Seattle overwhelmed by barrage of snow
An unusual group of storm systems battering the Pacific Northwest has halted dozens of flights and knocked out power for thousands, hitting Seattle with as much snowfall in one day as it usually receives in a year, according to the National Weather Service.
Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington declared a state of emergency Friday.
“Everyone in our state needs to focus on preparing for the snow and staying safe,” he said in a statement. “Weather forecasters predict this may be a storm unlike one we’ve seen in many years. I encourage everyone to stay off the roads if possible and plan ahead if you must travel.”
In one day, 7.2 inches of snow were recorded at Seattle-tacoma International Airport. “Our average snowfall is around 7 inches for the season,” said Jeff Michalski, a meteorologist with the weather service.
“It is a lot of snow at once to deal with across the region,” Michalski said.
More than 200 flights have been canceled at the Seattle airport on Saturday, according to Flight Aware, the flight-tracking website. Power failures have affected over 60,000 customers in Washington, according to Puget Sound Energy.
Washingtonians will get a brief break from the snow during the day Sunday before the storm resumes heading into Monday, producing another 4 inches or so of snow across the state overnight, according to Michalski.
Seattle has made more resources available for residents and the city’s sizable homeless population.
“The city continues to work to limit the impact of this winter storm on residents and access to services,” Mayor Jenny Durkan said Saturday.
On Thursday, a 59-year-old man was found dead of exposure at a lightrail station in Seattle, The Seattle Times reported.
The Seattle Police Department announced additional efforts to get people out of the cold.
“We are adding additional emergency services to care for our vulnerable homeless community,” including dedicating Police Department vans to transport people to shelters, the department said on Twitter on Friday.