Warmer weather seen after messy morning

Area motorists slipped and slid through up to 8 inches of snow in areas north and east of Seattle this morning — and looked ahead to what forecasters say will be a snow-free weekend.

The storm front that brought snow and icy weather and a massive pile-up on Snoqualmie Pass Wednesday dropped more snow through the night.

U.S. Highway 2 in Snohomish County was closed for several hours this morning after a semi- truck jackknifed around 4 a.m. near milepost 38 east of Index, according to the Washington State Patrol. Power lines were downed in the incident, police said. It highway reopened at 7 a.m.

Snohomish County was among the hardest-hit by the snowfall, with some areas receiving as much as 8 inches.

Police in Snohomish County said they responded to approximately 60 weather-related accidents through the night.

With the exception of Darrington, all schools in the county were closed due to the weather.

On the Eastside, school was closed today in Northshore, Snoqualmie Valley and Riverview school districts. School was delayed in Bellevue, Issaquah and Lake Washington school districts.

This is the 11th school closure for Riverview, which has lost the most days in the area due to weather this school year. Snoqualmie has missed nine days so far.

Snohomish County sent 30 plows and sanders out at 5 a.m. to clear roads and get them ready for the morning commute.

"It was an interesting night, but it's a nice snow to get off the road," said Steve Pratt, director of Snohomish County's Bridge & Road Maintenance division. "It's not packed down with ice at this point."

School closures helped the county road division with clearing, Pratt said.

"With the major school districts out, that takes a lot of pressure off the roads," he said.

Two disabled semis blocked lanes eastbound Highway 18 and an early morning collision on the Issaquah Hobart Road closed all lanes for a time.

The State Patrol said an abandoned car that was blocking traffic on southbound I-405 just south of the junction with Interstate-5 has been cleared, but traffic remained sluggish.

All lanes of traffic are open on Snoqualmie and Stevens passes, according to the State Patrol, but chains or traction tires are required.

Police report fewer problems with slick roads in Seattle proper, but said there are problems with ice on elevated roads and bridges and urged commuters to leave earlier than usual and drive carefully.

The National Weather Service predicts scattered snow showers before 10 a.m. today and forecasts that temperatures will creep up to a high of about 42 degrees later today with a 50 percent chance of rain.

Tonight is predicted to be cloudy with a low of about 31 degrees, but no further snow is predicted. High temperatures are predicted to reach near 48 on Friday with rain predicted for Friday night.

The good news is that this morning should mark the last of the current stretch of colder-than-normal temperatures, according to the Weather Service. Warmer temperatures are forecast through the weekend along with a good chance of rain, McFarland said.

A massive pile-up involving at least 50 vehicles and causing several serious injuries shut down Snoqualmie Pass last night for hours. The crash in the westbound lanes of I-90 on Wednesday afternoon closed all lanes across the pass well into the evening. Semi trucks stuck in the eastbound lanes halted traffic going in that direction, as well.

The pileup occurred about 3:30 p.m. on compact snow and ice on the Franklin Falls Bridge, an elevated section of the freeway, State Patrol trooper Jeff Merrill said. Chains were not required to cross the pass at the time.

"We talk about this all the time; people need to slow down on elevated roadways," Merrill said.

After the collision, crews had a hard time getting enough tow trucks to the scene to clear out all of the vehicles, Merrill said. The State Patrol arranged for a Metro bus to come up to the pass so stranded drivers and passengers had a place to stay warm and a way to get off the pass.

Four people suffered serious injuries, the State Patrol said, but details weren't available.

A 150-gallon fuel tank on one semi involved in the crash sprang a leak when it jackknifed, spilling about 100 gallons of fuel down a storm drain and into a creek, Merrill said.

At least one lane was re-opened in each direction by 9:45 p.m.

Besides the pileup on the pass, the State Patrol Wednesday reported gridlock on city streets and major highways in Snohomish County after heavy snow started falling at about 4 p.m.

"The convergence zone this afternoon has just been a nightmare," Trooper Kirk Rudeen said Wednesday. "It really started coming down before 4 o'clock and it started coming down hard -- hard and fast."

Commuters heading to the east and north saw delays of several hours as they fought heavy snow. Dozens of minor crashes were reported to police, and some drivers were abandoning cars along streets too difficult to navigate.