Strong winds, more snow on the way

Puget Sound residents coping with slick streets and freezing temperatures now need to brace for another blast from Mother Nature: a fierce windstorm barreling toward Western Washington that could produce gusts in the Cascade foothills up to 75 mph.

"We do have a very dangerous winter storm that is headed toward Western Washington this weekend," said Brad Colman, chief Weather Service meteologist in Seattle.

Motorists were advised to avoid unnecessary travel around Western Washington, as the storm, expected to continue into Sunday, could magnify and prolong hazardous conditions on area roads and highways. Temperatures were forecast to remain at or near the freezing level until Monday.

"This will be a major winter storm that will be life-threatening and disruptive to transportation and power for significant parts of Western Washington," Colman warned.

Forecasters say it is virtually certain to topple trees and produce power outages in some areas, particularly in east King and Snohomish counties, where sustained winds of 50 to 70 mph are projected.

"People need to figure out, 'How will I heat my home safely if the power is out for a few days?' " said Andy Haner of the Weather Service.

Haner stressed that people need to avoid using barbecues and generators indoors, which have produced fatal cases of carbon-monoxide poisoning in recent years.

Haner said people in areas that typically get high winds, such as Enumclaw, North Bend, Black Diamond, Gold Bar and areas near the foothills, should have several days' worth of food at home. Another option, he said, is to arrange to stay with friends or relatives,

In the Seattle area, sustained winds of 20 to 35 mph are forecast, with gusts up to 50.

The amount of snowfall will vary widely through the region. Parts of Kitsap County and the Hood Canal area could see six to 18 inches of snow, while the Seattle area may see a trace to four inches.

Haner said freezing rain on Sunday could make travel treacherous, even on major highways

Next week will bring gradually warming temperatures, with highs into the upper 30s on Monday and possibly into the 40s by Christmas Day.

Utilities were bracing for the likelihood of damaging winds and power outages.

"We're gearing up crews," said Davina Gruenstein, spokeswoman for Puget Sound Energy. "We're having local crews and crews from the Canada area. The Canadian crews are always good with snow and ice."

Although they have a contingency plan for bad-weather outages, Seattle City Light officials are meeting today to firm up details for this weekend, spokesman Peter Clarke said.

This morning, slick streets and bitter cold greeted commuters around Puget Sound, but early indications were many motorists were heeding warnings and avoiding the commute.

"The side streets are just terrible. They're just a sheet of ice," said State Patrol Trooper Keith Leary in Snohomish County. "The freeway system is passable ... But what we don't want to see is people getting too confident. This is going to be around for a while."

Early today, with most schools and many government offices closed, many people appeared to be taking the day off, and traffic volumes were light.

"Basically, drivers need to be constantly evaluating whether a trip is necessary," said Sean McDermott, a spokesman for the state's Department of Transportation.

King County Metro suspended service on about half its routes and pulled most of its articulated buses out of service.

Friday's garbage-collection runs in the Seattle area were canceled. Customers whose pickups were missed this week were advised the could put out a double load on their next scheduled service date.

The city of Seattle hasn't seen such bad winter road conditions in a dozen years, said Rick Sheridan, spokesman for the city's Department of Transportation.

Already one death has been partly blamed on the cold, and a teen was injured Thursday in a sledding accident.

Smooth commute

By Thursday afternoon, commuters in Seattle got "passable" primary arterials, said Sheridan, the city spokesman.

The city has 617 miles of such primary arterials, like Aurora Avenue North or Rainier Avenue South, and another 914 miles of secondary arterials, which were to be plowed next.

Sheridan said all those hundreds of miles of road are being made passable by 21 trucks that have plows in front and can sand and de-ice. Two of the trucks are specifically assigned to work only the West Seattle Bridge and the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

Crews in Bellevue were busy as well, keeping priority arterial streets clear for emergency vehicles, commuters and transit, said city spokeswoman Wendy Skony. The city was asking drivers to stay off the streets and warning that weekend driving conditions would likely be even worse.

Although it's the weekend and most people won't be commuting to work, the storm is likely to hamper Seahawks fans trying to make it to Qwest Field by 1:05 p.m. Sunday for coach Mike Holmgren's last home game — against Brett Favre and the New York Jets.

Trucks with plows, salt and sand will be working the stretches of interstates 5 and 90 leading to the stadium. The state has 106 trucks plowing highways from King County to the Canadian border.

If fans make it to their seats, they'll brave the previous night's snow, as well as expected freezing rain, Michalski said.

Man dies

Kitsap County authorities said the freezing weather may have claimed the life of a 36-year-old Port Orchard man after he apparently wandered away from his home on Tuesday evening. He was wearing only lightweight clothing.

The body of John Clarence Makepa Basso was found Wednesday afternoon in the underbrush near his home in the 11900 block of Ridge Rim Trail Southeast.

According to the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office, the man had a medical condition that diminished his mental capacity and caused him to behave erratically.

He was last seen by relatives Tuesday around 7 p.m. and was reported missing at 10 a.m. Wednesday. His body was discovered around 2:20 p.m. behind a residence off Southeast Lakeway Boulevard not far from his home.

An autopsy is scheduled, but deputies said there was no evidence of foul play.

Thursday afternoon, a teen on a sled being pulled by a car slammed into a parked car on 127th Avenue Southeast, according KING-TV. As the teen rounded a corner, he swung out and hit his head on the bumper of another car.

He was transported to a hospital with cuts, bruises and a possible concussion, KING- reported. The driver's age was not known.

Schools

The freezing temperatures and bad driving conditions affected schools and businesses.

School districts throughout the region — Seattle, Bellevue, Issaquah, Tacoma, Edmonds, Everett and Northshore — are closed today. A complete list can be found at schoolreport.org.

School districts find themselves making decisions about weather closures based on rapidly changing conditions.

Seattle Times staff reporters Nicole Tsong, Sonia Krishnan, Christine Clarridge, Charles E. Brown, Amy Martinez and Mike Lindblom contributed to this report.

Erik Lacitis: 206-464-2237 or elacitis@seattletimes.com