West Seattle, Washington
26 Monday
2:04 PM: Thanks for the tips. Seattle City Light blames “tree/vegetation” for a Gatewood power outage that started just after 12:30 pm, affecting 156 customers. It’s the biggest one reported in West Seattle so far today – there are also a few other pockets on the outage map with single-digit totals.
2:51 PM: Thanks to Kerriann for sending this video of a utility-pole fire from Orchard east of California:
5:34 PM: Power’s restored, according to a note we’ve received, and the disappearance of the outage from the map.
Last week’s snow and ice are long gone but one lasting memory is in view along curbs: Uncollected garbage, recycling, and yard waste. This morning Seattle Public Utilities reiterated how that’ll be handled this week:
-Monday, normal since you weren’t missed last week
-Tuesday-Friday, collection is on your regular day, and you can put out twice the regular weekly amount, since you were missed last week. SPU says again that if last week was your recycling week, “We will attempt to pick up recycling in the off week.”
If you’re setting out extra, here’s what SPU requests that you put it in.
This morning’s burst of wind hit right before something that WAS predicted – the “king tide” peaking at ~13 feet just before 8 am. We went to Alki for a look, and have received others’ photos from West Seattle shores (thank you!). Above and below are our photos from the Alki Bathhouse vicinity – sandbags were out around Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza:
Kelsey Carlson sent video of the water lapping toward the plaza:
Next photo is from Sam Uzwack, at the west end of the Alki promenade:
From around the point at Constellation Park, Betsy Ackerley caught the waves and wind from above:
At ground level, video from Greg Jalbert:
From Lincoln Park, Sydney Hammerquist sent this view:
(added Monday evening) And video from Fred Hammerquist:
Tomorrow morning’s high tide at 8:40 am will be just a bit lower – 12.9 feet – and then in January, 13-foot tides return January 23-24-25.
9:23 AM: Thanks to everyone who’s sent photos from the aftermath of this morning’s burst of wind. First, the strong wind was relatively brief but brought down trees and limbs. The photo above is from 41st/Thistle, sent by Guillaume Wiatr. And Bill Schrier in Admiral reports a downed tree limbs block SW Holgate street 4500 block and 46th SW at SW Holgate:
Next photo is from an anonymous reader, along 42nd between Juneau & Findlay.
No injuries or major power outages reported so far. There’s been no wind alert, either, but the forecast for Tuesday night warns of gusts above 40 mph.
ADDED 11:09 AM: This photo was just tweeted from the same stretch of 42nd SW shown above:
Also, as noted in this comment, there’s an unmapped power outage several blocks east of there along 37th SW. RB also tells us via email that the neighborhood is on an “old 4KV feeder” that SCL has confirmed won’t show up on the outage map – and they’ve been pushing for an upgrade “for years.” Meantime, Waikikigirl sent this photo from North Shorewood:
She reports, “Huge tree down on 26th Ave SW Southbound between 110th and 114th.”
ADDED 3:51 PM: From L’Nayim:
Dog owners should take note that a huge tree took out a portion of the fence at Westcrest dog park.
9:40 PM: Update from 41st and Thistle – the street’s been cleared by city crews working into the evening. Also of note, Susan Romanenghi sent this photo of a downed tree across the Lincoln Park north path:
That was at midday; we don’t know if it’s since been cleared.
It’s the day after Christmas, but since the holiday happened on a Sunday this time, many are “observing” the holiday today. So we start the day with these notes:
TRANSPORTATION
*Low bridge still closed
*Metro on Sunday schedule
*No Water Taxi today
*Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth state ferry route on 2-boat schedule
*Free parking today in areas of the city with on-street paid parking
*See citywide traffic cams here, West Seattle-relevant cams here
OTHER SERVICES/FACILITIES
*No USPS services except Priority Mail Express
*Banking holiday
*Libraries open today
*Most Seattle Parks facilities closed
WEATHER & TIDE
*Special Weather Statement for increased slide risk with heavy rain through Tuesday
*’King tide’ high tide at 7:55 am today – 13.0 feet
Got news? Text us at 206-293-6402,or email westseattleblog@gmail.com if non-urgent – thank you!
