Update: School has been cancelled for Friday, Dec. 19, giving students a jump-start on winter break.
The snow is falling fast on Vashon, and shows no signs of letting up. Roads are slick and drivers are staying off the roads whenever possible.
Two plows and sanding trucks from King County Roads have been working since early morning today plowing the highway, and only at 5 p.m. were able to move on to its next priority areas, Sandy Shores and Gold Beach.
Islanders should stay off the roads — every road is potentially dangerous, said Jim Didricksen, the county’s Vashon-based roads supervisor, this afternoon.
Dozens of vehicles have slid off the road or ended up in ditches. Few are braving the descent to the north-end ferry dock.
Amid the flakes, school buses shuttled students to Vashon’s three public schools two hours late, though district officials decided to send Chautauqua Elementary School students home shortly after they arrived, and McMurray and Vashon High School students were dismissed at 12:30 p.m.
Conditions in Seattle are no better.
Many Metro bus routes have been cancelled altogether, and those that are running are delayed drastically, some taking alternate routes to avoid slick and hilly areas. However, Vashon’s 118 and 119 buses are running on the Island.
Ferries between Vashon and Fauntleroy are running with few passengers, though no vessel delays are listed on the Washington State Ferries Web site.
On one driver’s commute from Burton to Vashon town this morning, the hazardous road conditions were painfully clear. A large pickup truck struggled up the highway at Granny’s Attic, fishtailing as it cautiously crept up the hill. A Saturn was parked at the side of the road, just before the highway’s intersection with 204th. A Volkswagen SUV slid down the hill, lost control and slowly skidded over the ice into the Saturn. And a Honda hatchback blocked the northbound lane of the highway — having lost control and ended up with a front wheel in a ditch.
The dangerous weather conditions will likely be exacerbated by temperatures that continue to drop throughout the day and ongoing precipitation.
Some Islanders are puzzled that Vashon’s public schools were closed yesterday and two hours delayed today. Vashon Island School District superintendent Terry Lindquist said the designations were made before 6 a.m. both days, and were based on road status reports and weather forecasts.
Unfortunately, Lindquist said, the snowstorm that was predicted to hit hard yesterday, prompting school closures throughout King and Pierce counties, missed the areas entirely. And today’s forecast of flurries turned out to be a gross understatement, with the snow falling fast and furious in what can only be described as a Pacific Northwest blizzard.
“We chose to open two hours late because our report from the road crew was that the roads had de-icer on them and sand,” he said. “We were able to chain up all the buses so we knew we could get the kids to school safely.”
Still, he said he’d prefer switching yesterday’s and today’s school designations — having a snow day today and opening two hours late yesterday.
But, as noted by Laura Wheeler, parent of three Chautauqua students, “none of us can really predict the weather. Not even the forecasters can.”
She was one of many Chautauqua parents who drove her kids to school, only to be turned away at the school entrance by staff informing her that school had been closed for the day.
District officials made this decision, Lindquist said, because Vashon roads are becoming clogged with disabled vehicles on the sides of roads and partially blocking traffic lanes.
“This poses a bit of a safety concern for the buses,” he said. Chautauqua buses would be taking kids home after 3 p.m. today had school stayed in session, and with unpredictable conditions officials didn’t want to risk it.
The Harbor School and Carpe Diem Primary School both followed Vashon Island School District’s lead yesterday, closing school, and today both planned to begin two hours late. But between 9:30 and 10 a.m. today, both private schools opted for a snow day today.
Carpe Diem teacher Janice Campbell sent parents an e-mail this morning, indicating the closure.
“I dont think its worth risking driving into a ditch,” she wrote.
Stay up-to-date on conditions
Many buses may be delayed, rerouted or cancelled. Metro may have to switch to snow routes in some locations with little notice. The best way to stay informed is to check the adverse weather information on Metro Online at www.kingcounty.gov/metro, or call its Customer Information Office at (206) 553-3000.
Residents are also encouraged to report problems on roads in unincorporated King County by calling (206) 296-8100.
The state Department of Transportation also suggests checking on state routes before leaving home.
Travelers can get information from the state’s DOT Web site at www.wsdot.wa.gov. Or they can call a driver information line that provides real-time traffic, incident and closure information: (800) 695-ROAD (7623). (TTY users can call 1-800-833-6388.)
On the state DOT’s Web site, www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/weather, drivers can look up roadway temperatures and see camera images from across the state. And at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/trafficalerts, a map shows highway incidents and closures.
Snowy scenes
