I teach in Maple Valley, and I left school on Wednesday just after 5 p.m. to head to my home in Bellevue. It started snowing as I was on Highway 169, but traffic was still moving along. When I reached I-405 North, it was a parking lot. It took me 40 minutes to travel a tenth of a mile, and the snow was falling profusely. I pulled off the Kennydale Hill exit to use the restroom at the Chevron station just after 7 p.m. When I returned to my car, it wouldn't start. A WDOT truck had just pulled in to fuel up, and they told me my alternator was dead, and that I wouldn't make it home to Bellevue. I had to wait for my husband to drive down to get me, but the exit was closed for awhile as the WDOT tried to sand the exit. Eventually my husband came to get me, and I we made it back home in Bellevue just after 10 p.m. This is truly the longest commute home from work I have ever had. 5 hours is a bit extreme.

We live on Lea Hill in Auburn, and spent 3 hours helping people get their cars up and down the hill by Lea Hill Rd and 105th. It was so nice to see everyone join toghether to help others safely make it home.
Thank you to everyone who helped, to everyone who said thank you, and even to those who thought we were nuts!!

HI!!! This has just been a crazy winter in the Emerald City and surrounding areas. I am from Eastern Washington (Cashmere) and thought myself to be "used" to these conditions but let me tell you - with the amount of people over here plus the numerous steep hills - it just equals disaster everytime we get a cold front with especially when it includes snow. I left my work in Ballard and headed for home in Edmonds yesterday at what I thought was JUST IN TIME! However, my 30 minute drive took an hour and a half yesterday, I take all the back roads and, yesterday, that wasn't the best idea. Every time I turned a corner or attemped a slope I saw people stranded, slidding, skidding and even a couple flipped over on the side of the road. I was so nervous that my leg was shaking ( I drive a clutch ) I just wanted to make it home in one piece WITH my car. Thank goodness I did and then resigned to the couch to watch King5 and all the poor people stuck on 90 and 405, well, actually just about EVERYWHERE!

Hello Winter!

:) Eli from Edmonds

Wile others had harrowing commutes this morning, Manzanita on the Coast woke up to almost a foot of snow and everyone found themselves in a winter wonderland. By 9:00 AM people were cross-country skiing on the beach or boogie boarding down Laneda Avenue. The sun is out and we are all soaking in nature's play.

My snow story is that I'm tired of hearing all of the snow and wind stories on the news channels. I was raised in rural Eastern Oregon and these storms don't even come close to what I experienced growing up. My high school was closed one time and it was only because of a severe blizzard. Power outages were common and would sometimes last a full week (we would boil snow for water and we had wood heat).

I wonder about all of those people who whined and complained about PSE's response time....what are they going to do when we have a real crisis???? Give up and perish???? I am so grateful to my parents for teaching me common sense and survival skills. I, in turn, am passing on this approach to life to my 10 year old daughter.

I commmute from Whidbey Island to Tukwila daily. I often have 5 hour commutes in the summer while everyone and his brother flocks to the island for camping etc. I drove into work today leaving home as II usually do at 4:00 AM, arriving at work at 5:45 AM, in the snow and the ice etc. I drive a 4WD pickup and did not use 4WD except to get outt of my driveway at home. Driving in the snow - is all about experience and patience. Which alot of folks lack and think that 4WD makes them able to drive as they normally would, not so, it only enables better starts, pulls a hill better (dependent upon your driving skill and control of the go pedal). It does not help you stop and or corner you MUST SLOW DOWN. I have lived here all of my life and the traffic now is the worst it has ever been and the drivers the worst, as a result of a mixed band of residents that come from all over the place. I guess it is like that everywhere anymore.

Bottom line- keep your wheels in good shape, preventative maintenance is the key, as you transition into each season check the vehicle for what it needs, i.e. summer time - coolant, etc. Winter, the battery and charging system and coolant (antifreeze) good all weather tires, good brakes, buy and learn to use 4WD effectively it does give you an advantage when used correctly and when needed. Don't depend on AWD vs 4WD there is a difference. Leave earlier then you need to for work, go slow, increase your following distance, stop smoothly - if your a "brake pincher" that is abruptly stompingthe brake pedal for no good reason - well you will learn the hard way the effects of your annoying habit in the snow. Keep your situational awareness up, get off the phone and keep your head on a swivel, awareness of things going on waround you will prevent many accidents. Read into the road ahead.

Overall I am glad that I am at work before the 9 to fivers and home before em too.

No big deal here in the city (Magnolia). Just a bit of snow on the grass and the roads are clear. DANG! Maybe next time. If it's going to be this cold I would like a foot or so of snow to play in with the kids. We'll probably drive out to the suburbs today to find some.

Bremerton wasn't too bad this morning, the side streets were the worst of it. 2nd gear is a blessing. I see the biggest advice is correct, slow down. Who cares if the driver behind you is all hot and crazy to get to work ( I mean why some are so anxious to get to a place they secretly hate to waste a nice day doing things they hate too do I don't know) let em boil their brains, pass you by and wreck themselves in a ditch, their fault. Working for some other stiff's success is not cause enough to kill yourself on I-5.

