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It's getting deep out there!

Prying Pandora

By Prying Pandora
in Northwest

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TotemLake

+TotemLake

Posted
Posted (edited)

Want me to stop doing my snow dance and snow call? :lol:

NO! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! :) The NW has grown a bunch of weather wimps - nobody remembers how to drive in the snow - we need to toughen everybody up.

 

We're up to 2.5+ inches and it's still coming down!

Dude, when it snows, it costs me $28 per day to park because Metro stops driving. It's killing my bank account.

 

New update: We're pushing 3" now.

Edited by TotemLake
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AndrewRJ

+AndrewRJ

Posted
Posted

4 inches and Seattle gets its streets salted!

According to the report I just heard on the news, salt is being put down as I type.

 

What!?! Think about what will happen when all that salt runs in to the sound!

 

 

 

 

:lol:

 

Jim

 

In all actuality. Not much. A short term increase in salinity in the near shore, and I mean a very small increase but not enough to affect most plant or animal life. Nearshore currents will dilute the amount into the sound in a few days.

 

The larger question is how many other communities around the sound also have this practice? Then the drop in the bucket could add up.

 

The DOT has been using salt on the highways all winter, every winter, and nearly all that is flushed into soil, creeks and streams. Seattle is a relatively isolated event that isn't anything to worry about... Of course that is my oppinion and I understand if yours varries.

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hydnsek

+hydnsek

Posted
Posted

4 inches and Seattle gets its streets salted!

According to the report I just heard on the news, salt is being put down as I type.

 

What!?! Think about what will happen when all that salt runs in to the sound!

 

 

 

 

:D

 

Jim

 

In all actuality. Not much. A short term increase in salinity in the near shore, and I mean a very small increase but not enough to affect most plant or animal life. Nearshore currents will dilute the amount into the sound in a few days.

 

The larger question is how many other communities around the sound also have this practice? Then the drop in the bucket could add up.

 

The DOT has been using salt on the highways all winter, every winter, and nearly all that is flushed into soil, creeks and streams. Seattle is a relatively isolated event that isn't anything to worry about... Of course that is my oppinion and I understand if yours varries.

From what I've read, the sand is potentially more destructive than the salt, as it silts up the waterways and shallow areas. There's no easy solution.

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hydnsek

+hydnsek

Posted
Posted

I may have to bump up the terrain on the air of your ways.

Thanks TwoJJ

 

http://img.geocaching.com/cache/log/478a44...86ec40aa058.jpg

Wow! :D

That is an amazing pic!

 

I hit the latest snowstorm last night as we were en route to the Clinton ferry coming back from Whidbey. After a rough crossing, crawled down the freeway through blinding snow. Had about three inches of fluffly stuff at my home, but the rain and warmer temps have melted most of it. And we finally got a garbage and recycling pickup today, after a month. Woo hoo!

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hydnsek

+hydnsek

Posted
Posted (edited)

I may have to bump up the terrain on the air of your ways.

The impediment (courtesy of Two JJ):

478a446f-9ac3-4744-a59d-886ec40aa058.jpg

 

If you haven't done Alnilam's cache, it's outside of Darrington. He sent me this followup email and photos:

 

I don't know if you remember the barn up there at Mom's but we lost it on the 29th. The rain combined with the snow was just too much for it. Two horses were trapped for a few hours before a neighbor cut them out. Both survived unhurt. Must have been in the right place at the right time!

Barn under snow load:

99e5ee42-0d97-4210-89f6-28432a8ff6df.jpg

 

Collapsed barn:

4e5055d2-ad0d-485a-898f-cdb13eec0a1f.jpg

Edited by hydnsek
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Dgwphotos

+Dgwphotos

Posted
Posted

Took me 6 and 1/2 hours to get from Renton to Wenatchee in blinding snowstorms and icing up windshield wipers accross Snoqualmie and Blewett Pass last night on way home from Whidbey Cache Machine.

 

It wasn't that bad for me, just the distance, and a lack of familarity with the road. I'm not the world's most confident driver, and having snow around does not help!

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Pyewacket

+Pyewacket

Posted
Posted (edited)

Well...

 

I did start feeling bad so I asked for the snow to stop. Instead, it turned to rain, creating a slushy, gloopy mess. If it's any consolation to you guys (paybacks, dontchaknow), I got well and truly slushed by several passing cars today while out on my bike. My dance/call doesn't reach the mountain passes; those of you affected by that have my sympathy but you can't pin the blame on me.

 

And poor Alnilam and family. :D I'm so glad the horses weren't harmed, though.

