PORT ANGELES — The first blast of snowy weather of the year on the North Olympic Peninsula refused to go quietly.
From Port Townsend to at least Joyce, fresh snow showers blanketed sidewalks and driveways recently cleared of the white stuff Thursday, which was predicted to be cold but calm.
State of emergency
Gov. Chris Gregoire declared a statewide state of emergency after Seattle and many areas in the southwestern part of the state suffered ice storms.
No power outages and no major vehicle wrecks were reported in Clallam County as of 1 p.m. Thursday.
Every school on the North Olympic Peninsula, except for Crescent School District in Joyce, which had a two-hour delay, was closed.
“The buses were able to get in and out, the highway was safe and passable, so we’re ready,” Crescent Superintendent Tom Anderson said.
Anderson estimated that Joyce received 2 inches of new snow as of Thursday afternoon, and it was unclear whether the district’s school would be open again today.
Snowplows on roads
Clallam County Engineer Ross Tyler said all snowplows were back on the roads Thursday as planned, though drivers had more work to do than anticipated.
“We didn’t expect the snow we’re getting right now,” he said.
The unexpected snowfall, which followed two storms earlier in the week, was caused once again by cold air from the Fraser River Valley in British Columbia slamming into a low-pressure system centered over Southwest Washington, said Jeff Michalski, Weather Service meteorologist.
“We had only a 20 percent chance [of snow Thursday],” he said.
“We’ll have to increase that.”
Snow, freezing rain
New snowfall, expected to range between 1 to 3 inches, was concentrated in East Clallam County on Thursday morning, Tyler said, with some freezing rain in Forks.
“It’s slicker than the dickens,” Forks Mayor Bryon Monohon said Thursday morning.
“We got the streets sanded. I think right now, all we can do is see what happens when the rain comes in.”
Tyler said the freezing rain in the Forks area was proving a worthy adversary for snowplowers.
“It’s building up enough of a glaze on everything that basically, we can’t plow it,” he said.
Clallam Bay appeared to avoid much of this most recent wave of wintry weather.
Only a few short flurries were seen as of early Thursday afternoon, said Trish Hutson, Clallam County Fire District No. 5 chief.
Cape Flattery School District Superintendent Kandy Ritter said schools there remained closed because the side roads were too dangerous to drive on.
“We are planning to run school tomorrow on regular time,” she said.
In East Jefferson County, the snow that fell Thursday was in smaller quantities than Wednesday, when both Brinnon and Chimacum reported 5 inches of new snow to the Community Collaborative Rain, Snow and Hail Network.
The network reported 1 inch of new snow in Port Townsend and Chimacum, along with 1.7 inches in Brinnon and 1.3 inches in Port Ludlow.
No major wrecks were report in East Jefferson County.
Although largely unexpected, Thursday’s snow showers should be the last of the week, said Jamye Wisecup, Clallam County Emergency Management Department program coordinator.
But there’s still reason to worry.
Rain expected
Wisecup said precipitation will continue to hit the North Olympic Peninsula hard through much of next week, though it will be in the form of rain, not snow.
That, combined with the area’s snow coverage, creates the perfect opportunity for flooding, she said.
“Next week is going to be a much bigger dump,” Wisecup said.
Officials in the cities of Sequim, Port Angeles and Forks said they were keeping an eye on the situation.
“That’s our big concern right now,” Forks Public Works Director Dave Zellar said, adding that crews will be working to clear storm drains.
The city of Sequim was filling sandbags Thursday in preparation for possible floods from snow melt, but a city streets supervisor said he doubted it would be a repeat of the winter of 1996-1997, when East Washington Street was knee-deep in floodwaters at Bell Creek after a double-whammy — heavy snows followed by heavy rains.
“We’re thinking it’s not going to happen,” city streets manager Mike Brandt said.
“But if you get ready, maybe it won’t happen.”
The city of Port Angeles is asking residents to help by keeping their storm drains clear, spokeswoman Teresa Pierce said.
Trash and recycling pickup in Port Angeles was delayed Thursday until further notice.
For updated information, phone the Solid Waste Division at 360-417-4876.
To report flooding in Port Angeles during regular business hours (Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), phone 360-417-4825. During after-hours and weekends, phone 360-417-4745.
To report flooding in Sequim, phone 360-683-4908 during regular business hours 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
After regular business hours, phone 360-912-7059.
Zellar said Forks residents can report flooding by phoning City Hall at 360- 374-5412 or by dialing 9-1-1.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Jeff Chew contributed to this report.
