Below-freezing weather drives Seattle's homeless into shelters

More than 150 people stayed at Seattle's severe-weather shelters last night, according to the city's Human Services Department.

With temperatures dipping below freezing this week, the city decided to open two extra severe-weather shelters to accommodate the extra people expected to seek shelter from the cold, said Al Poole, the department's director of homelessness intervention.

The city's two regular weather shelters — at City Hall and the Frye Hotel — were over capacity of 100 last night, he said. There was still space at the shelters opened at the Lutheran Compass Center on South Washington Street and the Union Hotel on Third Avenue.

The city will keep the shelters open throughout the weekend, and may decide to open an additional space at the Seattle Center, he said.

People seeking shelter can call the community-service hotline at 2-1-1.

Danny Mercer, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Seattle, said that temperatures in the Seattle area will probably remain below freezing until Sunday.

Over the weekend, there could be a mix of rain and snow, but it is unlikely that snow will accumulate, Mercer said.

The city's severe-weather shelters open when the temperatures reach 32 degrees or colder, or when there are two or more days of heavy rain.

Christina Siderius: csiderius@seattletimes.com