Tonight is both Christmas and the 8th and final night of Hanukkah, so we have lights from both holidays – above, it’s the last night the Grand Menorah will illuminate the lawn east of the Alki Bathhouse. Below, one more residential Christmas-lights display to share – 30th and Barton:
Thanks to Alice Kuder (Winter Wander scavenger hunt creator) for that photo. And finally, thanks to Jerry Simmons
for this one:
Thanks to everyone who’s sent photos of this season’s lights – you can scroll through this archive to see what was shown on previous nights.
(Newly finished West Duwamish Greenbelt trail. Photos by Matthew Clark unless otherwise credited)
By Judy Bentley
Special to West Seattle Blog
There’s a stretch of woods in West Seattle that is teeming with life, full of trails, and lots of room for hiking, walking and rolling. But, for years, a seemingly impenetrable façade of overgrowth and lack of knowledge of the trail system has kept many people out. A new map of the West Duwamish Greenbelt is promising to change all that.
The West Duwamish Greenbelt is Seattle’s largest remaining contiguous forest, covering 500 acres spanning more than four miles north to south. There’s a whole network of trails that one can traverse from the Duwamish Longhouse to Riverview Playfield and down to Highland Park Way, passing the South Seattle College campus, Puget Park, and Pigeon Point Park.
The new map reflects the growing trail network and connections with the community. After more than six months of work, hundreds of volunteer hours and the patient consultation and craft of a West Seattle cartographer, the map is ready to guide users through the greenbelt.
(Christine Clark leads a group of volunteers in Puget Park working on finishing up a new section of trail)
The West Duwamish Greenbelt Trails Group (WDGT), a collection of neighbors who guide creation, maintenance and promotion of walking and hiking trails in the greenbelt, has been working in partnership with the Duwamish Tribe to activate the park and draw people to the vast open space. In April, the group won a $5,000 volunteer match grant for the mapping project through the City of Seattle’s Small Sparks Fund.
Previous iterations mapped the trails, but this is the first time a geo-located map has defined the greenbelt with newly created trails and an overall revision of the legacy trails represented.
(A handmade sign directs hikers along a trail near South Seattle College in the West Duwamish Greenbelt)
Matt Dressler, Cartographer and GIS Analyst at Mountains To Sound GIS in West Seattle, crafted the map from several sources of data including city and state topo and lidar maps along with GPS tracks recorded by WDGT members. Dressler knew the greenbelt existed but didn’t know the many features hidden behind the lush curtain of forest. “I was surprised at the extent of the existing trail system in the Greenbelt. Another learning for me working on this map was the range of trail types in the Greenbelt — from easier & improved trails to more steep and challenging trails. The map identifies these trail types so visitors to the Greenbelt can choose those trails most suited to the experience they are looking for.”
Craig Rankin, WDGT group member and co-chair of the Highland Park Action Coalition, pointed out that the trails are fun and challenging, but conditions and quality of the various trails can really vary based on time of the year, moisture and terrain. “Use common sense when choosing your personal level of risk. Hike with a friend, start with the Parks built gravel trails and branch out only with knowledge of risks at hand. Slipping is a risk on all of the more adventurous trails. Poles can help during wetter conditions, but logs and planks over creeks, and slippery mud need to be hiked with caution.”
Hikers and walkers can traverse the slopes of the greenbelt and find Lost Pond. Or, they can meander along streams in Puget Park. A set of granite steps from the Holly Street trailhead may challenge or delight hikers depending how fast you can climb them, but luckily a granite bench at the top gives the intrepid adventurer a place to rest and a view of the Duwamish valley, in season.
Throughout the map, users will find names of different areas in both English and Lushootseed, the language of the Coast Salish. WDGT worked with Ken Workman of the Duwamish Tribe to identify recognizable physical characteristics of distinct areas in the greenbelt and name them for easy identification. Seven Cedars — c̕úʔkʷs x̌payʔ — is a favorite spot long known by many Pathfinder students as a place where Fluffy and Sleepy, two Barred owls, reside.
