SNOW STORM
Here is what CNN reports about our snow.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/18/us/northwest-winter-storms/index.html?hpt=hp_t3#
"16 inches of snow and counting in some parts of Pacific Northwest
By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 2:31 PM EST, Wed January 18, 2012
Winter weather hits Oregon
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: More than a foot of snow has fallen in some areas
10 to 20 inches of snow is forecast for the Olympia area
The storms could be among the area's 10 worst since record-keeping began in the 1940s
Officials warn of treacherous travel conditions
(CNN) -- Using a ruler outside his home near Tacoma, Washington, Joel Pederson measured 6 inches of snow Wednesday.
And it was still coming down, the CNN iReporter said. "Right now it is snowing heavily, so maybe we will get another inch and a half before the end of the day ... we have not had this much snow since the 1980s."
The Seattle-Tacoma area was poised to see what could be one of its largest snowfalls in decades.
Monster snowstorm slams northwest
As of late Wednesday morning, the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport had received 4 inches of snow, with 4.7 inches measured in Tacoma, as the second of twin winter storms moved through, according to the National Weather Service
Up to 8 inches of snow was forecast for the metropolitan area.
The southwest interior of Washington state, including the capital, Olympia, could be blanketed by up to 20 inches of snow, the weather service said, an increase from an earlier forecast of 5 to 10 inches. Olympia already had recorded 10 inches before 11 a.m. Wednesday.
The town of Winlock, Washington, about 105 miles south of Seattle, had received 16 inches by late Wednesday morning, the weather service said. The town of Chehalis, about 18 miles north of Winlock, had 14 inches.
Precipitation moving in from the south and west is combining with cold air moving south from Canada to create the heavy snowfall, said Dustin Guy, a meteorologist at the weather service's Seattle office.
If snowfall amounts top 7 inches, the winter weather event will rank among Seattle's 10 worst since the early 1940s, when record-keeping began, he added. A series of severe winter storms and record-breaking cold also hit the region in the 1950s, according to CNN affiliate KOMO.
While that amount of snow is no problem in places that receive snow regularly, heavy snowfall is relatively rare in Seattle, where steep hills can make winter travel treacherous.
Nevertheless, city officials maintained they were prepared for the storm, said CNN's Thelma Gutierrez. De-icing measures were in place on bridges and overpasses, emergency shelters were opened, schools were closed and some flights were canceled.
Freezing rain was also possible Wednesday afternoon, the weather service said. The Interstate 5 corridor between Olympia and Chehalis, Washington, could see a tenth of an inch of ice.
High-wind warnings were in effect along the coast, where winds could gust to hurricane force -- knocking down trees and causing power outages, said CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward.
Wednesday's snowfall in Seattle may equal its annual average, Ward said.
This picture is from iReporter Kyle Aevermann\'s Seattle neighborhood, First Hill, next to the downtown area.
This picture is from iReporter Kyle Aevermann's Seattle neighborhood, First Hill, next to the downtown area.
Mountainous areas of the Pacific Northwest will see even more snow, with the largest accumulations on the eastern slopes of the Cascades, according to the weather service. Significant snowfall is expected across southern Washington, northwest Oregon and into western Idaho.
From late Tuesday through early Thursday, 2 feet to 3.5 feet of snow is forecast for the mountains east of Seattle, Guy said. Mount Rainier could see 10 feet of snow by Friday.
However, the snow in Portland, Oregon, had changed into heavy rain Wednesday morning as warm air intruded into the area. The city was under a flood advisory because of the rain and melting snow, the weather service said.
High winds were also forecast for the area. At Otter Rock, on the central Oregon coast, a gust of 110 miles an hour was recorded, CNN meteorologist Sean Morris reported, along with gusts topping 80 miles an hour at Lincoln City and Florence.
Winter storm warnings were still posted for much of Oregon, with snow expected Wednesday.
The first storm moved into the area Monday and Tuesday.
"It's pretty big when you get back-to-back storms like that," weather service meteorologist Roger Cloutier said.
Winter storm warnings Wednesday touched portions of eight states, stretching into Montana, Utah and Wyoming.
Scattered areas near Easton, Washington, along Interstate 90 in the Cascade Mountains 55 miles east of Seattle, had already received 32 inches of snow, Cloutier said.
The snowfall extends south into Oregon, with as much as 18 inches forecast for the Bend area. CNN affiliate KTVZ in Bend said an earlier round of snow over the weekend gave a boost to local ski resorts but also created dangerous driving conditions that left at least one motorist dead.
Those conditions were expected to worsen.
"Expect extreme travel difficulties to develop on Wednesday," the weather service said, advising those who must take to the roads during the storm to carry a flashlight, blankets and extra food and water.
The Washington State Department of Transportation said 1,250 workers will use nearly 500 pieces of equipment statewide to treat and plow roadways.
Alaska Airlines said it canceled 38 flights Wednesday because of the heavy snow expected to hit the area.
The heavy snowfall will be followed by rain in Seattle, which could produce accumulated water and urban flooding, Guy said.
"It's just gonna be a mess all around," he said of the coming few days in the Seattle area.
Cloutier said even though computer models are trending colder and colder for the coming days, the heavy snow will eventually pose a flooding threat.
"When the snow does finally melt, you can almost guarantee there will be some flooding somewhere," he said.