I live in Seattle, but was attending swim workout in Issaquah. My dad left his work at Redmond Town Center just after 4:00 and didn't reach Issaquah until after 8:00, it then took us another hour to get home to Seattle, where we found absolutely no snow at all. My dad was sure glad he had a Hummer last night!

I agree with Corrinna...im tired of hearing about the "snow". I am from Ohio and this is NOTHING compared to what we get blasted with on a daily basis during the winter there. If this happened in Ohio, it would be business as usual. I don't get Seattle at all. When it sprinkles snow for five seconds, THE ROADS ARE NOT BAD. You do not need to go 30 mph on the freeway!!! Just drive normally!!!! The news freaks everyone out and makes everyone think they are gonna die if they go on the roads in the snow. Seattle people drive slow enough as it is they dont need to go any slower!! Thats why the traffic is always bad here...PEOPLE CANT DRIVE. And just to let you know, THE ICE WILL GO AWAY IF YOU WOULD JUST PUT SALT ON THE ROADS. I mean for real, what is up with this city?? Do you guys like this nightmare commute or something??

~new, disgruntled resident of Seattle

I am a teacher at Lake Washington High School in Kirkland, just off of 80th St. When I saw the snow falling at around 4 pm yesterday, I knew that I had to leave work soon. (It took me 1.75 hours to get home last snowfall, and I only live in Redmond!) I decided to take Old Redmond Way home last night, thinking that would be better than 85th, which was a parking lot by 4:15. Now I regret that decision! I couldn't make it on the street and had to abandon by car. I was on my way to rescue my husband at MS, but instead I got stranded on the road. I walked from about NE 140th street to the Bellevue ProClub (to get some coffee), and then I met my husband at 156th and 40th street at 6 pm. So far, I had walked in the snow for about 1.25 hours. Instead of driving, my husband and I decided to walk home from the MS campus to our house off of East Lake Sammamish Way. On the way back home, we, along with many others, pushed cars up the hill that were spinning out on 40th street, which was a sheet of ice. We didn't get home last night until 11 pm, and there was still a long line of cars from 520 onto Redmond Way. Actually it was better to walk since we were going faster than the traffic on Redmond Way. We did take a pit stop at Redmond Town Center for dinner, but a 6.5 hour commute on foot was not what I was expecting when I woke up Wednesday morning!

I work in Woodinville and left work at 4:15 Wednesday afternoon. It had just started snowing and sticking so I though we would be fine. I have several ways to go to get to my home in Sammamish but decided it would be best to stay on the main roads through Redmond....bad idea. By 5:30 I had made it to 124th crossing the valley. I was contemplating climbing the hill in front of Theno's Dairy to go directly into Redmond but there was a car spun out in the middle of the hill. I decided to skip that and cross the valley to Willows Road. It took about 45 minutes to cross the valley and once I got to Willows Road, I was actually able to do 20-25 miles an hour. Such a false sense of accomplishment. I drove through Redmond to Cleveland Street and from there it took nearly till 10 pm to make it to the other side of town to Family Pancake House. They let me come in to use the restroom. My husband (with a four-wheel drive truck) was waiting for me there with friends from Issaquah. He ended up driving us all home, leaving our cars in Redmond. It was like a slallom course getting up Inglewood Hill Road with all the abandoned vehicles. We have lived here 35 years and this is about the worst we have seen it.

The problem isn't so much the weather in the Seattle metro area, it's that so few are equipped to handle it with proper tires, driving know how, and vehicles.

Up here in Whatcom County, where blizzards are actually pretty common because of the Fraser River Valley outflow, we get much worse snowfall, severe drifting, and literally impassable (buried in snow) roads. However, we function pretty well anyway. Folks here remember that we can have bad weather, so most have AT LEAST one vehicle that is 4WD or All wheel drive, and do get out and practice when the bad weather is here.

We also plan ahead and actually prepare our vehicles for the winter. We had 10" of snow yesterday afternoon, on top of 3 inches from the night and early morning hours. Then the NE wind has kicked up, sustained at 20-25mph, gusting to 45mph. So now we have 3-4 foot snow drifts (November storm had 4-8 foot drifts). Yet most are getting around fine, so accidents are few.

There were some nasty ones yesterday when the snow hit in the afternoon though, including some semi trucks that wiped out 8 cars on I-5 at Ferdale, and a few rollovers by folks passing through from I-5 up to highway 1 in Canada.

Today we have had sunny skies, but the high is 24 degrees, and it's a whiteout on the county roads, with almost no visibility, compact snow and ice, and constant snow drifts to watch out for. Yet most everyone got to work just fine, they just took it easy, carpooled or drove the correct vehicles, and will leave a little early to get home at a reasonable time.

The few wrecks today have been the fortunately limited number of idiots up here who think that just because it's sunny out, they can drive the normal speed limit on the compact snow and ice. Sure, going straight down a straight road, you can get away with it... but then the whole stopping thing, turning thing, or reacting to someone else problem creeps in, and they don't have the time to avoid wrecking. Hopefully we won't see this problem with drivers grow like it has in the Seattle area, but as we get more urban, sadly, it likely will.

The main issue is that there isn't enough equipment to handle weather like this.