Craig Rankin sees the map project as a big step forward to making the space more inviting: “Healthy communities are connected, walkable, and cared for. After over a century of challenges within the West Duwamish Greenbelt including dispossession of the Duwamish Tribe, deforestation, mining, landslides, and toxic dumping, local stakeholders have made great progress in restoring the health of the largest remaining forest in Seattle.”
The greenbelt is making a comeback with life bristling in the canopy and on the forest floor. On any given day, or night, an array of animals from coyotes and fox to Barred owls and Redtail hawks to salamanders and frogs might be seen. Birders from around the region can be spotted in the greenbelt waiting for that unique photo opportunity with fledgling owls or raptors on the hunt.
Ongoing preservation and reforestation is happening thanks to work from the Duwamish Tribe, WDGT, Green Seattle Partnership, Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association, Washington Trails Association volunteers and neighbors throughout Seattle.
“The biggest thing about having a truly useable map of the greenbelt is the ability to invite people in to explore this amazing place,” said Matthew Clark, WDGT group member. “We want to help build community, and this is one step to help do that here in West Seattle. We hope more people come out to walk, hike or run these trails.”
Matt Dressler feels the mobile friendly feature of the new map will entice new visitors. “I hope the map encourages people to visit and explore the Greenbelt by providing the information they need to plan, access and navigate the trail system. For visitors comfortable using their mobile devices for navigation, the map has a QR code so it can be downloaded and will use the phone's GPS to show people their current location in the trail system as they move around.”
The map can be found on the West Duwamish Greenbelt Trails group website:
wdgtrails.wordpress.com/trails.
Merry Christmas! Happy 8th night of Hanukkah! Here’s some info we hope will be helpful on this holiday:
LOW BRIDGE: Still closed by mechanical problems as of early today – check the camera for changes.
BUSES: Metro‘s on the Sunday schedule.
WATER TAXI: Not running today.
FERRIES: 12:55 pm update – after a service-reduction alert earlier, WSF now says “The Fauntleroy Vashon-Southworth route will continue to operate on the regular schedule today.”
MORE TRANSPORTATION NOTES: No charge for street parking in areas of the city with pay stations … West Seattle-relevant traffic cameras are here; see all cameras citywide via this map.
NO WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Taking Christmas off, but it will be back next Sunday (New Year’s Day).
COFFEE SHOPS OPEN TODAY: We found six – here’s the list.
RESTAURANTS AND BARS OPEN TODAY: Eight Eleven are on our list – see it here. (5:08 pm update – just added three more!)
GROCERY STORES OPEN TODAY: Again this year, only the three Safeways (Roxbury, Admiral, Jefferson Square) are open (8 am-5 pm) – all other West Seattle grocery stores are closed until tomorrow.
CHURCH SERVICES TODAY: Nine of the churches on our list have Christmas Day services.
OTHER NOTES: Seattle Parks closure info is here … Libraries (city and county) are closed.
AFTERNOON BIRD/NATURE WALK: 1 pm at Lincoln Park – details are in our calendar listing.
SEE A MOVIE: The Admiral Theater (2343 California SW) is open this afternoon/evening.
If you see/hear news, please text/call 206-293-6302 – we appreciate your tips 24/7/365!
Thanks to Lacey, whose “Who-ville” display was featured here two nights ago, for sending a photo of a friend’s Arbor Heights lights, celebrating peace and love, and adding a shining star.
You can see it in the 3100 block of SW 104th. (All the displays we’ve shown this year are archived here.)
Aaron reports, “35th Ave SW by SW 102nd St, two bikes stolen from carport over the last week, one Redline big BMX dark blue, 26” wheels, and one mountain bike, white and teal with 24” wheels.” If you think you’ve found either, let us know and we’ll connect you.
6:35 PM: SFD is headed to a water-rescue response at Don Armeni Boat Ramp. Updates to come.
6:40 PM: The response is being canceled. It involves a boat that’s apparently been there for days. No one in trouble.
7:01 PM: Our crew at the scene says some SFD units stayed and are pumping water out of the boat.
SUNDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: As pointed out in comments, the boat has now sunk below the surface; Stewart L. sent this photo:
We’ll be following up with Parks on Tuesday (after the Monday holiday) to see about plans to remove it,
Thanks to the texter who sent that photo of a “waterfall” at Lincoln Park, as rain runoff and ice melt-off flowed down the steps to the beach. Tonight we’re likely to have more intermittent rain, though the National Weather Service doesn’t expect it to be heavy, and moderate southerly wind, with gusts up to 20 mph. The air is balmy in comparison to the below-freezing temps earlier this week – right now it’s 52 degrees, and daytime highs in the low 50s are forecast through Tuesday.
If you haven’t been out yet today, the good news is that most of the ice has melted (watch out for remaining slick spots here and there). The bad news – the usual pre-holiday rush has been compounded by people having missed a few days of shopping time. Particularly groceries. Above, West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) has people directing traffic in the parking lot. Inside stores – and we’ve been to several – you’ll find scenes like the one Bill Schrier tweeted from Metropolitan Market:
Tonight’s closing times for local grocery stores – and hours for the ones open tomorrow – are all listed here.
8:33 AM: The business run by the local family that’s almost synonymous with Christmas in West Seattle has been hit by crime on Christmas Eve. Crash-and-grab burglars hit the Menashe and Sons Jewelers store at 4532 California SW in The Junction early this morning. The store’s been run for decades by the family that’s well-known for West Seattle’s brightest display of Christmas lights. We just talked to members of the family at the store, as police investigated. Josh Menashe says they think it happened around 5 am. The gated front of the store is bashed in and vehicle debris is visible:
The Menashes believe the burglar(s) also used a mallet to try to get in by breaking a window. What if anything was taken is still being determined, but the store won’t be open today. We’re still on scene and will add whatever more we find out. This is at least the third crash-and-grab in West Seattle in the past three weeks, after Westwood Village Big 5 on December 5th and El Quetzal at Arrowhead Gardens on December 10th.
8:50 AM: We’ve also talked with Jack Menashe, who says so far they don’t believe the burglars got in or took anything, but they’re reviewing video to be sure – so what they primarily have to do is clean up the damage and secure the store.
Police have recovered more of what the burglar(s) left behind, including the aforementioned mallet:
10:57 AM: As a comment points out, the Menashes have announced the store will be open today after all, 11 am-4 pm – go to the back door off the alley and ring the bell.
11:16 AM: We’ve seen video from a nearby security camera that has not yet been released but does show what happened, in a corner of its field of view. The burglars were in a light-colored pickup truck. At 5:02 they backed into the front of the door three times, took off, came back a couple minutes later, pulled up in front of the store and someone got out (too distant to describe), then took off again, and came back a third time within a few minutes, backing into the storefront again twice, then took off. Here’s the clearest screenshot of the pickup:
(Newest image from city traffic cam in the heart of The Junction)
The day after The Big Ice, it’s Christmas Eve and the 7th night of Hanukkah. Here’s the info and event list for today/tonight:
TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION: The low bridge is still closed because of mechanical trouble …Metro buses are back on regular routing, with a few routes suspended including West Seattle’s 125 … The Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth state-ferry route is down to 1 boat this morning … The West Seattle Water Taxi is on its regular Saturday schedule … Want to check the roads? Traffic cams citywide are here; our page of West Seattle-relevant cams is here.
GROCERY STORE HOURS TONIGHT AND TOMORROW: Most grocery stores close early tonight and many will be closed tomorrow – here’s our West Seattle list.
CHRISTMAS EVE/DAY CHURCH SERVICES: Here’s our list of services at 12 local churches from which we’ve heard.
LAST-MINUTE SHOPPING: Shop local! Especially considering many independent local small businesses lost a day Friday because of the ice. We have a few shops’ hours in our Holiday Guide.
HANUKKAH: Tonight is the 7th of its 8 nights.
Here’s what else is happening:
DROP-IN ULTIMATE: 8 am at West Seattle Stadium (4432 35th SW).
GIVE THE GIFT OF HOMEMADE COOKIES: Today’s your last chance to bring homemade cookies to West Seattle Coworking‘s south location (9030 35th SW), 9 am-3 pm, so they can brighten holiday meals provided to those in need by The Christmas People.