CNN's Brad Lendon and Sean Morris contributed to this report.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/18/us/northwest-winter-storms/index.html?hpt=hp_t3#
"16 inches of snow and counting in some parts of Pacific Northwest
By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 2:31 PM EST, Wed January 18, 2012
Winter weather hits Oregon
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: More than a foot of snow has fallen in some areas
10 to 20 inches of snow is forecast for the Olympia area
The storms could be among the area's 10 worst since record-keeping began in the 1940s
Officials warn of treacherous travel conditions
(CNN) -- Using a ruler outside his home near Tacoma, Washington, Joel Pederson measured 6 inches of snow Wednesday.
And it was still coming down, the CNN iReporter said. "Right now it is snowing heavily, so maybe we will get another inch and a half before the end of the day ... we have not had this much snow since the 1980s."
The Seattle-Tacoma area was poised to see what could be one of its largest snowfalls in decades.
Monster snowstorm slams northwest
As of late Wednesday morning, the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport had received 4 inches of snow, with 4.7 inches measured in Tacoma, as the second of twin winter storms moved through, according to the National Weather Service
Up to 8 inches of snow was forecast for the metropolitan area.
The southwest interior of Washington state, including the capital, Olympia, could be blanketed by up to 20 inches of snow, the weather service said, an increase from an earlier forecast of 5 to 10 inches. Olympia already had recorded 10 inches before 11 a.m. Wednesday.
The town of Winlock, Washington, about 105 miles south of Seattle, had received 16 inches by late Wednesday morning, the weather service said. The town of Chehalis, about 18 miles north of Winlock, had 14 inches.
Precipitation moving in from the south and west is combining with cold air moving south from Canada to create the heavy snowfall, said Dustin Guy, a meteorologist at the weather service's Seattle office.
If snowfall amounts top 7 inches, the winter weather event will rank among Seattle's 10 worst since the early 1940s, when record-keeping began, he added. A series of severe winter storms and record-breaking cold also hit the region in the 1950s, according to CNN affiliate KOMO.
While that amount of snow is no problem in places that receive snow regularly, heavy snowfall is relatively rare in Seattle, where steep hills can make winter travel treacherous.
Nevertheless, city officials maintained they were prepared for the storm, said CNN's Thelma Gutierrez. De-icing measures were in place on bridges and overpasses, emergency shelters were opened, schools were closed and some flights were canceled.
Freezing rain was also possible Wednesday afternoon, the weather service said. The Interstate 5 corridor between Olympia and Chehalis, Washington, could see a tenth of an inch of ice.
High-wind warnings were in effect along the coast, where winds could gust to hurricane force -- knocking down trees and causing power outages, said CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward.
Wednesday's snowfall in Seattle may equal its annual average, Ward said.
This picture is from iReporter Kyle Aevermann\'s Seattle neighborhood, First Hill, next to the downtown area.
This picture is from iReporter Kyle Aevermann's Seattle neighborhood, First Hill, next to the downtown area.
Mountainous areas of the Pacific Northwest will see even more snow, with the largest accumulations on the eastern slopes of the Cascades, according to the weather service. Significant snowfall is expected across southern Washington, northwest Oregon and into western Idaho.
From late Tuesday through early Thursday, 2 feet to 3.5 feet of snow is forecast for the mountains east of Seattle, Guy said. Mount Rainier could see 10 feet of snow by Friday.
However, the snow in Portland, Oregon, had changed into heavy rain Wednesday morning as warm air intruded into the area. The city was under a flood advisory because of the rain and melting snow, the weather service said.
High winds were also forecast for the area. At Otter Rock, on the central Oregon coast, a gust of 110 miles an hour was recorded, CNN meteorologist Sean Morris reported, along with gusts topping 80 miles an hour at Lincoln City and Florence.
Winter storm warnings were still posted for much of Oregon, with snow expected Wednesday.
The first storm moved into the area Monday and Tuesday.
"It's pretty big when you get back-to-back storms like that," weather service meteorologist Roger Cloutier said.
Winter storm warnings Wednesday touched portions of eight states, stretching into Montana, Utah and Wyoming.
Scattered areas near Easton, Washington, along Interstate 90 in the Cascade Mountains 55 miles east of Seattle, had already received 32 inches of snow, Cloutier said.
The snowfall extends south into Oregon, with as much as 18 inches forecast for the Bend area. CNN affiliate KTVZ in Bend said an earlier round of snow over the weekend gave a boost to local ski resorts but also created dangerous driving conditions that left at least one motorist dead.
Those conditions were expected to worsen.
"Expect extreme travel difficulties to develop on Wednesday," the weather service said, advising those who must take to the roads during the storm to carry a flashlight, blankets and extra food and water.
The Washington State Department of Transportation said 1,250 workers will use nearly 500 pieces of equipment statewide to treat and plow roadways.
Alaska Airlines said it canceled 38 flights Wednesday because of the heavy snow expected to hit the area.
The heavy snowfall will be followed by rain in Seattle, which could produce accumulated water and urban flooding, Guy said.
"It's just gonna be a mess all around," he said of the coming few days in the Seattle area.
Cloutier said even though computer models are trending colder and colder for the coming days, the heavy snow will eventually pose a flooding threat.
"When the snow does finally melt, you can almost guarantee there will be some flooding somewhere," he said.
CNN's Brad Lendon and Sean Morris contributed to this report.