The amount of snow that dropped on the Seattle Metro area yesterday would have been laughed off in the Northeast (where I grew up and went to school) but it becomes life-threatening when state and local governments lack the basic tools and manpower to deal with it.

How much money does it cost the region in lost productivity when employees can't safely make their way to work, or need to stay home with their snowbound school-aged kids?

Perhaps it's worth looking at governmental budgets (budget surplus, anyone?) and preparing for what amounts to be a minor weather event in the scheme of things. In 2007, an inch of snow shouldn't be able to paralyze a modern city like Seattle. It's absurd.

Like Ashley in an above post, my wife and I are native Midwesterners. I'm sorry, but what goes on here when it snows is nothing short of absurd. (And yes, we have LOTS of hills in the Midwest.)

What occurred last night is what we in Illinois or Missouri would term "a skiff of snow." Yet my wife got stuck in a situation on Market Street in Kirkland last night where people couldn't get up the hill and were simply abandoning their cars, which then caused people behind them to stop and then get stuck. It took her four hours to travel nine miles. And there was nary a police officer to stop the madness.

It's simple, folks: When it snows, drive steadily. Don't stop if you can avoid it in places where stopping might preclude starting again. Use a liberal amount of following distance. Anticipate climbing hills by ensuring the proper momentum, though not too much. Anticipate descents on hills by gearing down and *tapping/pumping* brakes. Too many of you wind up in a ditch by not looking far ahead and then braking too vigorously.

If you are driving an SUV, be aware that 4WD can isolate you from correctly feeling road conditions. It instills a false sense of confidence. And then when you brake, you discover the road is slick and you are burdened with 1,000 extra pounds of inertia.

Please learn to do this correctly. Millions of us in the heartland learned to do it back when all cars were rear-wheel drive, in far more robust snows and in icestorms that fell trees. Surely with modern vehicles and modest precipitation, you can get much, much better at it. Thank you.

I'm originally from Southeastern Connecticut. My husband is in the Navy and we're now stationed out here. I'm used to this weather, but I do NOT miss it. I thought coming out to Western Washington we wouldn't have to deal with too much cold weather/ snow. Boy I was mistaken, especially this winter. I guess I brought the cold winter weather here from back east, sorry. LOL. Be safe everyone while driving!!! Enjoy what snow we do have.

I find it humorous and somewhat annoying that KING5 refers to this recent snowfall as an "ARCTIC BLAST." Last I checked, I didn't see any icebergs on Lake Union, nor igloos along Queen Anne hill. Please spare us your unnecessary attempt to add more fear to our lives and drop the ARCTIC BLAST commentary. Thank you.

Some of the blogs on this site bring up an important fact that i think a lot of us Seattle folk seem to be missing, ignoring or taking in our stride. Its time for the City and King County to take action on the happenings of the past two months (blackouts, poor road conditions due to 'snowstorms'). Their unpreparedness and slow response is putting people's lives at risk (treacherous roads) and resulting in massive loss of work hours for businesses etc.. Wake up, Seattle! We are at a latitude above the Midwest and even if the Pacific has blessed us with temperate climate in the past, its time to take stock of climatic changes and be fully prepared when the worst hits. I spent 8 years in Michigan and Indiana, before moving to Seattle 2 years ago and I am 'amazed/shocked' to see this wonderful city come to standstill for days, due to a 6-8 inch snowfall. My biggest concern is for drivers on the road, who had a tough time driving home last night, and some who had to abandon cars at foothills/streets and walk home. Isnt this what we pay taxes, fees for? Safe driving conditions. I see this as a basic right. Why is it that 'rusty' Detroit can get up on its feet in a day after a foot of snow, while 'hi-tech' Seattle comes to a standstill for days due to 4-6 inch of snow. It's time to get back to the basics, invest in resources, prepare and be there for your citizens when they need it most. What cracks me up is that police and DOT threatens drivers to pick their cars up from shoulders and street sides as they can pose danger to drivers. I'd like to ask - where are the drivers? (They're all home, because the streets are still unsafe)

My All Wheel Drive Subaru had no problems negotiating the Sunset street Issaquah Highlands hill BUT I had to zig zag around a hundred of these "Two Wheel Drive" vehicles which managed to scatter themselves all over this wide road.

So that these fools would not block more of my way I honked continuously and had all bright lights on as I squeeze between vehicles to the far left and then over to the far right.

Did I stop to help and join the mess, NO WAY; don't believe in rewarding their stupidity.

Also, a clear message before a snow event needs to be sent to those who think that they can abandon their vehicles anywhere they please. "Your vehicle will be towed and you will be fined at the very least $500 ", period.

During the first part of my commute on I90, I saw 3 to 4 chainLESS metro buses wrapped around each other with passengers starting to walk along I90 !. These buses blocked all of I90 traffic for hours. I passed a chainLESS snowplow who was stuck on the Eastgate Ramp.

