180+ Crashes As Winter Weather Persists In King County: WSP

KING COUNTY, WA — King County agencies continue to recommend against taking unnecessary trips this week, as temperatures remain below freezing and many roads are still covered with snow or compact ice.

According to Washington State Patrol, troopers responded to 184 crashes in King County between Christmas evening and Monday morning. Most Puget Sound communities picked up 4 to 6 inches of snow through Sunday afternoon. On top of the collisions, WSP reported 615 other weather-related incidents, including vehicles stuck in the snow.

At least one crash involved a WSP vehicle that was rear-ended Sunday by a driver on Interstate 5 near Southcenter, officials said.

In the South Sound, troopers deployed to 166 crashes on Sunday alone in Pierce and Thurston counties, and WSP said drivers traveling too fast for the winter weather were the main culprits. The stubborn stretch of arctic air will prevent most melting before at least Thursday, and more moisture expected by Wednesday evening will likely add to the existing snow and ice.

Residents can check the status of roadways in unincorporated areas via an online map, and many cities offer similar options. However, even roads that have been plowed may still be slick.

"At this point, the plows can't do much more — what's left on the roads is compact ice," said Rob Karlinsey, Kenmore's City Manager, in a news release Monday. "It's more about sanding and salting at this stage in the game. Salt and sand are in limited supply and can't be spread on all of the city's roads. The crews have been able to plow down to bare pavement on some parts of the major arterials, but for the most part, it's a skating rink out there."

The rare round of winter weather is also impacting public transit, and King County Metro is operating under its Emergency Snow Network, which narrows service down to 60 core routes.

Residents can find a list of winter travel resources on King County's website. Drivers can learn more about the snow and ice plan for Washington's freeways and highways via WSDOT.