Beware of Ice!
The climate in the Seattle area tends to be temperate. We don’t typically experience huge variations in temperature, such as huge snow storms or extremely hot temperatures. It happens from time to time but isn’t the norm. So when it does happen, things can get really bad. This past month, we had an epic snow and ice storm here in the Seattle area that led to massive power outages and a situation in which troops from the Natural Guard were sent in and Christine Gregoire declared a state of emergency. Be prepared for inclement weather here in Seattle!
During the ice storm, over 200,000 people lost power, trees fell down on power lines and it was a really dangerous situation. We were out of power for four days and in my area, no gas stations were open, nothing. We started to feel very scared and desperate. Luckily, an emergency shelter opened up here and the Red Cross basically saved us. (Thank you Red Cross!)
People often snicker at Seattle-ites and accuse us of being wimps during harsh weather. What people don’t understand is that snow is not the biggest problem here. It’s ice, as was shown by this ice storm. I know people from the snowy Midwest that are stunned by how difficult it is to navigate here, much harder than other areas. That is due to the hard layer of ice that accompanies most snow.
Not to mention, there are an insane number of hills here. Add to that that there are a small number of snow plows and salt isn’t typically used on the roads, for environmental reasons. All of that adds up to a bit of a disaster.
Either way, plow, salt or really anything else helps in serious ice storms. Large trees came out from the roots due to heavy ice; there were branches down on power lines and roofs. It was a disaster and very scary. Just be aware, and prepared, as you will be very taken aback by what ice can do in the Seattle area.
