December 18, 2008 - Act 2

Latest update... 1:30 p.m.

Mountain passes
Chains still required on Snoqualmie pass. All other passes have traction tire requirements, but I would suggest you have chains in your car just in case.

Thurston County
All lanes of I-5 Southbound are closed due to a multi-vehicle collision involving several semis and passenger cars at Maytown Rd. milepost 94.

Western Washington Weather
Expect periods of snow to continue through 2 p.m. or 3 p.m with 1-3 inches expected in Seattle / 2-4 inches in Bellevue. Temperatures will hover around 30 degrees this afternoon.
A large snow squall is moving though the I-5 Grand Mound area. It should pass in about an hour. For tonight -the skies will clear up and temperatures will fall to 18 degrees.
The Cascades will experience snow squalls throughout the afternoon and evening - the worst weather should occur between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.

Freight
WSDOT Commercial Vehicle Services has restricted oversize vehicle movements in Western Washington due to the inclement weather.

SR 520
Westbound SR 520 at W Lake Sammamish Parkway is now open. The following ramps to westbound SR 520 are still closed: SR 202, Union Hill and West Lake Sammamish Parkway.

I-405
All lanes of northbound I-405 at Coal Creek Parkway near Bellevue are now open. An earlier disabled semi-truck blocked the left two lanes. The semi has now been cleared.

SR 599
SR 599 is closed at East Marginal Way. We are taking traffic off at SR 99 there. It's very very snowy.

Whatcom County
The latest road report from Whatcom County still shows compact snow and ice on most major routes. From Burlington to Ferndale, I-5 has compact snow and ice. North of Ferndale, I-5 is slushy, with bare wheel tracks to the pavement in most areas. Some roads have improved: SR 543, the truck crossing, is mostly bare and wet, as is SR 546 (Badger Road) north of Lynden and SR 548 (Grandview Road) northwest of Ferndale.

Eastern Washington
All state highways in Spokane, Whitman, Lincoln, Adams, Ferry, Stevens, and Pend Oreille County have compact snow and ice, or loose snow on the roadway surface. Over the next 24 hours, there is a possibility that the winds may increase across Eastern Washington. If this occurs, there could be blowing and drifting snow in many areas, especially in Adams, Lincoln, Spokane, and Whitman counties. These conditions could require the WSDOT close some highway sections until the wind subsides and the roadways can be cleared.

I will post more as I hear more. Will also continue to post updates on the Twitter account.

2 p.m. update:
Our site is running really slow, but it isn't something that is showing up on our monitors. Our network is only at half utilization, the servers are at normal use, we are looking into it and hopefully can get it fixed. We are as frustrated as you are, trust me.