WEST SEATTLE THRIFTWAY MUSIC: The store‘s mini-concerts conclude with Alex Baird, 10 am-1 pm. WS Thriftway (longtime WSB sponsor) is at 4201 SW Morgan.
MORE MORNING MUSIC: Marco de Carvalho and Friends, 10:30 am-noon at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), no cover.
WEST SEATTLE YULETIDE: You’re invited to watch thousands of lights synched to music outside the Iversons‘ home on 38th SW between Genesee and Dakota – 6:30-10 pm.
Have something to add to our calendar and/or Holiday Guide? Email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
It’s Christmas Eve-Eve, so we can’t close out the night without another Christmas-lights spotlight! Tonight’s photo is from Jeff Keller, showing his display near Fairmount Park (Playground). He says the highlight is “Lots of Snoopys and Santas.” You can see them firsthand at 5420 40th Ave. SW [map]. More lights tomorrow night! Scroll through this WSB archive to see what we’ve shown already, and if you have one to suggest, please let us know ASAP!
2:24 PM We’re launching our pm coverage with another photo of another West Seattle hill littered with vehicles whose drivers were thwarted by ice – the texter reports, “Lander St west of Admiral has several vehicles that have had to be abandoned, including an EMT vehicle. Please do not attempt to drive down closed roads!” We showed several other trouble spots in our first report on this icy day. The other big news right now – Metro just announced that service will resume at 4 pm, with Emergency Snow Network routing. Plus, the temperature’s finally risen to freezing. Carrying over our lists from earlier:
CLOSED/CANCELED SERVICES
-Low bridge closed for ‘mechanical issues’ (see 9:03 pm update below)
-All Metro bus service has resumed with Emergency Snow Network routes only until 4 am Saturday
–King County Water Taxi service CANCELED for reset of day
–Update: Sea-Tac (SEA) operations now has 2 of 3 runways open
–All Seattle Public Library locations closed
–West Seattle Food Bank closed
–West Seattle/Fauntleroy YMCA closed
–ArtsWest closing performance of “Q Brothers Christmas Carol” canceled
-Business closures/changes – see the list here
*Garbage/recycling/etc. canceled again today – no pickups until next week
OTHER INFOLINKS
–Winter Storm Warning until 7 pm
–SDOT Winter Weather Response map (which roads it’s serviced and how recently)
–Citywide traffic cams
–West Seattle traffic cams
–County traffic cams (choose “south” tab for White Center)
–Washington State Ferries alerts
Updates to come. Info and photos appreciated – westseattleblog@gmail.com or (text) 206-293-6302 – thank you!
3 PM: That’s the SDOT camera at California/Alaska, which a few people pointed out was aimed in an almost unrecognizable direction earlier. SDOT has aimed it back at the heart of Walk-All-Ways. Speaking of The Junction, a mail truck got into trouble on the north edge, SW Genesee east of 42nd:
On the other side of the mail truck is a multiple-vehicle icy-hill pileup. (Thanks to Viacheslav for the photo, and thanks to everyone who’s been sending photos – got some non-crash ones to add a bit later too.)
4:09 PM: The thaw is on! We can hear ice sliding off some of the shrubs and trees outside. So let’s look at a beauty shot – this is from Michelle R-R:
Also of note – Sea-Tac/SEA has announced that two of its three runways are now open. … Added to the list above, ArtsWest has canceled tonight’s closing performance of “Q Brothers Christmas Carol” (thanks for the tip).
5:27 PM: The temperature hasn’t warmed as much as forecast, but it is above freezing. Some went out and ice-skated today, like Claire, who recorded this video at Luna/Anchor Park:
Somebody else tweeted video of skating on a West Seattle street.
6:17 PM: The low bridge is closed for the second time today. … The melting has accelerated; we can hear it in the roof gutters/downspout.
6:29 PM: Trouble on the low bridge too. SDOT reports a westbound lane closed at 1st Ave.; tipster Todd says it’s a semitruck in trouble. … Still adding to our business closures/changes list; a texter pointed out that Metropolitan Market is closing at 8 pm.
