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

Seattle WA

27 December, 2021

2:56 PM

Description

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. This is a pic of the troopers car. Thankfully he will be ok. #SlowDown. pic.twitter.com/CM39JT9M8N— Trooper Rick Johnson (@wspd2pio) December 26, 2021 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. 🥶Snow is here, neighbors! We've got you covered: ❄️Need to find nearby snow routes in Unincorporated @KingCountyWA ? ❄️Want to see where our snowplows are working today? 👉🏽https://t.co/8iK3Kk0jqy or call the 24/7 Road Helpline: 206-477-8100. #wawx #KingCountyReady pic.twitter.com/TZuu5WODgv— KC Road Services (@kcroads) December 26, 2021 "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." ⚠️⚠️⚠️ THIS!!! Driving in from Marysville to Seattle this morning there were many cars with ice and snow flying off the roof. Also - please leave plenty of room between vehicles, especially in the icy conditions. #wawx https://t.co/rc59A7qOkO— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) December 27, 2021 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. Transit Alert - Dec. 27 afternoon snow update King County Metro will continue to operate the Emergency Snow Network on Tuesday, Dec. 28, due to ongoing freezing temperatures & difficult road conditions. Service is focused to about 60 core bus routeshttps://t.co/8qw8JT95RN#wawx pic.twitter.com/6VaTMgvdfe— King County Metro 🚏 🚌🚎⛴🚐 (@kcmetrobus) December 28, 2021 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.