Edited by Pyewacket
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Patudles

+Patudles

Posted
Posted

We all arrived home safely despite our adventure. The cache machine was worth it all. I haven't left my house yet, not even to go buy those much needed new windshield wipers. At least I am an experienced snow driver and I drive with four studded tires that some seem to think are evil. But they make me feel safer. As I sit here in my office this morning I am watching more snow come down. It is beautiful and I love living in an area that has all four seasons for me to enjoy. Will get my camera out and take a pic or two later.

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markandsandy

+markandsandy

Posted
Posted

Well...

 

I did start feeling bad so I asked for the snow to stop. Instead, it turned to rain...

 

Of course, now they have posted a flood watch :)

 

The current forecast for the Snoqualmie river out by us is 6 feet over flood stage by Thursday morning (that's 1 foot below the record).

 

No direct problem for us, but we might not be getting out of town for a day or two.

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Allanon

+Allanon

Posted
Posted

Well...

 

I did start feeling bad so I asked for the snow to stop. Instead, it turned to rain...

 

Of course, now they have posted a flood watch :)

 

The current forecast for the Snoqualmie river out by us is 6 feet over flood stage by Thursday morning (that's 1 foot below the record).

 

No direct problem for us, but we might not be getting out of town for a day or two.

I hope that isn't a surprise for anyone.

 

With the amount of water that fell from the sky as snow, only to have it melt because of warm temps and even more water from the sky as rain...it was inevitable.

 

Not that I'm not sorry for those affected by it, but it was only a matter of time.

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markandsandy

+markandsandy

Posted
Posted

Well...

 

I did start feeling bad so I asked for the snow to stop. Instead, it turned to rain...

 

Of course, now they have posted a flood watch :)

 

The current forecast for the Snoqualmie river out by us is 6 feet over flood stage by Thursday morning (that's 1 foot below the record).

 

No direct problem for us, but we might not be getting out of town for a day or two.

I hope that isn't a surprise for anyone.

 

With the amount of water that fell from the sky as snow, only to have it melt because of warm temps and even more water from the sky as rain...it was inevitable.

 

Not that I'm not sorry for those affected by it, but it was only a matter of time.

 

Not a surprise, we've lived in Carnation for 25 years, so we know what to expect.

 

It's interesting that it still fits the title of this thread. :)

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Allanon

+Allanon

Posted
Posted

Well...

 

I did start feeling bad so I asked for the snow to stop. Instead, it turned to rain...

 

Of course, now they have posted a flood watch :)

 

The current forecast for the Snoqualmie river out by us is 6 feet over flood stage by Thursday morning (that's 1 foot below the record).

 

No direct problem for us, but we might not be getting out of town for a day or two.

I hope that isn't a surprise for anyone.

 

With the amount of water that fell from the sky as snow, only to have it melt because of warm temps and even more water from the sky as rain...it was inevitable.

 

Not that I'm not sorry for those affected by it, but it was only a matter of time.

 

Not a surprise, we've lived in Carnation for 25 years, so we know what to expect.

 

It's interesting that it still fits the title of this thread. :)

LOL...true.

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Dgwphotos

+Dgwphotos

Posted
Posted

I'm bummed out. Now it's back to boring old hunt caches in the rain...

 

Although, I did get a nice mini-umbrella that fits in my waist-pack kit! It'll keep the logs nice and dry.

 

But it would be cooler to use it to keep snow off the logs...

 

Didn't get enough snow caching while hunting my new cache? :)

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TeamIDFC

+TeamIDFC

Posted
Posted

I'm bummed out. Now it's back to boring old hunt caches in the rain...

To harken back to those fun-filled snow days, I offer for your reading entertainment this family email I sent about TeamIDFC's little xmas "adventure" driving through the snow from here to Sacramento after our flight was canceled. Long, but periodicly amusing...

 

------------------------

 

The holidays. A joyous, happy, full-filled time of the year.

 

Snow. A joyous, fun-filled, happy natural occurrence.

 

Seattle. A lovely waterfront town full of happy, fun-filled people.

 

Snow, in Seattle, at the Holidays. Not a town full any longer of fun-filled people. A town filled with people not going anywhere. A town full of people trying to get away for the holiday and not having much luck.

 

Such brings us to before XMas. Saturday the 20th was a snowy, white day. TeamIDFC ventured out and about, then wandered back home in the lightly falling snow. We learned that Alaska Airlines had canceled half their flights. Hmm. But - the weather was supposed to get better.

 

Sunday the 21st dawned cool, with more light flurries of snow. The airport was still a mess, but the weather forecast called for warming and clearing, and our mid-day Monday flight looked good to go. We felt very sorry for the folks that had already missed their flights, but we were feeling pretty good about ours leaving as scheduled to Sacramento.

