Local News

Headed to the mountains?  Be prepared for heavy snow.

One to three feet of new snow is expected in the Cascades and Olympics by Tuesday evening, according to a “Winter Storm Warning” from the Weather Service.  Snowfall is expected to increase into the afternoon and evening today, taper off overnight and then become heavy again on Tuesday.  Travelers are advised to be prepared for hazardous conditions.

The Associated Press

UPDATE: 7:30 a.m. | Snow that fell over much of the Puget Sound area early today is changing to rain, but not fast enough to clear all roadways in the morning commute.

A light rain was falling at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport just after 7 a.m.  “We’re expecting that trend to continue over the next couple of hours and hopefully we’ll change to complete to rain by 10 this morning,” said Steve Reedy of the National Weather Service.

In the early hours, snow contributed to numerous accidents, including one in which a State Patrol trooper’s car was hit in the Lynnwood area while he was investigating another accident.

State Patrol Trooper Mark Francis said a trooper had stopped near the interchange of Highway 525 and Highway 99 in Lynnwood about 5:30 a.m. to help a motorist whose car had gone off the roadway. The area was then covered in about a half-inch of snow. While the trooper was out of his car, it was struck from behind by a pickup. The trooper was not hit, and no one was hurt.

Francis said snow has been a factor in “a bunch” of collisions in South Snohomish County.

Snow was also covering some roadways in several Puget Sound counties, although most highways and major routes were bare and wet. By midday, the freezing level is expected to climb to between 1,000 and 1,500 feet.

Snow swept into the area from the southwest and began falling in the Central Puget Sound area between 2  a.m. and 3 a.m.

Heavy snow is expected to continue in the mountains.  Dustin Guy of the National Weather Service said the Olympics could see 10 to 16 inches of fresh snow in the next 24 hours,  and the Cascades could get one to two feet of new snow.

At 8:30 a.m., chains were required on Snoqualmire Pass for all vehicles without four-wheel drive.  On Stevens Pass, traction tires were required.  Travelers should check for updates.

A number of school districts have announced schedule changes.

The Associated Press

The Washington state Aviation Division continues to search Thursday for a plane that failed to arrive Monday on a flight from Tonasket to Sequim.

Two of Jefflo’s children, who live and have businesses in Seattle, say they hope that if people are outdoors this weekend that keep an eye out for any sign of their father and his plane.

“Our dad is a highly-qualified pilot with over 40 years flight experience, and all that knowledge and skill leads us to believe that successfully landing in an emergency situation is likely — even in the rough terrain of the Cascade mountains,” said family member Paul Jeffko in a statement. “We remain hopeful that he will be located, and grateful to WSDOT and the hundreds of others actively searching.”

Anyone who may have seen or see something can call 360-410-7757 or email missingaircraft@wsdot.wa.gov.

By early afternoon Friday, a wet and blustery storm was making its way across Western Washington, as promised.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was recording wind gusts approaching 30 mph at 1 p.m., while Port Angeles was recording gusts of 35 mph.

Mixed rain-and-snow were falling in the Stevens and Snoqualmie Pass areas, expected to switch to just snow within hours, and building up to 6 to 11 inches over the next couple of days.

In  the Seattle area, both the wind and the rain are expected to diminish by 4 p.m., but the weekend is still looking soggy. Seattle’s forecast calls for a 100 percent chance of rain on Saturday, dropping to 50 percent on Sunday.

The Methow Valley News online has a fascinating story on a young woman — a hunter, research forester and UW grad — who had an encounter with two gray wolves in September in the mountains near the Methow Valley.

The woman, Kari Hirschberger, told her story to writer Ann McCreary, who put together a well-told piece on Hirschberger’s experience in the wild.

A small bite from the story:

As she walked around the area, she came upon a spot where a shallow hole had been dug in the dirt, and pieces of deer hide were in and around the hole. It occurred to her that this might be an animal den and she first thought of a cougar.

“I realized I should not be there,” she said. As she began to walk away, she became aware of movement on a hillside nearby.

Have a look.