The worst of this storm’s snow may be behind us, but weather forecasts indicate Mother Nature has more snow in mind for the North Olympic Peninsula today and through the week.
The National Weather Service issued a snow advisory for the Port Angeles area through 10 a.m. today, with a chance of snow showers tonight and through Thursday.
“For Monday night, there’s a chance of rain and snow mix, and some during the week, too,” Julie Holcombe, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle, said Saturday.
Most of the white stuff that fell steadily on Friday had cleared from Peninsula roads by Saturday, though it posed plenty of problems in the meantime.
Widespread power outages were reported across Clallam County due to weather problems, and thousands of customers in Jefferson County were without power for a few hours early Saturday morning.
Aircraft navigation equipment operated by the Federal Aviation Administration failed Friday morning due to snow and ice buildup, preventing planes from flying into or out of William R. Fairchild International Airport until Saturday.
The storm dropped more than a foot of snow in some areas of the Peninsula.
About 13 inches fell in the Indian Valley area near the Elwha River bridge on U.S. Highway 101, about five miles west of Port Angeles, Holcombe said.
The highway was closed in both directions for about an hour midday Friday near the bridge when power lines fell on the road.
The storm dumped white flakes across the Peninsula, in Clallam County leaving about 3 inches in Forks, about 7 inches in LaPush, about 2 inches in Port Angeles, and about 6 to 9 inches in Sequim, residents reported.
But the snow show in Port Townsend hardly lasted an hour.
Light snow began falling at about 9 p.m. Friday, but never reached the ground, only leaving Port Townsend’s streets wet.
Holcombe attributed the Port Townsend “no-snow” phenomenon to the area’s low pressure, which brings in southern wind flow.
“Basically Port Angeles was getting the up-flow flow, an effect by the terrain that causes the air to rise and the snow to fall,” said Holcombe.
“Port Townsend has slightly warmer temperature, because of the airflow features that come from the south of the Sound.”
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