 

That evening we started packing up to fly out and began checking the web. Could we upgrade to first class, etc, etc. About 9:30 MsIDFC refreshed the flight status and suddenly our hearts sank. The flight was showing canceled. Hmm, that's weird - they don't usually cancel a flight in the middle of the next day this soon. Something smells fishy.

 

So, we tried to call. A lot. Then MrIDFC hooked the computer up and autodialed. A lot. After 350 dialing attempts with nothing but a busy signal, a call to MsIDFC's travel agent, and some checking of the web we learned that there was no way we were going to get out on our flight. Turns out our pals at Alaska had the plane, had the crew, would have a clear runway, but had run out of de-icer. Ok, so they'll get more, right? Well, that's the rub. The de-icer was coming by truck and was stuck east of Spokane.

 

There were already thousands of people that had been bumped, Portland was also mostly closed, and there are only about 4 flights a day from Seattle to Sacramento. We were now at the back of the line to try and get rebooked. In other words, it wasn't gonna happen.

 

So, at about 9:45pm we decided that if we wanted to have XMas with MsIDFC's family and sisters, as well as go to her sister's baby shower, we needed to drive. Minor point, though - it was still snowing. A LOT. Oh, well - load the car and let's see what we can do!

 

So, we headed out of town about 11pm Sunday night. The roads were still snowed, but reasonably packed in most places...

 

Given the late hour and Sunday night timing, there were few other cars on the road which meant we were able to drive our own pace most of the time. The GeoMobile (Toyota Land Cruiser) has all-wheel drive, traction control, and anti-slip, so it is pretty nimble in the snowy conditions. Yes, we were "those people" that bombed along when others were crawling. We decided that we were just going to go until we were tired, but about the time we got south of Tacoma we realized how valuable leaving at night was. Usually we sit in traffic from north of Tacoma all the way through Olympia, and then again in Portland when driving south. Just imagine those people on a snowy, icey road in the morning...

 

After midnight on a snowy Sunday there were large chunks of I-5 that we had all to ourselves. We decided that we wanted to get south of Portland so we could avoid their Monday morning commute traffic snarl, so we drove until about 3am and crashed at a Super 8 in Wilsonville. Not surprisingly, there was quite a bit of action in the Super 8 lobby at that time. Plenty of folks heading both north and south for the holidays. A few weather updates from the northbound folks told us we still had some action to look forward to tomorrow...

 

After a 3 hour "nap" we got up, showered, and found a Les Schwab to by some tire chains. We'd made it this far, but we knew if we didn't buy them we'd wind up needing them, and if we did buy them we wouldn't. Turns out we didn't.

 

We had about another 30 miles of snow on the road - actually the worst sections of it thus far - really chunky, hard, almost pot-holed packed snow. But, once we got near Salem we started seeing the semi-trucks on the other side of the road putting their chains on so we knew we had gotten south of the snow.

 

After that it was just your normal long-distance I-5 drive south. All told, it took us about 13.5 hours which isn't really all that bad. 4 hours of it was pretty white-knuckle, but we made it nonetheless.

 

Moral of the story? Move to a city where the infrastructure has the capacity to handle a mid-sized weather event without having the entire city come to a crashing halt for a week.

 

Oh, and if you are driving from Sacramento to Seattle, avoid the cars throwing rocks (broken windshield) and the highway patrol (speeding ticket) when coming home… :)

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hydnsek

+hydnsek

Posted
Posted

[south of Portland....] We had about another 30 miles of snow on the road - actually the worst sections of it thus far - really chunky, hard, almost pot-holed packed snow. But, once we got near Salem we started seeing the semi-trucks on the other side of the road putting their chains on so we knew we had gotten south of the snow.

I had the same experience south of Portland. I left Tuesday for Eugene. Everything was fine till I got past Portland. Around exit 281, traffic came to a halt, and the roadway was the mess you describe. Happily, I got off at that exit to go visit a friend and deliver gifts. I wound up staying overnight because they closed I-5 South to try and clear the road (right after my exit), which created a six-hour backup (some cars ran out of gas). Yikes. While the side roads were icy and largely unplowed, I had no problem with AWD and enjoyed a spontaneous, festive evening. The next morning, I-5 was good to go, and sure enough, the snow vanished at Salem, and Eugene had only rain.

 

Agree with your sentiments on Seattle + snow. :)

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The Jester

+The Jester

Posted
Posted

I'm bummed out. Now it's back to boring old hunt caches in the rain...

