Northwest storm likely 'major' not 'epic'

One of the worst snowstorms in years is hitting the Pacific Northwest, closing schools and roads and cancelling flights. The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore reports from Seattle.

By Msnbc.com staff and wire

A major winter snow storm headed for the Pacific Northwest turned south slightly overnight and was no longer expected to hit Seattle with a foot of snow on Wednesday.

NBC meteorologist Bill Karins said the forecast had changed, with the heaviest falls of snow now expected to stay south of the Seattle area.

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He said "significant" amounts, perhaps 3 to 6 inches, were still expected Wednesday morning, but said this would not an "epic" or "historical" storm.

However Karins cautioned that the Northwest in general was still experiencing a "major" snowstorm.

The National Weather Service said that it had kept "all warnings and advisories in place" but had lowered its snow totals "especially over the Seattle metro area."

Anthony Bolante / Reuters

A snowplow leads the traffic on the I-5 Interstate Highway as snow falls in Seattle Tuesday.

"Latest model runs have shifted the track of the low (pressure area) south a bit ... with major implications for snowfall amounts over western Washington," the weather service said, according to NBC News.

Schools preemptively closed in Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia and Bellingham, while crews salted down streets and dozens of flights were canceled as the region prepared for the storm.

Alaska Airlines announced late Tuesday that it canceled 38 flights into and out of Seattle and Portland, Ore. The airline was waiving re-booking fees for passengers traveling Tuesday through Thursday in those cities.

Conditions on the roads were expected to be dangerous as the storm was forecast to begin dumping snow on the area just before the morning rush hour.

"Wednesday is going to be a good day to stay at home," said Brad Colman, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Seattle. "The road is going to be treacherous."

Several inches of snow have the potential to paralyze the city of Seattle, which owns relatively few snowplows. Its drivers are mostly inexperienced with driving in snow or ice.

Several downtown hotels reported all their rooms were booked. Elsewhere, shoppers stocked up on groceries.

Pickup with snow plow stolen
In Everett, north of Seattle, police reported a thief broke into an Everett School District parking lot early Tuesday and drove off in an old pickup equipped with a snow plow. The faded yellow truck had the snow plow in front and a full hopper of sand in the back, Sgt. Robert Goetz said.

Snow has been falling steadily in parts of western Washington and Oregon since the weekend, but Weather Service meteorologists said the biggest amounts could be on the way.

Bec Thomas, who lives on Camano Island north of Seattle, stocked up on bottled water and food. As her children built snowmen, made snow angels and sledded in nearly a foot of fresh snow on Tuesday, she made food that could be reheated on her wood stove.

The last snowstorm knocked out her power for a week.

"We take it very seriously," said Thomas, a fine arts photographer. "We'll probably be snowed in until Thursday."

Forecasters said 3 to 6 inches of new snow could fall in the Olympia area and 1 to 2 inches north of Seattle. The Cascade Mountains could see 1 to 3 feet of new snow through late Wednesday, and officials warned of high avalanche danger there.

Dan Pelle / AP

With the incoming winter storm in mind, Don Mortenson, 77, of Spokane, Wash., looks at an aluminum snow shovel at the General Store on Tuesday.

Troopers: Be prepared
In eastern Washington, forecasters predicted that about 6 inches of snow could fall on Spokane by late Wednesday with several more inches falling Thursday. The Pullman area could see as much as 12 inches of new snow by Wednesday night.

State troopers advised motorists to be prepared.

"The No. 1 thing is to drive for the road conditions," Trooper Keith Leary said. "People need to slow down, take their time. If they're not prepared, don't get out on the roadways."

John Lee, a Mill Creek graphic designer decided to work from home Tuesday rather than face a snowy commute into Seattle, said it was "a bit exciting" because it was the first snow of the season.

But he added: "I hope it doesn't escalate to something bigger."

The Seattle Times initially described the coming bad weather as a "megastorm" in its print edition Tuesday, but then revised it to "Less snow in the forecast? It's 'evolving'" on its website later in the day.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/18/10180456-northwest-storm-likely-major-but-not-epic

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