Once past all of these bad drivers the whole I90 was nearly empty allowing me to travel at a comfortable 50 mph. I watched pickup trucks and a few cars whilst attempting to keep up with me, spin out and go into the ditch. If you have not driven 20 yrs in snow country, don't try to keep up with me.

we are vietnamese student came there 4 months ago .we are living in Southest Auburn . Last night , we got a chance to see snow .It's the heviest snow I have ever seen . It's amazing because everything is white . Moreover we could play with snow like in the movies we have watched . we made a huge snow man together with some resident live in my area . we got a lot of fun . I could see the brotherhood last night . Everyone smiled and talked a lot . I think it's been the my happiest time in usa since i came here . Thank you for every one played and talk with us yesterday . thanks to henry my host .
Have a nice winter !!
NHAN LE

Wed. afternoon in Bellevue, the snow started coming down hard about 4 p.m. My wife and I left downtown Bellevue about 4:30 for a usual 12-15 minute drive home to the Crossroads area. It took us 1-1/2 hours. Cars could not make it up slight hills. Tires were spinning and cars parked on the sides of the road. We were able to weave our way past a number of cars in our AWD Subaru without trouble. I think it would be interesting if someone did a study on the makes of all the cars that were abandoned to see if there is a trend as to models with the most problems. I was wondering if the highway patrol kept records of cars abandoned along side the roads.

There have been many good points made about people not knowing how to drive in the snow, the city/state paying for the proper equipment, etc. It is all true. However, this city is a melting pot for peoples of all nationalities from every point on the planet. That is not true of the midwest. We have people who are seeing snow for the first time so try to cut them a little slack. Not everyone has 20 years of driving in the snow experience that you seem to be so blessed with. As a five foot two, buck ten, single mom, when my car gets stuck sideways, I don't have a way to move my car to the correct side of the road and I cannot wait for a tow truck with my toddler at 10 pm. I grew up in Spokane and know how to drive in the snow. But, I cannot control how others drive. Instead of choosing to not "rewarding people for their stupidity" and driving by them, how about viewing it as "I have a chance to teach these people a skill that I have possessed for 20 years". My sister joined me in her Honda Pilot and with her 4WD we spent the greater part of 3 hours ensuring people got home. If you have the ability to help, maybe you should get out of the car and be part of the solution instead of complaining on a blog.

We had a Blast! The Snow is Awesome!

I had a 4 hour commute, merging onto Rainier and I 90 at 5:00 pm. At that point, i was committed and had no way out. I had several hours going through Mt. Baker tunnel and over the I 90 bridge. Once I hit Mercer Island, I was finished with the foolishness of the freeway. I took my chances, went on the island and headed for Galligar Hill. Putting my tiny Toyota Corolla into 2nd and low, I made it just fine. Not one slip. Once again on I 90, I had several exits to travel before I could be home. I was able to pass 405, but let me tell you... several idiot drivers were viaing for lanes, thinking my lane was better than theirs and moving back and forth. Once I came to Richards Roads, I decided, no way was I going to be in that line. Same goes for the line on the 150th exit. I went ahead to Newport Way. I passed many cars, later finding out 127 abandoned cars on that ramp alone, and went west onto Newport Way. There was only about 3 other cars with me, but they were traveling way too close. I wanted to be in 2nd or low, so i pulled away for them to pass. The idiots!!!! I praise my father, who, 35 years ago, had me practice on slick roads at the age of 16 at the local skating rink and parking lots in Durango, Colorado. During my entire commute of 4 hours, I never once slid, never once was out of control. That says a lot for front wheel drive, tiny corrolas, and a sane driver that drove slow, never stopping. Heaven Help Seattle if we are really in a Global Warning and have winter conditions to deal with. This winter has proven to be too much!

Hello! I live in ISSAQUAH at the top of the terrible Talus Hill. This is the second time this year that the hill has been a nightmare for those that had to attempt to get to the top just to get home. Many have children that it would be difficult to be in the low temperatures with. I just really want to say a huge, grateful THANK YOU to all the men who helped the night the snow hit. Several folks had to abandon their cars as they were stuck on the north side of Talus hill, (the side you must drive to go up the hill) thus causing a parking lot effect which left the people still attempting to go home only one choice... to drive up the "down" hill. Several people also were stuck in the snow and the ice on that side as well. State route 900 had so many cars parked that there wasn't any more space for others. We all learned after the last ice storm we had that you can not leave your car abandoned as you will be towed. So many of us forged ahead! The MEN I referred to earlier were organizing a plan and began pushing people till they were able to get some traction. After that it was smooth sailing for those that had 4 wheel drive or chains and knew how to drive on ice and snow. REMEMBER LOW GEAR!!!!! Yes the snow can be frustrating but you know we have some really good hearted, helpful people that live in this great state and I for one am glad they are around. My only regret was that I have no idea who these men were to be able to thank them personally. They pushed about 10 cars when they got to me. Something had to happen because if their had been an emergent situation in any of the Talus neighborhoods there would have been absolutely no way for the ER vehicles to get to those people except to walk up the hill.
In return I was able to give other people rides to the bottom of the hill or the various parking lots in Issaquah this morning to retrieve their cars. PAY IT FORWARD I SAY! THANK YOU THANK YOU!

A quick note on some of the other blogs..
1. AWD Subaru driver, be a mensch! Put your power or capability to good use and help people around you. The fact is you should'nt need a AWD to get home on city roads or highways.
2. Cities in the midwest are equally diverse, if not more than Seattle, but the 'system' is in place when you need it and there's no excuse for KC to not be prepared for such weather.

