How Seattle is preparing with chance of major snow event on the horizon

With Seattle fast approaching a potential major snow event, Seattle and King County leaders provided details Wednesday on how they’re preparing streets and roads for the pending inclement weather.

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Mayor Jenny Durkan noted that the city has been “working year-round” to prepare for snow, and that crews stand at the ready to ensure that roads are clear from fallen trees, snow, and ice.

Much like it’s done in past winters, that will see the Seattle Department of Transportation prioritize the use of roughly 35 snow plows for roughly 1,200 miles worth of “Seattle’s most critical routes to hospitals, schools, emergency services and shelters.”

It will be making a slight tweak to that plan this year, by adjusting plow routes to account for the ongoing closure of the West Seattle Bridge. Routes to COVID-19 testing sites will also be prioritized.

While SDOT clears city streets, the Washington State Department of Transportation will lend a hand by constantly clearing interstate highways to ensure crucial roadways like I-5 remain safe for drivers.

WSDOT employs an additional 100 trucks for dealing with snow between Snohomish on the north end and Thurston County on the south end, with crews pretreating roads with anti-icing chemicals. Statewide, WDOT has 500 plows and dump trucks responsible for 20,000 miles of lanes.

As for sidewalks in Seattle, that’s where the city’s residents are asked to pitch in.

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“With over 2,400 miles of sidewalk in Seattle, we need your help to clear ice and snow from the sidewalks around your home, business, and/or job site,” SDOT detailed. “Stock up, shovel nearby sidewalks, and help keep everyone in Seattle moving safely.”

To predict when and where snow might arrive, the city uses a forecasting tool developed by the University of Washington known as “SNOWWATCH.” That tool enables SDOT to see which specific neighborhoods will be affected most, and then allocate crews accordingly.

Additionally, Seattle’s bridges are equipped with sensors that “provide timely and accurate air and roadway surface temperatures.” Combined with traffic cameras situated across the city, SDOT has the means to monitor any fallout from a major snow event in real time.

This would also mark the first major snow event the city has dealt with in the midst of the pandemic. That means riders on Sound Transit and King County Metro are urged to continue wearing masks, and expect reduced route service.

For those who are able, residents are urged to stay home and off the roads if possible.

“Winter weather is unpredictable, so please don’t make the trip if you don’t have to during a snowstorm,” SDOT head Sam Zimbabwe said Wednesday. “Plan ahead if you do, and plan to go slowly and carefully.”

As of publishing, the National Weather Service believes that in terms of the chance of snow by Saturday, it’s “less a question of ‘will it snow,’ but rather ‘how much?'”

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