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Day 5 of Seattle cold and ice: more snow, more crashes, more slippery-er sidewalks

 

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People took street closures into their own hands near Interlaken (Image: CHS)

A fifth day of freezing temperatures added more than an inch of snow Thursday morning to the layer of packed powder and ice already covering Capitol Hill. At the top of the Hill, overnight snow piled up more than two inches. With the neighborhood already bunkered down due to the pandemic, many are able to stay inside and keep activities close to home. Not everybody is so lucky.

While the snow for the day is done, temperatures are predicted to barely rise above freezing Thursday before dropping again into the 20s along with forecasts for gusty winds. Saturday will bring the first 24-hour period with temperatures above freezing since Christmas — even then, the high is predicted to reach only the mid 30s. Temperatures will rise into the 30s and the low 40s in the next week but there is a chance of more, smaller bouts of snow that could snarl Seattle’s emergence from the holidays into the first days of 2022.

Arteries and priority routes have been well maintained and mostly cleared through the week’s icy conditions but side streets are increasingly iced over and slippery. Multiple collisions and road hazards have continued to plague the area’s streets.

UPDATE: Thursday morning, multiple people were injured and had to be cut from wrecked vehicles in a three-car crash at 19th and Cherry. Seattle Fire was responding to the crash reported just before 8:30 AM and reported at least one patient suffering life threatening injuries with two others reported as seriously injured.

A map of the city’s priority routes is below. Metro, meanwhile, has shifted bus service to the Emergency Snow Network, focusing its service to around 60 core routes.

The neighborhood’s sidewalks, meanwhile, are also a challenge. While the city keeps certain roadways as clear as possible, sidewalk clearance is left to property owners. Thank your good neighbors for keeping the way safe and clear and let your other neighbors — especially those owned and managed by businesses and commercial real estate companies — know about their responsibility. And, if you can, lend a hand.

The city says its Homelessness Outreach and Provider Ecosystem (HOPE) Team is assigned to contact people living outside about shelter and transportation options. You can find more information about warming centers here. All Seattle libraries — frequent refuges for people looking to get inside out of the weather — will be closed Thursday due to the conditions.

Seattle Fire responded to an encampment fire overnight near Minor and Bellevue where a tent near the Northwest School caught fire around 3:30 AM. There were no reported injuries.

Finally, the scene inside most Capitol Hill area grocery stores is bleak both due to supply chain issues from the confluence of COVID and cold and, yes, thanks to human nature. Buy only what you need.

 

 

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Bryan
2 years ago

Let’s find a way to get sidewalks shoveled. I don’t care if it’s fining property owners, shame or insensitives.

d4l3d
d4l3d
2 years ago
Reply to  Bryan

The city needs to share blame where property owners aren’t involved for doing little to nothing to at least address especially dangerous inclines.