Storm Leaves Snow, Ice, Stranded Cars

Many vehicles abandoned by frustrated drivers during Wednesday's snowstorm still sat along some roadsides Thursday as subfreezing temperatures made driving hazardous and closed schools for thousands of students.

There were dozens of vehicles left along Coal Creek Parkway off Interstate 405 in Bellevue at midday Thursday, KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reporter Michelle Millman said.

Video: Commuters Return To Retrieve Abandoned Cars

"There were four cars abreast -- all stalled, and one lane was coming down on the sidewalk," said Jim Ray, who was digging out the Toyota Prius he left there Wednesday night.

Slideshow: Cars Left On Snowy Roads

The Transportation Department said it's concerned snow-covered roads will stay slick for some time as temperatures struggle to warm to near freezing. From 4 to 10 inches of additional snow fell across the area late Wednesday and early Thursday.

"Lows in the 20s this morning will warm only to highs today near freezing," said Andy Wappler, KIRO 7 Chief Meteorologist.

"Temperatures the next few days will be the coldest of the season," he added.

Video: Temperatures In The Teens Too Cold For Some

Public schools with more than 350,000 students were closed Thursday in Seattle, Tacoma, Everett and suburban and outlying areas. Get the complete list here.

Most of Seattle got no more than about an inch, but unofficial reports included from 4 to 6 inches in many outlying areas with 9 inches in Ferndale, near the Canadian border, and 10 inches in Sultan, northeast of Seattle in central Snohomish County.

Video: Drivers Struggle in West Seattle

As on Nov. 27, when snow caused massive traffic jams during an evening commute that already was complicated by an NFL game at Qwest Field, the spotty flurries -- as well as bursts of small hail in a few areas -- hit just in time to bring traffic to a crawl.

Many motorists began heading home shortly before 4 p.m., too late to avoid stop-and-go traffic and dozens of fender benders, State Patrol Trooper Jeffrey L. Merrill said.

Traffic cameras showed some frustrated motorists abandoned their cars on the shoulder of Interstate 90 east of Issaquah.

For those that persisted, Merrill estimated there were about 75 minor collisions east of Lake Washington on Interstates 405 and 90 and State Route 520 between 3 and 9 p.m. No serious injuries were reported.

In Kitsap County, across Puget Sound, Gemma Collins, 30, of Bremerton, died after her car skidded on ice into oncoming traffic and collided with a pickup truck on state Route 307, state troopers said. The pickup driver escaped injury.

On Tuesday, a 73-year-old man in Naches Heights, near Yakima, was killed by a falling tree after gusty winds blew through the area. Neal Smith was hit by the treetop as it fell to the ground on his property, officials said.

State ferry officials suspended vehicle service from West Seattle to Vashon Island for about an hour and a half because cars leaving the dock on the island were unable to get up the icy hill from the terminal, spokeswoman Susan Harris said. The restriction was lifted after the hill was sanded.

In Seattle, police officers accompanied by Operation Night Watch volunteers were teaming up Wednesday evening to contact homeless people and offer them transportation to the city's four cold weather shelters, the mayor's office said.

South of Tacoma, snow accumulations were generally less than 2 inches, but the state Department of Transportation reported black ice and numerous collisions on Interstate 5 in the Chehalis and Toledo areas.