A quick note on some of the other blogs..
1. AWD Subaru driver, be a mensch! Put your power or capability to good use and help people around you. The fact is you should'nt need a AWD to get home on city roads or highways.
2. Cities in the midwest are equally diverse, if not more than Seattle, but the 'system' is in place when you need it and there's no excuse for KC to not be prepared for such weather.

Seriously, Mother Nature... haven't we had enough??? I moved here over 14 years ago and never seen a winter like this. It took me 40 minutes to go less than a mile from work to home... due to people abandoning their cars in the middle of the road! I took it slow, kept my distance and was totally fine.... be cautious and pack your patience. The roads in Kirkland are fine today.. bare and dry. BRRRRR!

After moving here from Spokane 29 years ago, I still don't understand why people would rather slip & slide and complain every time it snows or gets icey, rather than just invest once in a good set of snow tires! If everyone was properly equiped, ideally with studded or studless snow tires, these so-called "storms" and "arctic blasts" would be no big deal at all. No more late starts or no-school days, radically fewer accidents, and so much less wasted time and effort on everyone's part. You'd still have to drive cautiously, but savings would more than pay for the initial investement.

I like to thank the Good Samaritan - Glen from Sammamish, for offering people rides up to the treacherous Sahalee way on Wednesday night.

AVOIDING VEHICLE FAILURE during our current weather event:

Our car died two days ago. We had to abandon it & find alternative means of getting home. Today, our car is fine. What happened was this: when a car is idling, the alternator disengages (I didn’t know this!). It was cold; all of our electrical systems were on...so there went our battery. Solution: put the car in neutral (park is even better if you’re not moving) and raise the engine rate by several hundred RPMs for a period of 30 seconds to a minute, just enough to get the alternator to kick-in again to feed the battery.

The people at the service station where we had our car towed said that there were cars all over the place whose batteries died for this reason. Clearly this is a common problem, so that’s why I’m posting here. You don’t have to be one of them.

KEEP YOUR ALTERNATOR ENGAGED DURING IDLE.

Here Here! The only thing I think that is wrong with this blog is the pumping of the breaks....if you have ABS Breaks...just go very slow and ride the break....do not pump.....you will defeat the ABS Breaking system....

Other than that...we did great in a front wheel drive car with regular all season tires...no chains...no studs...the secrete is slow and steady...lots of distance....

We are from the Midwest and Northeast, this was nothing!

Enjoy the Snow!

Posted by: Annoyed at January 11, 2007 03:10 PM

Like Ashley in an above post, my wife and I are native Midwesterners. I'm sorry, but what goes on here when it snows is nothing short of absurd. (And yes, we have LOTS of hills in the Midwest.)

What occurred last night is what we in Illinois or Missouri would term "a skiff of snow." Yet my wife got stuck in a situation on Market Street in Kirkland last night where people couldn't get up the hill and were simply abandoning their cars, which then caused people behind them to stop and then get stuck. It took her four hours to travel nine miles. And there was nary a police officer to stop the madness.

It's simple, folks: When it snows, drive steadily. Don't stop if you can avoid it in places where stopping might preclude starting again. Use a liberal amount of following distance. Anticipate climbing hills by ensuring the proper momentum, though not too much. Anticipate descents on hills by gearing down and *tapping/pumping* brakes. Too many of you wind up in a ditch by not looking far ahead and then braking too vigorously.

If you are driving an SUV, be aware that 4WD can isolate you from correctly feeling road conditions. It instills a false sense of confidence. And then when you brake, you discover the road is slick and you are burdened with 1,000 extra pounds of inertia.

Please learn to do this correctly. Millions of us in the heartland learned to do it back when all cars were rear-wheel drive, in far more robust snows and in icestorms that fell trees. Surely with modern vehicles and modest precipitation, you can get much, much better at it. Thank you.

To the cocky people who are "expert" snow drivers, you need to realize that many of us are from California and other places (even here) that seldom get snow! No need to come to a blog and put us down.

On Wednesday night, the biggest problem I saw were the SUV drivers who thought they were invincible. You too can and will end up in a ditch when you drive too fast! You can't stop one bit faster than anyone else.

We were in my dad's truck last night with 4 wheel drive and spun a 560 and there was no body damage or injuries! :)

This may not be someting that anyone wants to hear, but I am at the point where I want someone, anyone, to answer a simple question. Where is the salt?

I am originally from Chicago, IL. I know snow storms and blizzards and what has happened here is near nothing. I am in shock at the fact that schools are closed down for something as insignificant as this. School would not have to be closed if the city was doing it's job and salting the roads. We are on our second day of icey grounds. There is no reason why the main roads should not be salted and deiced by now.

What I find even more disturbing is the fact that my apartment complex, The Westridges, did not put salt down on any of the walkways or parking lots. I don't understand how people can be so irresponsible, especially when it comes to the safety of others.

Through all of these storms and power outages, I have to say that I really do not like the way this state handles disasters. They are not handled timely, nor orderly and it makes me question whether this state has the capability to handle a more extreme disaster.

I just watched your article about driving in the snow. It was given by a defensive driving instructor. He stated to pump your breakes. I am a professinoal driver and mechanic, and with the anti locking break system on the new vechicles this is the last thing you want to do. It overides the breaks computer and causes them to lock up. I hope you will look into this and issue a correction.

