Winter Weather Advisory in Effect, Enumclaw Schools Closed Thursday

Enunclaw students get a third snow day Thursday even though most of the snow fall has passed through -- concerns about travel conditions due to freezing rain continue to affect normal operations for a variety of agencies.

All Green River Community College campuses are also closed Thursday. Day and evening classes, activities and Board of Trustees meeting are canceled. There are suspended operations for employees.

At the time of this writing, there was no word on White River School District.

The National Weather Service's current winter weather advisory is in effect until midnight tonight with very little snow accumulation expected.

The advisory does warn of freezing rain that will cause local accumulations of ice this evening -- up to around one-tenth of an inch. According to the advisory, "this is enough to break tree branches... bring power lines down... and make roads extremely slippery."

As of 9 p.m. Wednesday, traction tires were advised for both directions of State Route 410 to Crystal and Greenwater. Oversize vehicles were prohibited.

According to the Washington State Department of Transportation, temperatures are expected to range from the single digits in some areas to just below freezing in others before climbing into the 40s by Friday.

WSDOT gives this advice to drivers:

• When snow and cold temperatures mix with heavy commutes, drivers should expect backups and potential lengthy delays.
• Drivers can prepare for snow and ice by checking travel and roadway conditions on the WSDOT website and packing winter weather supplies, including tire chains.
• For travelers or non-travelers, this means it is decision time. Staying in? Have a full tank of gas, just in case. Going out? Pack tire chains and a winter car kit and drive for conditions. Also, know the traction and chain requirements.

King County Operations: Some King County agencies are reporting altered operations Thursday. Updated closures are posted online in real time at www.kingcounty.gov. Here is a list of some of the operations that are currently affected:

• Board of Health: The King County Board of Health is canceling its meeting for this Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board will be Thursday, February 16 at 1:30 p.m. in King County Council Chambers.
• Public Health Centers: Public Health Centers may have limited services.  If you plan to get services at a Public Health Center or other Public Health location, please call before you leave home to find out if the service is available. Contact information is available on the Public Health website at www.kingcounty.gov/health.
• King County International Airport: Big runway is open, small runway is closed. No impact to air traffic. 
• Garbage collection service disruptions: Disruptions in garbage collection are being reported in several areas of King County. Customers who are missed on their regular collection day this week are asked to secure their garbage and put it out for collection on their regular day next week. There are several companies providing garbage-collection services throughout King County, and residents are urged to contact their individual hauler for information: http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/garbage-recycling/garbage.asp
• Metro Transit: King County Metro Transit will keep its buses chained up and on snow routing for a fifth straight day on Thursday. Depending on the roads and traffic, bus service will probably still be significantly disrupted and delayed on Thursday. Metro plans to operate the same level of service it had today with up to 30 routes canceled on Thursday. Please consider limiting travel if at all possible. Travel conditions could change overnight or during the day, so please check Metro’s snow page (www.kingcounty.gov/metro/snow) for the current status of bus service.
• Online Services Available: King County residents may be able to obtain some services online, such as pet licensing, car tabs, marriage licenses by mail, property tax payments, business licensing and more.

King County Roads: King County Road Services Division crews are currently reporting very hazardous driving conditions along with several road closures. Most of the county's road response has focused on plowing and sanding. In many parts of the county, the snow has come down so hard and fast, snow response has been mostly confined to heavily traveled arterials in the county.

Currently eight roads are closed, including:

• SE. Lake Holmes Rd. between Auburn-Black Diamond Rd. and 129th Way SE near Auburn
• 103 Ave. SW. between SW. 112th St. and Vashon Hwy SW., Vashon
• 87 Ave. SW. between Dockton Rd. and SW. Cemetery Rd., Vashon
• SW. 268th St. between 94 Ave. SW. and Dockton Rd. SW., Vashon
• 58th Pl. S. between West Valley Hwy. S. and 55th Ave. S. near Algona
• 56th Pl. S. between 55th Pl. S. and West Valley Hwy. S. near Algona
• S. Star Lake Rd. between S. 277th St. and 52nd Ave. S. near Auburn
• 55th Ave. S. between S. 277th St. and S. 284th Way  near Auburn

Motorists should continue to monitor travel conditions and road closures by visiting King County's MyCommute website. About 150 field staff continue to work twelve-hour shifts to support 24-hour operations countywide. That around-the-clock schedule will continue until conditions improve. The county has about 50 pieces of snow removal equipment (ranging from snowplows and sanders to anti-icing vehicles) available to maintain 1300 miles of urban, suburban and rural roads in unincorporated King County.

While county crews will continue to tend to snow and ice, roadways can quickly refreeze. Steep roads, less traveled roads and bridges can be particularly hazardous, especially at night and during the early morning hours as commuters head out to work. For more information about the King County Road Services Division's snow and ice plan online.

If residents must leave home to get on the roads in the morning, check local traffic cameras to be aware of conditions: http://info.kingcounty.gov/transportation/kcdot/Roads/TrafficCameras/allcameras/