Jefferson County didn’t see much new snow on Thursday, but the snow already on the ground, combined with temperatures below freezing, meant a whole lot of ice.
Schools closed throughout the North Olympic Peninsula, but the packed ice on the large hill near the high school drew plenty of youngsters to the high school campus.
Nolan and Brady Arthur, 13 and 12 respectively, built a jump for their sleds on the hill.
Both said that it had been a pretty good day — they were among the lucky few who got a day off.
Around the clock
Workers with both the city of Port Townsend and Jefferson County were on duty around the clock plowing and graveling roads, officials said.
“We should have a lot of it done today,” said John Freitas, Port Townsend crew chief in charge of roads.
“We’ve been working hard at it to get the main streets done first. So far we haven’t seen any big problems.”
Paul Walters, a county roads supervisor, said this was one of the most intense winters he has seen in 28 years on the job.
“It’s been compacted, so that makes it worse,” he said. “There’s not a whole lot of inches, but when it gets compacted, it gets bad.”
Port Townsend has four trucks graveling streets, with crews working eight-hour shifts.
The county has five trucks running in the Port Hadlock area, two in Quilcene, one in Brinnon and two on the West End.
“We’ve been running 24 hours a day since Saturday,” Walters said.
“We’ve been busy, but we’re doing good. We’re all caught up on the main roads, so we’re going to focus on the side roads now.”
Despite icy conditions, traffic snarls were minimal on Thursday.
Two minor crashes were reported within the Port Townsend city limit on Thursday, and three crashes were reported in the county.
Anderson Lake Road was closed for part of Thursday when a shipping truck turned sideways at the top of the icy hill.
No injuries were reported, and crews had moved the truck by the end of the day.
State Patrol Trooper Krista Hedstrom said there had been no major collisions reported during the day on Thursday in Jefferson County.
The southern section of East Jefferson County has seen the most snow this winter.
Snow in the south
“It’s up to about 6 inches down by the water,” said Dalila Dowd, a Brinnon resident.
“There is even more up in the hills, up to 10 inches. The town is at a standstill.”
Dowd’s husband, John, is the lone county worker graveling the roads in Brinnon. He has been working 12-hour shifts since last week.
A storm is expected to dump more snow in the Brinnon and Quilcene areas by Sunday.
“I don’t know what ‘ready’ means anymore, but we are doing our best to get there,” Dowd said of the upcoming storm.
Port Townsend Police Sgt. Ed Green advised driving slowly if it’s necessary to be on the roads, but emphasized that the best idea is to stay home.
“If you don’t need to be out, don’t be out,” Green said.
“It’s unsafe, it’s cold, and even with all the work we are doing on the roads, it’s still going to be slick.”
Clallam County
Snowfall totals from the latest weather system varied widely from one place to the next in Clallam County.
The National Weather Service reported 16 inches of new snow 2¬½ miles southwest of Port Angeles, while about 2 inches of powder fell downtown.
Port Angeles Police Sgt. Tyler Peninger estimated about 3 inches of snow in Sequim when he left for work on Thursday, and 9 inches where his in-laws were staying on a hill nearby.
The National Weather Service reported 10 inches of snow 8 miles west of Port Angeles and 10 inches of snow 12 miles southeast of Port Angeles.
Farther to the west, 5 inches of snow were reported near Neah Bay. In Forks, 3 inches of new snow were reported.
Road conditions
No injury wrecks nor road-blocking wrecks were reported in Clallam County.
Bill Riley, maintenance operations superintendent for the state Department of Transportation office in Port Angeles, estimated that crews had cleared 30 percent to 40 percent of the compact snow and ice from the 600 lane miles in the DOT purview by Thursday afternoon.
The DOT uses plows, sand trucks and liquid chemicals to clear the roads. Crews apply chemicals first to break up the compact snow, then plow it off, Riley explained.
“We’re going to run 24/7 until we get back down to bare pavement again,” Riley said.
U.S. Highway 101 at milepost 233 near Lake Sutherland Road, west of Port Angeles, was closed at 7:15 a.m. because of multiple collisions — all non-injury and non-blocking — and icy road conditions. It reopened at 10:44 a.m.
Hurricane Ridge
Barb Maynes, Olympic National Park spokeswoman, said Hurricane Ridge had 30 inches of snow on the ground on Thursday.
The National Weather Service had reported 17 inches of new snow Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
It wasn’t clear on Thursday afternoon whether or not Hurricane Ridge Road would be open today as scheduled.
Beginning today, the road is scheduled to be open every day until Jan. 4.
Park visitors are encouraged to call the 24-hour hot line at 360-565-3131 before planning a trip to the ridge.
When the road is open, all vehicles are required to carry chains above the Heart O’ the Hills campground.
The State Patrol issued these reminders about driving safely in icy conditions:
•âÇAlways travel at a safe following distance, maintaining a longer distance than usual between yourself and the vehicle in front of you.
•âÇWatch for sudden slowing of traffic. Plan your own stops and slow down well in advance.
•âÇBrake carefully and do so only while you are traveling in a straight line. When applying the brakes, do so gently and release just before the brakes lock.
•âÇBeware of icy spots. Ice patches are 10 times more slippery than dry pavement. Watch out for black ice at intersections, underpasses, shady spots and bridges.
•âÇNegotiate icy hills carefully. When driving up hills, don’t slow down or you will lose momentum. When driving down hills, use the low gear, not the brakes.
•âÇIn a skid, take your foot off the gas, and leave your foot off the brake. Make no rapid or sudden movements until you have regained steering control.
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Reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com.
Reporter Rob Ollikainen contributed to this story.