8:30 PM: Melting has begun but that doesn’t mean the road ice is gone, as commenter Amy warns below … Metro says it will return to regular routing at 4 am Saturday, with a few suspended routes including West Seattle’s 125 … Sea-Tac/SEA says it’s expecting “near-normal operations” tomorrow … Though most of us are likely glad to see the ice go, it brought some beauty in its own way, this photo by Rosalie Miller shows us:
That’s thyme – “frozen in thyme,” as Rosalie quipped.
8:55 PM: As mentioned in comments, the westbound high bridge is blocked at the moment just east of the 99 overpass. It appears to be a towing operation, possibly related to the problem mentioned earlier. The low bridge appears to still be closed too, both ways.
9:03 PM: Just got an SDOT update about the low bridge:
The Spokane Street Bridge (Low Bridge) remains closed to all travelers as Seattle Department of Transportation crews continue to work to diagnose and repair mechanical issues which have caused the Spokane Street Bridge to stay in the open position. The bridge failed to close properly after a power outage was resolved and is stuck in an “open” position late this afternoon. Currently, there is no time estimate of when the bridge will re-open. SDOT advises people who drive, walk, bike, and roll on the low bridge to find alternate routes.
Also, WSF says the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route will be on one-boat service Saturday morning due to a staffing shortage.
10:45 PM: The westbound high bridge is open again.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch items before we get back to weather coverage:
GUNFIRE DAMAGES HOME: Multiple texters mentioned hearing suspected gunfire in North Delridge around quarter till 5 this morning. Seattle Police confirmed it was gunfire – they found bullet damage to a home in the 5200 block of Delridge Way SW, and “numerous casings” outside. No one was injured. At least one witness told police the shots were fired by someone in a black Honda Civic that then took off southbound.
NEW INFO IN STOLEN-VAN-ON-TRACKS CASE: On Thursday we reported on the previous night’s arrest of a 40-year-old man accused of driving a stolen van, backing into a police car with it while trying to get away from officers in SODO, then abandoning it on railroad tracks in West Seattle. Today we’ve obtained documents from his bail hearing, and learned more about the case. First, the van was stolen in West Seattle, from Sunrise Heights, four weeks ago. Second, while we mentioned he had been in jail six previous times this year, we didn’t have specifics. The hearing documents note that he and another man were arrested four nights earlier – last Saturday – for what was described as a similar incident, involving eluding police. This happened outside West Seattle, on East Marginal Way. However, there’s no booking on the jail roster related to it. At Thursday’s hearing, prosecutors asked for $30,000 bail; a judge set it at $25,000. Because of the holiday, Tuesday is the deadline for rush-filing charges.
(Latest images from SDOT high-bridge camera and California/Admiral camera)
5:45 AM: The ice arrived overnight and right now, much has come to a standstill as a result:
SUSPENDED/CLOSED/CANCELED
-All Metro/ST bus service suspended
–King County Water Taxi service CANCELED for reset of day
–Update: Sea-Tac (SEA) operations limited
–All Seattle Public Library locations closed
–West Seattle Food Bank closed
–West Seattle/Fauntleroy YMCA closed
-Business closures/changes – we’re making a list here
*Garbage/recycling/etc. canceled again today – no pickups until next week
The Winter Storm Warning remains in effect, with “heavy mixed precipitation including freezing rain” expected to linger for a while.
OTHER INFOLINKS
–SDOT Winter Weather Response map (which roads it’s serviced and how recently)
–Citywide traffic cams
–West Seattle traffic cams
–County traffic cams (choose “south” tab for White Center)
–Washington State Ferries alerts
7 AM: Metro has published an update and promises its next one at 10 am, so its services, including the Water Taxi, will remain suspended for at least several more hours. … The low bridge remains closed, and the SDOT map shows official closures on several notorious West Seattle hills including SW Genesee east of Avalon and SW Morgan west of 35th.