 

Although, I did get a nice mini-umbrella that fits in my waist-pack kit! It'll keep the logs nice and dry.

 

But it would be cooler to use it to keep snow off the logs...

 

Didn't get enough snow caching while hunting my new cache? :)

Nope, just made me wish for more. Besides it was trying to rain while I was hunting your cache.

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TotemLake

+TotemLake

Posted
Posted

I'm bummed out. Now it's back to boring old hunt caches in the rain...

 

Although, I did get a nice mini-umbrella that fits in my waist-pack kit! It'll keep the logs nice and dry.

 

But it would be cooler to use it to keep snow off the logs...

Of course my leg heals and the snow melts. Coincidence? I think not.

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Allanon

+Allanon

Posted
Posted (edited)

From an email we just got from the Regional Public Information Network:

 

Residents, motorists urged to stay safe as King County experiences historic flooding

King County

Release Date and Time: 01-07-2009 01:29:00 PM

 

The powerful tropical storm that has brought heavy rain across King County this week is now pushing some rivers to what could be record levels. Meanwhile, roughly two dozen roads are already closed across King County, and motorists are urged not to take risks and adhere to all emergency road closures.

 

The King County Flood Warning Center, which has been in operation since mid-afternoon on Jan. 6 to monitor conditions, has issued Phase IV flood alert levels for the Snoqualmie and Tolt river systems – King County’s highest flood alert level.

 

Updated flow information

 

As of 1 p.m. Wednesday, the sum of the Snoqualmie River’s three forks was 52,340 cubic feet per second (cfs), while just before noon the Tolt River near Carnation was flowing at 12,700 cfs, with dangerous widespread flooding occurring throughout those river valleys.

 

The flows on the Tolt River are the highest that have been recorded since the river was dammed in the early 1960s, while flows on the Snoqualmie River could be the highest seen since the record flood event in 1990.

 

Meanwhile, flows on the Green and Cedar rivers are also high, with minor to moderate flooding expected in low-lying areas along those streams.

 

River flooding limiting Snoqualmie Valley road access

 

The number-one cause of fatalities during flood events is motorists who ignore “road closed” signs and drive onto flooded roadways. King County residents are cautioned to not drive through standing water as the region continues to experience near-record river levels from the recent rainfall and mountain snowmelt.

 

Roughly two dozen roads are closed from either water over roadway or landslides, across the county, and access to cities and neighborhoods is becoming more difficult, particularly in the Snoqualmie Valley.

 

In addition to the closure of State Routes 202 and 203, the King County Road Services Division has closed several other valley roads.

 

While many valley roads are now closed, Northeast 124th Street between the West Snoqualmie Valley Road and Carnation-Duvall Road remain open. These are the only primary travel routes providing travel access into the valley. However, with the magnitude of flooding, motorists should closely monitor the road status, as these roads, too, could be closed as the day progresses.

 

Given the severity of the storm, resident should use extreme caution when traveling, especially in flood-prone areas of the county. King County residents are cautioned to not drive through standing water as the region continues to experience near-record river levels from the recent rainfall and mountain snowmelt. Urban flooding from swollen creeks, overwhelmed storm drains, river flooding, and mudslides can also be expected until the heavy rain moves out of the area.

 

Monitoring continues

 

Flood Warning Center staff will continue to monitor stream gauges and weather reports and provide updated information on river conditions as necessary. Real-time river level information is available online at http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wate...ing-system.aspx.

 

Updated information on flooding will also be posted on the King County Web site at www.kingcounty.gov, or via RPIN, the area's regional Web site at http://www.rpin.org. A recorded flood-information hotline is also updated each hour for citizens wanting information in flood areas. The number is 206-296-8200 or 1-800-945-9263.

 

Citizens who need help interpreting flood information should call 206-296-4535 or 1-800-768-7932. Problems on county maintained roads can be reported by calling 206-296-8100 or 1-800-KC-ROADS.

Edited by Allanon
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Pyewacket

+Pyewacket

Posted
Posted

CHINOOK, warm strong winds at my house. Temp outside tonight in the 60's.

 

The town ditch here in eburg is higher than it would be in the spring and summer. Normally, they lower the water level in the fall, then raise it again in the spring, as it's a agricultural canal.

There were people sandbagging my apartment building a few hours ago.

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WeightMan

+WeightMan

Posted
Posted

I just heard on the news a bit ago that Snoqualmie Pass will be closed for some time. There was an avalance at Hyak that went clear down to the ground. That was IN the ski area. They weren't sure if that one went over the freeway, but there was another one that did. They did say that those avalanches were not easy to trigger by normal methods and so the pass will be closed until the danger of those is gone. For more details see KING's website.

