PORT ANGELES — City and county road crews say they are prepared if the snow forecast for coming days does indeed fall.
Arctic air funneled through the Fraser Outflow will keep it cold on the North Olympic Peninsula the next few days. The amount of moisture moving up from the south will determine if any — and, if so, how much — snow will fall between now and this weekend. It was unclear Wednesday afternoon, but it looks as if snow is likely if not today, then Saturday or Sunday.
The question isn’t if it will snow, but how much and when.
The West End is under a severe weather warning through Friday morning, with high winds and up to 8 inches of snow possible. So road crews are gearing up.
Clallam County Engineer Ross Tyler said crews installed plows and sanding devices on their fleet of snow plows and pickup trucks Wednesday afternoon.
Road crews are responsible for 498 miles of roadway in the county.
“We have five big dump trucks in each district [Port Angeles, Sequim and Forks/West End],” Tyler said.
“And our pickup-style vehicles are now a little heavier duty, and all are outfitted with smaller plows and smaller sanders,” he added.
“All the crew members have a vehicle to use for plowing and sanding, which is a real improvement we have made over the last 10 years. We didn’t use to run small trucks as plows, but having a smaller vehicle that can clear off an intersection or some of the more urbanized areas, or follow behind a large plow and clear spots is really helpful.”
City of Port Angeles road crews are prepared for potential snow on their 144 miles of public roadway, Public Works Director Thomas Hunter said.
“It all depends on the severity of the event as no one snow event is created equally,” Hunter said.
“We have been putting de-icer down to try and limit any of those freezing and ice-related issues.”
Hunter said the city has a small fleet of vehicles ready to keep roadways clear.
“We have four main plows, all larger dump trucks, and then we have some smaller vehicles and equipment we will use for some other areas, typically smaller residential areas,” Hunter said.
“We are ready to go.”
Port Angeles’ snow removal plan, available at https://www.cityofpa.us/253/Snow-Removal, has four priorities: main arterials to ensure hospitals, fire stations, police stations and emergency rescue remain connected; all remaining arterials, bus routes and select garbage collection routes; other arterials connecting major traffic volume streets and providing access to schools and all remaining residential streets.
Tyler said the county plan is similar.
“The routes that have the most commuter traffic go first,” Tyler said. “That’s the [Clallam Transit] routes and school bus routes. The COVID dynamic has changed that a little bit, a little more coordination on when kids are going to be picked up, but we make sure our guys come in early enough to get those spots cleared out.”
Large snowfall events, such as the one in February 2019, can stretch the limits for crews and delay snow clearing county-wide, Tyler said.
Portions of the county handle those events in separate ways.
“The crews respond in the same way in every district, but sometimes the independent spirit of the West End comes out [with plow-attached pickup trucks and chainsaws to cut down fallen timber] during large snow events,” Tyler said.
“And we have two distinct weather zones, Forks and the Burnt Mountain drop into Sekiu/Clallam Bay.”
Sequim
The Sequim Public Works crew will be on call throughout the week and weekend to clear streets if necessary, city officials said Monday.
During snowstorms, crew members concentrate on clearing the main arterials first. Washington Street, Sequim Avenue, Fifth Avenue, Third Avenue, overpasses and school routes (when schools are in session) are the top priorities, city representatives said.
City crews use magnesium chloride, a liquid de-icing agent, on the main arterials and overpasses when temperatures drop below freezing.
The city has 54 miles of roads and alleyways, plus parking lots and sidewalks. There are also 19 miles of private streets and roadways within the city limits that the city does not clear, officials noted.
Community members are asked to help by clearing snow from the sidewalks that adjoin their homes and businesses.
For more information, contact Operations Manager Ty Brown at 360-912-3220 or tbrown@sequimwa.gov.
Jefferson County
The National Weather Service predicted Wednesday the potential for up to 4 inches of snow accumulation in Port Townsend overnight Friday, with areas around the Hood Canal such as Brinnon and Quilcene possibly having 6 to 12 inches of snow.
Jefferson County and Port Townsend city road crews said they are ready to go when needed.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-406-0674 or mcarman@peninsuladaily news.com.
The Sequim Gazette staff contributed to this story.
A front-end loader dumps sand into a pile on Wednesday at the Clallam County road maintenance yard in Port Angeles. The potential for lowland snow across the North Olympic Peninsula has prompted many agencies to prepare for winter driving conditions. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