Another Midwesterner here. I have one thing to say...PLEASE SALT THE ROADS. Like many others on this blog have said, salt does wonders...and would potentially have made the eight hour commute I experienced from Lynnwood to Sammamish much shorter and safer. Again,SALT!!

I have to say that there has been alot of Seattle-bashing going on in this blog site. For all the mid-westerners and blizzard-vets out there, let me say welcome,but Seattle doesn't get snow. In the twenty years I've been here, I can count the serious accumulations on one hand. We don't have the resources for snow clearing that cities like Chicago, Buffalo, etc. have. So with that being said, snow/ice here causes multiple accidents all over. That's why people have to slow down and thus we get massive traffic jams. If you don't like it here, then you have my blessing to go back to your lovely winters and clear road conditons that you've become accustomed to.

I am kind of frustrated and scratching my head wondering why so many people out here have no idea how to drive in the snow and ice! We have all heard of chains but hardly anyone has them, if they have them they don't keep them in their car!?! People, everyone should carry chains in their car here as this winter has surely taught us. I have never lived somewhere where people are so unprepared. I could go on and on about how wimpy people seem here, they cry about everything from the deicer trucks and scrappers not getting to ALL the roads here, to the hard working linemen who sacrificed their time with their families over the holidays to get the power back on, and so much more.I have seen people yelling in their cars, or zooming around because they got "stuck" behind a deicer or sand truck Maybe these people who keep complaining should sacrifice their safety, time and sleep for once and give these hard working men and women a break. Stop complaining, get out of their way and let them work.

People in Seattle aren't used to the snow and icy roads so what do you expect from us?! Good for those who are raised in that kind of weather and know how to drive correctly when it comes to icy roads. Sorry, but I'm not used to it so people like me are going to freak out when we drive.

Why in the world would anyone suggest using SALT on our roads? Do you want our cars to turn into rustbuckets like the cars in the "salt belt"?

Carmakers have vastly improved anti-rust standards over last 20 years. It's a non-issue for most cars today. Moreover, given that SALT might be required only 2-3 times in a season and it rains the rest of the winter, the car's undercarriage is going to get washed off anyways. The environmental impact of salt is perhaps more concerning and warrants analysis. With that said, what is the trade-off - Having a system (salt, deicer, whatever) in place to help people get home safe vs. having them abandon their cars miles away from home and worry about how they can make it back in the cold or worse still damage/loss of life and property. I'd choose the former - be prepared for the snow/ice and freezing temps, even if you need to use it every other year.

Cars are definatly less rust prone than in the past but it is hardly a "non issue". Just look underneath any car from the salt belt. Mechanics hate to work on them because all of the fasteners are rusted together.

The sand works pretty good but the trucks can't be everywhere when they are needed.

Hopefully it'll warm up soon!

I just didn't even bother driving in this mess. There are stupid people on the road all the time, but with the ice and snow people just seem to think they can drive like they normally do, which is too fast. What do you think is going to happen if you are driving too fast or riding someones ass in these conditions? Think! Also, people who left there cars are the side of the road, should be towed and charged. You were warned not to leave your cars!! Wake up and listen!

Just one comment to dog owners: yes, the snow is fun for dogs, but you do need to remember to put that leash back on when you venture onto the sidewalks.

We nearly hit a dog today whose owner had forgotten to re-leash his dog. The excited dog dashed out right in front of us, and we had to hit the brakes hard. If we'd still had the donut on our wheel (we were returning from having a flat fixed) or had there been an icy patch as there was just a bit down the road, that dog would be dead now or seriously injured.

Protect drivers and pets: use that leash!

Unincorporated King County. Beverly Park resident. Several women were stuck in their cars at the Glendale exit of Hwy. 509. on Wednesday evening after 5pm in the height of the snow. Several different people called 911 from their cell phones. Each time, whoever answered 911 had no idea where we were (even after the zip code of 98168 was given, repeatedly, and specific highway directions and street names. ). At one point a 911 dispatcher asked the caller if they were calling from a casino in Sea Tac. The post office tells us our mailing address here is Seattle. 98168.

we were informed by 911 that no one would come. Period.

A plow eventually came, got off the exit ( hwy 509), plowed to the left and then headed towards the Glendale country club and golf course) . We were all amazed that not only did regular citizens in trucks and cars ignore the stranded motorists in the middle of the street, but even this truck/snow plow - it ignored each and every car to the right of the exit. It was terrifying.

My car was sliding and next to a ditch so I put on the emergency brake and put it in park. A man in a big pick up truck even rolled down his window once and asked me to move my car so he could get through.

If city people in Seattle felt ignored, us "unincorporated King County" people felt beyond ignored. Esp. when an official came to help the metro bus. Well after the bus was stuck for an hour and the drivers and their cars going on two hours. In the middle of the street.

.I hope this will be my last time. I can't wait to move, Far far away from this city, county and state.