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The Jester

+The Jester

Posted
Posted

Anyone know what the Cedar River looks like right now?

Above flood stage in Renton. Any where in particular along the river that you might be interested in?

 

I did see that data. Along Highway 169.

We just took a drive out to look at the Green and Cedar rivers in Tukwila and Renton. Neither one looks like they will go over their banks any time soon. The Cedar is full - the walk way along the river from the Library downstream is covered - and running pretty fast.

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WeightMan

+WeightMan

Posted
Posted

Anyone know what the Cedar River looks like right now?

Above flood stage in Renton. Any where in particular along the river that you might be interested in?

 

I did see that data. Along Highway 169.

We just took a drive out to look at the Green and Cedar rivers in Tukwila and Renton. Neither one looks like they will go over their banks any time soon. The Cedar is full - the walk way along the river from the Library downstream is covered - and running pretty fast.

Without going out there, I decided to disable my cache along the river near the golf course. It has to be under water.

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Dgwphotos

+Dgwphotos

Posted
Posted

Anyone know what the Cedar River looks like right now?

Above flood stage in Renton. Any where in particular along the river that you might be interested in?

 

I did see that data. Along Highway 169.

We just took a drive out to look at the Green and Cedar rivers in Tukwila and Renton. Neither one looks like they will go over their banks any time soon. The Cedar is full - the walk way along the river from the Library downstream is covered - and running pretty fast.

Without going out there, I decided to disable my cache along the river near the golf course. It has to be under water.

 

Mine is behind a dike, so it's probably protected. I do recall that yours is a lot closer to the river, and in an area that isn't protected by a dike.

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WeightMan

+WeightMan

Posted
Posted

Anyone know what the Cedar River looks like right now?

Above flood stage in Renton. Any where in particular along the river that you might be interested in?

 

I did see that data. Along Highway 169.

We just took a drive out to look at the Green and Cedar rivers in Tukwila and Renton. Neither one looks like they will go over their banks any time soon. The Cedar is full - the walk way along the river from the Library downstream is covered - and running pretty fast.

Without going out there, I decided to disable my cache along the river near the golf course. It has to be under water.

 

Mine is behind a dike, so it's probably protected. I do recall that yours is a lot closer to the river, and in an area that isn't protected by a dike.

Although my cache is probably under water, the real problem is the approach to the cache. There is a spot where the river has gone over the trail in the past and is probably running strongly through that gap at the moment. I have the cache tethered and it has survived previous floods.

 

At least the rain stopped (for now).

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WeightMan

+WeightMan

Posted
Posted

I can't say that I woke up to this this morning because I was too nervous to sleep.

 

3179348029_f0a512db1b_o.jpg

Across the street from my apartment building

 

3180181636_e63686218b_o.jpg

The front of my apartment building; the water is a couple of feet deep.

 

3180179954_f75c7545be_b.jpg

Pano of the side street

 

I hope you are safe, dry and warm. Those are amazing pics. I loved the pile of snow at the library on your video. That really shows what we have been through.

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markandsandy

+markandsandy

Posted
Posted

I'd like to post some pictures, but the cameras are at home in Carnation, and we stayed in a hotel last night. You can't get there from here. I'm not optimistic about getting home tonight.

 

The Snoqualmie & Tolt rivers are setting new records. In 25 years living in Carnation, I've never seen the Tolt cross Hwy 203.

 

Our house should be OK, it's in mid-town. It's all a matter of access.

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Pyewacket

+Pyewacket

Posted
Posted

3181636730_80c6129b9a_b.jpg

 

Trying to look on the bright side of things after a very long day...the guy down the street turned on his Christmas lights. Add a star above the house, a little wind, some flooding...at least ya get a pretty picture.

 

My feet stayed dry, as did those of my cat. My heart goes out to those whose didn't; I hope to never get this close to a flood again.

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Pyewacket

+Pyewacket

Posted
Posted

What a tease! I woke up to snow falling, but it didn't last! :) Now there just that nasty rain...

SumasParkSmaller.jpg

We got about two inches...just enough to make things really pretty and just a bit more difficult in which to ride my bike. I love the snow, but I'm wary about it melting; it was a disaster last time.

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coreynjoey

+coreynjoey

Posted
Posted

What a tease! I woke up to snow falling, but it didn't last! :) Now there just that nasty rain...

SumasParkSmaller.jpg

We got about two inches...just enough to make things really pretty and just a bit more difficult in which to ride my bike. I love the snow, but I'm wary about it melting; it was a disaster last time.

 

 

Pretty picture!! Loving the new camera, are we?

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