7:30 AM: We’ve had multiple reports of “flashes” and while the ones a few hours ago didn’t result in outages, we have one reported now – 218 customers in what looks to be mostly Puget Ridge:
As you can see on the City Light map, this is the biggest one in the city currently, but there’s a risk of more as the ice weighs down wires and branches.
8:10 AM: Ferry service is back to two boats on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run, so we’re moving the WSF alerts link to the “infolinks” list above. … Speaking of info, we’re also interested in business changes/closures, so please text/email if you have anything to announce (westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302). … We’re making that list here.
8:42 AM: More streets reported closed/blocks because of driver mishaps on the ice – SW Oregon east of California, SW Holden east of 35th. (Added – texted photo of SW Oregon)
Low bridge has now REOPENED.
9:09 AM: More crash reports from SDOT – Fauntleroy/Edmunds, Marine View Drive/SW 102nd. … Alki resident who just went up California from Harbor to The Admiral District reports “ice rink.” … That was from Debra, who also reports cars stuck in icy Admiral Safeway lot. … Speaking of Admiral, here’s a texted photo of Admiral Way at 47th AFTER a plow went through:
9:36 AM: SPU just made the call, no collection today either, no makeups tomorrow; if you were skipped this week, you can put out double next week.
10 AM: Metro says its service suspension will continue until at least 2 pm. Our business closures/changes list continues to lengthen. Lots of people reporting icy roads, parking lots, driveways, sidewalks.
10:41 AM: The SDOT truck above was seen on Beach Drive near Jacobsen, where Creighton reports: “Beach Drive at Jacobson zero traction, all ice. City deicing truck passed by at 9, but not able to scrape off any ice with its blade.” … Also this road report from Catherine: “48th Ave. SW at Genesee, a car tried to go southbound on 48th and is now sitting sideways across the street. The fire department is out of cones and neighbors are trying to find caution tape to block off the road at Genesee and 48th.”
11:30 AM: Above is a photo of Lincoln Park’s south parking lot, sent by Kelsey, who says it was left open last night and shouldn’t have been, so now drivers are going in and getting stuck. Avoid.
11:56 AM: Above is a photo from Paul showing the chain-reaction crash on the east side of Fauntleroy/Edmunds. Might be the same crash we mentioned earlier – most crashes are not getting cleared quickly for obvious reasons (including how backed up tow-truck drivers are). … New SDOT director Greg Spotts tweeted that he’s been out touring the city to check on crews and says the department’s West Seattle crews are doing excellent work. … We’re continuing to update the business closure/change list – including when we get word that businesses have indeed opened (Thunder Road Guitars [WSB sponsor] just did). Also, we’ll keep this report going for the next hour or so and then switch over to pm coverage.
12:21 PM: Water Taxi now canceled for the rest of the day.
12:34 PM: Thanks to the texter who reported power restored on Puget Ridge. SCL map shows all but 25 customers from that outage are back on. Meantime, an encouraging sign … the temperature has made it to 30 degrees.
1:14 PM: We’re going to end this roundup with a warm image .. Brian sent a photo of just-baked cookies, declaring this a “great day for baking”:
If you can do some baking too, this is the third day the south location of West Seattle Coworking (9030 35th SW) is collecting homemade cookies for The Christmas People – WSC’s Ross says, “We will continue collecting cookies all day and will add an extra hour to drop off ending at 4:00 p.m. instead of 3:00 p.m. that will give more time to people. Many are stuck home in a cold day so I could be a perfect day for baking cookies and do something good. Yesterday was kind of slow so we hope to make it up today.” They’ll also accept cookies 9 am-3 pm tomorrow.
(For PM coverage, go here)
Every year, we compile lists with some Christmas basics – churches with services Christmas Eve/Day, grocery-store hours Christmas Eve/Day, restaurants/bars and coffee shops open Christmas Day. We keep adding to the lists until the holiday’s here, so if you have info to add, please let us know – westseattleblog@gmail.com is the best way to send info. In the meantime, you can see what we have so far by going here for the restaurants/bars list, here for the church-services list, and to our Holiday Guide‘s Christmas section for the grocery store and coffee lists (which will have their own pages in our Event Calendar by Saturday). Thanks to everyone who’s already provided info by email, phone, or web!