HELP! I live in Edmonds, WA in a neighborhood called Shell Park II. There is only one way in and out of our neighborhood and the hill coming in and out is completely covered in ice. The City of Edmonds has done nothing to help get us out of here but put a baracade at the top of the hill that says "Street Closed". I have been walking in and out of my neighborhood since Wednesday evening with my two kids. Everyone in the neighborhood parks at the top of the hill and walks to be able to go anywhere. I have to make my kids walk up the hill in the morning for school to be able to drive them from there. I was tempted to call 911 to see how in the world the emergency vehicles would get here. I find that it is a situation that needs to be rectified. There is an emergency road that comes here through a city park called Yost Park but the city has not opened it to allow us to access it. We have not received mail since Wednesday or Thursday. I feel trapped and the situation is worsening because now it is all ice and very dangerous to be walking on. The worst of it is that they are calling for more snow on Tuesday morning. When are we ever going to get out of here? Please please like you saved the people in Tukwila please do something for us folks here in Edmonds that just want out!

...Just one question for anyone who cares to answer - Where are the plows??? I haven't seen a plow or a sand/salt truck since last Thursday!

I know the DOT can't be everywhere at once, but it's been 4 days or so since the last real snowfall, and every side street I've seen is still covered in a thick layer of ice.

Is the WA DOT just waiting for it to melt? Where are they? Have they given up completely on plowing/sanding operations? Is this the best they can do? Someone please tell me!

Ok guys... I agree with several of you ENJOY IT! If you need to get to work when it snows find a way... if you dont trust yourselves in it or forsee yourself getting stuck on a hill and ABANDONING your vehicle.. drive with someone else or walk. If you DONT need to go to work. Dont! Enjoy this - this many cold fronts in Seattle in one Winter is not common ;) Be safe! Have fun.

Eli from Edmonds : )

Oh my gosh!!! There is no way I can take another day of snow... First when I saw the snow I'm like Yes......but come to think I'm not a kid anymore, I actually have to go to work. So what has been happening to me in the past week was on early Thursday morning at 6:00 when the snow was saying suprise to me I was steping on every single snow saying thank you for sticking around buddy!! Well I started my day off by driving to work and not even leaving my apt building I started to slide side ways and it took me about 5 minutes to get back on track (keep in mind that I drive a Acrua, not a good car to drive in the snow). When pulling out to oncoming traffic.. pulling into the only lane I got stuck in the middle of the road and my tires were moving but my car wasn't and all the cars was just honking and flashing their lights at me and I'm like "Hello I'm stuck" and then I was able to proceed with caution onto the lanes and when I got to the stop light I couldn't move again... So I have to be patient for another 2-3 minutes until my car get his act right.... While driving about 25 miles per hours really slowly so that I don't slide again some car just decided to think that I'm going to slow so they drove really fast and cut me off and threw a snow ball at my car and I'm even more annoyed not only at the snow but at the crazy drivers out there and keep in mind again that it is only 6 o'clock in the morning and this is all happening....Well I'm almost at work about 5 more minutes another crazy driver decided to be a little impatient and decided to cut everybody off and their car was slipping and sliding everywhere and guess who it happen to hit... Hmmm let me guess ME!!!! I was soo mad and annoyed because this crazy driver was in a hurry and I have to get out of my car in the cold weather in my dress shoes with snow all over it and talk it over with the driver... Come to find out that this crazy driver was my little brother and his best friend.... what a bad snowy day!! huh!

Hmm, yeah there was this persont hat posted saying that we were complaining about the weather here, and something else about bragging because she grew up somewhere else and is experienced with this kind of weather. so maybe the ppl here are experienced but that doesnt mean its not new. it hardley snows here in washington and now it has, so get over it and how bout u stop complaining about us complaining because thats what happeneing to us here. i really dont care where u are or how u deal with ur weathe, all im concerned about is where i live and how my friends and family and myself can get around easily soo.

My story isn't really a bad one....My sister came here for a visit on January 3, she lives in Arizona, so she hasn't seen snow in years! She was very excited to get a couple of "snow days" while she was here! She fell a couple of times while trying to "ice skate" in our cul-de-sac, but she's only 35, she handled it well! She went back to the desert life on Sunday the 14th only to find they were supposed to have the coldest day in Arizona in 16 years!!

Its 3:30 right now. and the snow is jusk pounding and the snow flaks are huge so i was wondering if your team would come here

Another 4 inches of snow this morning up here in Northern Whatcom County! That's on top of the original 10" of snow that later blew into uneven drifts of 2 to 4 feet! With some evaporation and melting due to sunny days and dry air, the snow drifts were down to about 1-2 feet by this morning, now with 4 inches of new snow and still snowing, it looks beautiful outside, but all the roads are compact snow and ice, either new compact snow and ice, or old inch thick stuff that has a new layer on top of it! No wind though, so it's really beautiful on the trees!

Temps up here at night the last week have been from 8 degrees to 16 degrees, with highs from 18-29, until yesterday, when under a very sunny sky the temp finally broke above freezing for 3 hours! Up to 34 degrees yesterday, then the clouds moved in in the afternoon and it dropped back down to 29-31 degrees.

Been in that range all night, started snowing aroud 3am, been snowing hard to moderate ever since!

