By guest bloggers Jeff Switzer and Bronlea Mishler

UPDATE 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 30: And, so that fickle Mother Nature went and threw us a curveball...Due to the threat of more severe winter weather forecast for the Cascade mountain range, Washington State Department of Transportation officials today extended the deadline to remove studded tires through April 10. Drivers must remove their studded tires by 12:01 a.m., Sunday April 11.





Travel over the mountain pass highways and in typically-snowy Eastern Washington sure has been odd this year. Now, the word “drought” seems to be popping up all over the news.

But first we have to get through the last few weeks of March and into April. April 1, 12:01 a.m. is the deadline to remove your studded tires. In Washington, studded tires are legal Nov. 1 - Mar. 31. You can receive a $124 fine for studded tire use after the deadline.

Studded tires damage the highway, and make it harder to stop on wet or dry pavement. In icy conditions, studded tires add some benefit.

Our forecasts don’t call for any large-scale snow or ice storms. (well, oops..that changed today) And next year, please talk to your local tire dealer about alternatives that offer that same ice benefit, are safer and don’t damage the highway.

If you are driving into the higher elevations, be prepared as El Nino may bring some typical late March and early April conditions. While good for the summer water supply, those of who have enjoyed some almost 70-degree days may be a little surprised to see snow in the mountains.

Some mountain snow is typical in March and April. Please remember, no one can guarantee bare and wet roads everywhere, all the time. Plan ahead, carry chains and drive for conditions.

On the WSDOT Winter Driving Web site, you can find answers to some questions we receive over and over (FAQ), ways to prepare for winter driving, winter driving tips, plus more about WSDOT’s winter roadway operations, snow and ice removal and avalanche control.

Headline from WSDOT's Web site Dec. 25, 2008: "Don we now our rain apparel? Warmer temperatures are welcome gifts to Washington drivers"

On the west side, we were just warming up from the most recent winter storm. Over the mountains and into Eastern Washington you could still find some spots of ice and snow.



While WSDOT road crews were out fighting the weather Christmas Day (and the days and nights leading up to it), I sent that info to news outlets and our Web site while toasty warm on Christmas Day. Those crews are much tougher than me. (Side note: Should I praise or curse technology? Hmmmm - still trying to decide.)

On our YouTube channel we have some videos about what we do all winter.

So back to my point - snow was here in December 2008. As we got closer to January, it finally started to turn around. This type of weather can wreak havoc on travel, so the travel patterns and drivers who travel in December can vary widely from year to year. For this reason, WSDOT will not be posting historical travel data for Christmas and New Years Holiday weekends.

We typically post historical travel data to show drivers when we expect heavier-than-normal traffic on key vacation-type routes. With both Christmas and New Years on Friday this year, we thought about it. But, the historical data can get skewed with one or two days of bad weather in late December.

Our colleagues at AAA have information on projected travel, which they gather through nationwide surveys.

We do have some travel information for Christmas and New Years. We find only two spots of higher-than-normal traffic, the I-5 area north of Seattle and I-5 through Thurston and Lewis counties. Remember, the predictions are based on clear driving conditions.

The mountain pass highways aren't one of the heavy travel spots in late December, but ski season and any new snow may bring more people to I-90 Snoqualmie Pass, US 2 Stevens Pass and US 12 White Pass.

Regardless, prepare and know before you go. Washington weather can change quickly.

Happy New Year!

Our wish for 2009 goes like this, "Winter, winter ... go away!"

Seriously, we just started winter in Washington and we're already ready for it to be over. The main mountain passes for east-west travel ... the backbone of our state's economy ... are closed today. It looks like Stevens (US 2) and Snoqualmie (I-90) will be closed through the night into tomorrow morning. Eastern Washington is going to get more snow tonight and into tomorrow, too.

We'll have our crews deployed, all available resources are at hand. But even with our best efforts, you should continue to expect winter driving conditions throughout most of Washington.

Here's a shot of crews leading a caravan of folks back off the mountain.

From my colleague East of the Mountains...

I keep hearing on the news- “prepare for winter driving” and “drive for conditions,” and I would if somebody would tell me what that means.

