Ice triggers crashes, closes Tacoma Narrows Bridge

Ice on roads caused crashes, and falling ice prompted authorities to close the Tacoma Narrows Bridge as Western Washington continued to struggle with the effects of snow and ice storms that left hundreds of thousands of people without power.

KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reporter Kevin McCarty said he could hear ice falling from the bridge, crashing onto the deck.  [Full story]

In Everett, a semi-truck rolled over and blocked Interstate 5 northbound after it crashed with an out-of control SUV in Everett on Friday morning.  The freeway was shut down for hours while they cleaned up spilled diesel and removed the mangled wreckage.

Hundreds of thousands of people across Western Washington could remain in the cold and dark for days after the rare ice storm downed trees, ripping down power lines.

Puget Sound Energy said 254,000 are without power; Snohomish PUD has 16,000 outages; and Tacoma 2,500.  Most Seattle City Light customers’ power has been restored.

Warming centers have been opened for people to seek refuge from their cold homes.

Hundreds of schools remain closed.

The conditions were so dire that Gov. Chris Gregoire declared a state of emergency in the state.

Trees and power lines remain down across the region, and the dangerous cleanup is just beginning.  As the melting trend begins, wet, heavy snow will fall onto already sagging lower branches, causing them to break and take down more lines.

The Washington Department of Transportation briefly  closed both directions of Interstate 5 for about 8 miles north of Centralia because of power lines on the roadway Friday morning. 

Friday morning, a downed power line in Auburn was burning in the snow and numerous lines are down in Kent, where branches are strewn across neighborhoods.

• SCHOOL CLOSURES, DELAYS
• Slideshow: Cab ripped from semi in major crash in Everett
• Video: Chopper 7 shows why Highway 18 is closed
• Slideshow: Snow, freezing rain leave sheet of ice
• Slideshow: Ice-heavy trees crash onto roads, cars, powerlines
• Slideshow: Viewer photos of the snow (Wednesday)
• Slideshow: Drivers slip, slide, crash in snow
• Slideshow: Viewer snow photos
• Slideshow: Snow piles up across Washington
• Ranking: Great Seattle snowstorms
• Severe weather alerts
• Snow resources available at City of Seattle's website
• Seattle DOT snow plow response map
• Upload snow photos and video on iSpot
• Metro bus snow routes

The region could see more downed trees for the next week.

Though temperatures are slightly above freezing in some areas, roads remain dangerous as rain falls and brings the threat of urban flooding.  More than 20 miles of Highway 18 through South King County remains closed because of ice and snow and too many downed trees between Auburn and North Bend.  Chopper 7 flew over the area and video showed downed trees scattered across the highway.

Engineers had hoped to get it reopened by Thursday night but were unable to clear the highway.  People who live in the area got around by taking back roads and detours.  

WSDOT said it hopes to have the road cleared sometime on Friday.

On roads that are clear and wet, heavy slush remains on the shoulder, causing hydroplaning dangers.

The snow and ice are also putting emergency responders to the test.

It took some creativity to battle a house fire in Issaquah's Mirrormont neighborhood, where fire trucks were slipping and sliding up the steep road.  Firefighters were forced to load their equipment into a patrol vehicle to get up the hill.

The State Patrol communications center in Bellevue also had trouble Thursday.  It lost power and had to transfer all of its 911 calls to Snohomish and Pierce counties.

Power outages in Sumner had people lined up to get gas with most people wanting fuel for their generators.  One station eventually ran out of gas.

Meanwhile, a wintry mix of snow and freezing rain is falling in some areas.  A winter storm watch is in effect until 10 a.m., when temperatures are expected to warm.

Argier said a new storm tracks in around Friday afternoon packing a lot of rain and gusty wind. The strongest winds will be focused north of Everett and along the coast into the late afternoon. High temperatures are running in the mid to low 40s.

A flood watch is in effect for a portion of Western Washington from Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon as the precipitation turns to rain and snowmelt continues.

The Skokomish and Chehalis Rivers could rise to above flood stage, but if flooding does occur, it will likely be minor, the National Weather Service said.

All areas could see a lot of surface runoff and standing water.  Areas with deep lowland snow and heavier rain could have worse flooding.

Another storm moves in Sunday, packing increasing rain with breezy conditions.

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