Welcome to the great white north of the Northwest Interior! ;-)

OH MY GAWD, it's snowing in the Northwest again.
People can't get where they need to be. Is the world coming to an end? As a true Eastsider it is funny to watch the anarchy that only a few inches of snow creates on YOUR side of the mountains.

the snow is meltting in Gig Harbor

I appreciate the fun everyone who knows how to drive in the snow is having at the expense of those who don't, but it is a stressful time for some people. Please don't let your pleasure in how funny this may seem to you get to the point of being rude or snide. I was raised around here and snow like this that sticks around only happens every 5 years or so. I've had very little practice driving in it, but manage to do okay. I wouldn't want to test my skills on a long drive so I understand people who are having a hard time getting around.

Think about it this way, if you needed an umbrella or a jacket once every five years then it might stand to reason that you would only go out and buy one when you need it rather than spending money on these items and then not using them for several years, possibly loosing them during that time. Further, if you are caught in the rain without warning you would have to wait before you could go to the store to get one along with everyone else who suddenly needs one as well. By the time you got to the store, rain jackets and umbrellas would pretty much be sold out due to the sudden demand in an area that doesn't keep supplies up on these items. I'm sure some Seattle born folk would laugh at your inability to prepare for the rain, but it would be related to your climate, location, and experience. . not to your stupidity or inability to understand the options we have to handle it (tire chains, salt, sand, plows, etc.).

Enjoy watching all of us panic and slide, but it will be raining again soon and things will return to normal. Just remember to apologize when your friends and neighbors forget how arrogant you were during the snow while they help you sandbag your property during the spring runoff.

Just watching the home video of the drivers out in Seattle. Please people, STAY AWAY from MA. Do you people not have any idea how to drive a car in bad weather? This is a big deal to you people? Try living in New England for 4 months a year. That video was absolutely hysterical how those drivers just keep tapping the gas and sliding into cars wrecking other peoples property because they never read a drivers manual. Please stay away from New England.

Are you kidding? HAHAHA!! That home video is awesome. What was that maniac thinking in the jeep at the beginning hitting 4 cars, a wall and a telephone pole. Priceless.

Not a doubt in my mind a woman was driving that vehicle. HAHAHAHAHA!!!

Female drivers, that was amusing. Definately women driving those cars that were all over the road.

the problem with Seattle vs. Boston and Vermont is simple: winter does not usually happen here. It usually rains and stays grey for 9 months out of the year.

Seattle, WA does not usually get snow. Therefore there are maybe like a half dozen snow plows. If that. Period.

Yes, the officials wait for it to melt. They have better things to do. They sell donuts here, too. And we have crime, drugs and homeless people as well.

Snow plows clear the roads. NOT cops. Tow trucks come but you have to pay them. Esp. when we have tons of hills, unexperienced drivers, and yuppies and greeners (hippies) trying to co-exist. It's confusing. Trim the trees, don't harm the trees. Build more condos, but tread lightly on mother earth. Then the wind knocks the trees down, which knocks down the power lines and we all lose power (remember mid-December anyone when 30,000 of us lost power, for like a week).

Add to that alot of caffeine. (Starbucks & Micro-soft are based here). Oh yeah, and take away the sun for about 9 months. Then drop the temps below freezing and let it snow.

I've lived here for about 13 years. This is the 3rd winter I've seen it snow like this. Again. I can't wait to move. Not from here and have had enough.

5 more inches of snow today, so that's 35 inches so far since Thanksgiving. Nice! Love living in the Northwest Interior! Whatcom county sees snow much more regularly, and while we have some poor snow drivers, most folks handle it well.

Even with heavy snow all morning this morning, schools were open, either on time, or running 1 or 2 hours late, but we manage anyway!

Looks like it's warming up though, as we actually got a little drizzle tonight- not even freezing drizzle, just plain old drizzle, even though the temp at the surface was 32.9 to 33.4 degrees. Usually that means snow, but that tells me the temps further up are not all that cold right now, so it's warm all the way down tonight until right at the surface.

Staying up around 33 all night, what with the heavy cloud cover up here on the north end, so not looking like a freeze or cool down before the next system hits by daybreak, so I figure it's going to be a RAINY day here tomorrow, not a snowy one, for the first time in many weeks!

I grew up in the Pacific - Algona area and remember lots of storms. The only thing I can say (or ask) is, is it really worth it to go out on those snowy, slick, nasty days and risk life and property damage to you and others? It never was to me. I told my boses at Boeing the same thing. I just called it a snow day. Even if I had to take the day off without pay. Kind of like being back in school. I had fun!!!

I am glad I moved away from that mess. People in eastern WA know how to drive on snow and ice. WE SLOW DOWN FOR IT!!!!

All of you folks really need to thank the snow plow people instead of complaining all the time. In King county there are ove 1800 miles of roadways and 240 bridges they are responsible for. That does not include the miles of paved roads inside the city limits of all the towns. Thousands of miles of roadways to plow. What the heck do you want from these working men and women? Quit whining and learn how to deal with it. Show how you are true, surviving, tough Washingtonians that can handle anything.

I think it is GLOBAL COOLING remember that, the same wackos that are saying we are in for global warming 20 years ago. For every scientist that says global warming is here there are five saying there is not but the media and idiots like al gore only give air time to the scientists they want to scare us with. My dad is one of the scientists that the media hung up on when he didnt tell them what they wanted to here. As for driving it is all common sense people something to many people need more of.