If this is a thought you’ve been having - let me see if I can help.

What winter driving means to me is- slipping and sliding and skidding if I try to drive the speed limit. It can also mean a fender bender, a towing bill, a ticket, and a trip to the hospital if I don’t drive differently than I did all spring, summer and fall.

Driving on the cold, dry snow has been relatively easy. I have found that if I just go slower (ten to fifteen miles per hour slower), and push gently on my brakes when I need to stop and gently on the gas when I need to go, I can get anywhere I want to go without getting into trouble.

Driving in slush is a whole new ball game. Slush is not only slippery, it’s grabby. It suddenly slows the car down, makes a big splash, and can make changing lanes scary. And if I happen to drift onto the shoulder a little it will pull me right into the ditch before I can say oh ____! Plus the big rigs with big tires- like semis- throw that stuff up onto my windshield and cover my side windows making it very hard to see out the sides of my car.

After I cross the pass, I often have to stop at the nearest car wash to clean the windows off before I can safely get back on the road. When the sun goes down and it gets below freezing- that lousy pile of slush on the side of the road- or in front of my driveway- turns to ice. Now I have a new “driving for conditions” challenge. When the slush turns to ice, I opt to just stay home until it changes into something else. I think I like the dry powdery stuff best.

As far as being prepared- that means digging through all the stuff in the garage to find the chains, making sure they fit the car I’m driving now and replacing the old, dried out, noisy windshield wipers that clear most of the windshield except for that little spot right in front of me. You know the spot- the one that ices up and the wiper won’t clear until I roll down the window and reach out into the cold, catch the blade while it’s wiping (long arms make this possible) and pull it away from the glass a few times until it pops all of the snow and ice off.

I also take a winter coat, hat, gloves, jumper cables, a flash light and reflectors so I can stay warm if I have to put the chains on or I have to wait while the people who didn’t prepare and didn’t drive for conditions get straightened out or towed out of the way.

Mike Westbay, WSDOT in Yakima

Big plans for the weekend? Holiday parties around town? If you are traveling this weekend, be prepared for some serious winter weather headed our way. Our friends north of the border are sending us the chills.

The weather forecasts are showing a cold blast from British Columbia coming down that will bring snow and temperatures down to the daytime 30s and nighttime 20s. And that’s in the Puget Sound lowlands. As you head up the mountains, toward Eastern Washington or down to south central part of the state, we are talking significant snowfall, lows in the teens and highs in the 20s.

That’s just plain cold. For drivers, first and foremost, slow down. Ice and snow, take it slow. And, be prepared. Look at our winter checklist of ways to prepare your car for winter driving. There are also some great tips on driving in snow and ice.

Bookmark our site to make sure you can get the latest road conditions. We will also be talking to the media to keep everyone up to date.

Our partners at Washington’s Emergency Management Department have some winter readiness tips for the home and office.

From WEMD today: “The approach of the season’s first cold spell means it is good time to review emergency preparedness for homes, businesses and schools,” said Jim Mullen, director, Washington Emergency Management Division (WEMD). Preparedness information is available at:
http://www.emd.wa.gov/preparedness/prep_travel_preparedness.shtml
http://www.emd.wa.gov/preparedness/prep_infocus_winter.shtml

The past two winter seasons also have produced a series of tragic carbon monoxide deaths involving the improper use of generators and charcoal burners for home cooking or heating. Take the time to watch WEMD’s Generator Safety/Carbon Monoxide video at: http://www.emd.wa.gov/preparedness/videos/video_generatorsafety.shtml.

Carbon monoxide poisoning and generator safety fact sheets are available at:
http://emd.wa.gov/preparedness/CarbonMonoxideDanger.shtml
http://emd.wa.gov/preparedness/GeneratorSafety.shtml

Also, it may be a good idea to make sure you know your office, school and daycare snow and ice policies. This time, the real cold stuff shouldn’t start until Friday and we should be back to a normal winter trend by Monday (which still means cool temps and snow in the mountains). But, winter weather is unpredictable and it’s a good idea to have that info handy.