact opposite problem, how to get down there! Better start walking.

  • W.S. maverick January 16, 2012 (8:13 am)

    they remembered west seattle this year?

  • IcyDevil January 16, 2012 (8:57 am)

    Thansk WSB…will consider and thanks for the clarification regarding including personal information. To Dana G. -I followed your WSB link and found your Facebook…I sent you a message there with my direct contact information. Thanks again so much. A freind and I are headed there shortly to see if his chains will fit my car, and if they will even be enough to get up that mountain even if they do. :)

  • KatherineL January 16, 2012 (9:10 am)

    Remember to keep your birdbaths open in this cold weather, people. They can’t eat snow, not and keep their core temperature up.

  • Jiggers January 16, 2012 (9:55 am)

    That picture of NV looks/is like hell on the frozen tundra. Totally inhumane living conditions.

  • Dana Greenlee January 16, 2012 (10:30 am)

    @IcyDevil – regarding the steep hill on Kenyon by the Overlook, I walked over there at 9:30am and saw you putting chains on your car. Several neighbors were standing at the bottom of Kenyon watching the attempts to make the hill. One guy who had abandoned his car at the top of Kenyon and walked said he talked to you and you were the one who walked home 28 blocks at midnight. From my observations, a regular car will still slide down Kenyon if its just below the Overlook, but from the Overlook gate and with a running start, its doable. If anyone wants to see video, I’m posting it at http://youtu.be/S8yXHEsDaGc

Sorry, comment time is over.