P.S. We welcome info for New Year’s Eve too – the events we have so far are also in the Holiday Guide.
It’s a page out of “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” at Lacey‘s house on 18th SW between SW Roxbury and SW 98th – their theme is “Who-ville,” the town where the Grinch made off with the decorations and presents but discovers he “HADN’T stopped Christmas from coming!” Even by day, you can see the sneaky green Grinch:
Lacey says the subfreezing weather’s taken a bit of a toll on the display – she was out today replacing some strands of lights on the fence, but can’t get her battery-powered stars going because “the switches are frozen shut!”
Our trips out to check out lights have been curtailed by road ice, so we’re looking forward to getting out of the deep freeze. Photos in the meantime are welcome at westseattleblog@gmail.com; you can see the lights we’ve shown by scrolling through this WSB archive.
5:09 PM: That’s a texted photo of Fairmount Avenue – through the trees – where several drivers got into trouble this afternoon. It’s one of the icy, hilly streets you’ll want to stay off again tonight, even before the forecast snow/freezing rain moves in. Speaking of which, we’re now officially under an upgraded alert, a Winter Storm Warning, which took effect at 4 pm. The National Weather Service still warns that what’s on the way is a “complex mix” and says that it’ll be snow until about 2 am, then freezing rain, with temperatures starting to rise. In the meantime, if the freezing rain really does arrive, risks include power outages from ice-laden branches and wires, so keep everything charged. The well-below-freezing weather also has affected water service for some – we just got a text about a water outage at 32nd/Cloverdale, which is now on the Seattle Public Utilities map; an earlier outage at 36th/106th has been resolved.
INFOLINKS
SDOT Winter Weather Response map (which roads it’s serviced and how recently)
Metro alerts and reroutes
Washington State Ferries alerts
Citywide traffic cams
West Seattle traffic cams
County traffic cams (choose “south” tab for White Center)
Updates as we get them. (westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/call 206-293-6302 – thanks!)
7:01 PM: The West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) says it’s opening late Friday, 9 am.
8:23 PM: No precipitation yet here on the Gatewood/Upper Fauntleroy line (nor on any of the WS traffic cams we’ve checked), but the radar shows it headed this way. Let us know when you see it where you are!
9:55 PM: The NWS’s latest forecast discussion explains the radar: “Widespread light radar echos are spreading across the region this evening. The vast majority of this precipitation is evaporating before reaching the surface due to the cold, dry airmass in place.” But the NWS still expects that to change at some point during the night.
11:29 PM: Some icy precipitation in this video Brendan tweeted:
Out here in @westseattleblog with #ice pellets off truck to see with views of #Seattle skyline on this getting warmer Thursday night. Video by me. #wawx #weather #Weathercloud @ScottSeattleWx pic.twitter.com/lwVgRaqos3
— Brendan Ramsey (@DaGr8Brendinni) December 23, 2022
We’re seeing some on the traffic cameras, too. Meantime, SFD confirmed to us late tonight that two fire-alarm calls in West Seattle earlier today – including one at the QFC/Capco Plaza building in The Junction – were water-related. Overall, SFD spokesperson David Cuerpo tells WSB, “Dating back to Monday, Dec. 19, Seattle Fire has responded to approximately 13 medical emergencies related to the snow and cold weather.”
Police have arrested another stolen-car suspect in West Seattle. This time it started on the other side of the Duwamish River. Police say they were trying to pull the 40-year-old man over in SODO after discovering the white van he was driving had a stolen license plate. In his attempt to get away, they say, he “rammed the van through a business’s chain link fence, then backed into an SPD patrol vehicle before fleeing with at least one flat tire.”
He made it all the way to West Marginal Way SW and SW Alaska [map], where he ditched the van on the railroad tracks. It was empty when police got to it but footprints in the snow led them to the suspect, sitting on a park bench nearby. According to police, mail in the suspect’s name was left in the van. They arrested him; he’s currently in the King County Jail for the sixth time this year, most recently a six-week stay in July and August, related to burglary and auto-theft-related charges for which he’s awaiting trial.
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