Follow these important steps for reporting damages to personal property and registering for financial assistance:

Step 1: Assess and document the damage
Identify and make a list of all the damages.
Take pictures of the damages.
Estimate how much you think it will cost for repairs or to replace your belongings.

Step 2: Call your insurance company
Locate your insurance policy documents (if available) and call your insurance company.
Report damages. Your insurance carrier will advise you on coverage and additional steps to be taken.

Step 3: Call the King County Damage Reporting Hotline or file your report online
Complete an online damage report form -OR- call the King County Damage Reporting Hotline: 1-800-523-5044.

You will be asked several questions including the estimated damage to your home and belongings, as well as your insurance coverage. This information will be used to establish a county-wide damage assessment which will aid us in obtaining federal assistance. Even if you have suffered only minor damage and do not expect to need assistance, you should submit a report. Information you will need includes:

• Contact information
• Address of the damaged property
• Name of the owner or renter
• Estimated pre-disaster value of the property
• Estimated structural damage
• Estimated personal property loss
• Primary cause of the damage
• Insurance coverage for the flosses and the amount of your deductible
• Is the property habitable?
• Is the property accessible?
• Is the damage major or minor?
• A description of the damage

Reporting forms:

Residential:
The purpose of this form is to collect information from primary residences affected by this the January snow and ice storm in order to make a preliminary assessment of damages following a disaster. Detached garages and storage buildings, secondary homes and recreational homes should not to be reported. After filling out this form, click the “Submit” button. You may want to print this form before submitting via e-mail and keep it for your records.

• Your submission is not a guarantee of eligibility for assistance.
• Please note: it may 30 days or more to process your submission.
• Form for primary residences

Business:
The purpose of this form is to collect information of businesses affected by this incident in order to make a preliminary assessment of damages following a disaster. After filling out this form, click the “Submit” button. You may want to print this form before submitting via e-mail and keep it for your records.

• Your submission is not a guarantee of eligibility for assistance.
• Please note: it may take 30 days or more to process your submission.
• Form for businesses

The Weather Peeps originally had the advisory ending at 9 p.m. but have extended it to midnight. They say we can expect gusts up to 45MPH, and to expect some trees and branches to come down, possibly knocking power out.

So get all your email, blog commenting and Facebook stuff done quickly folks!

Here’s the full advisory:

…WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT PST TONIGHT…

* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS…SEATTLE…TACOMA…AND BREMERTON.

* TIMING…GUSTY WINDS THIS EVENING WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH AFTER MIDNIGHT.

* WIND…SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WIND 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH.

* IMPACTS…LOCAL DAMAGE TO TREES AND POWER LINES…WITH SMALL TREES POSSIBLY BEING TOPPLED DUE TO SATURATED SOILS OR RECENT ICE DAMAGE. LOCAL POWER OUTAGES ARE POSSIBLE. FALLING TREES AND TREE LIMBS COULD CAUSE INJURY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WIND ADVISORY IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS OF 30 TO 39 MPH OR GUSTS OF 45 TO 57 MPH ARE LIKELY.

Here’s the 7-day forecast:

Overnight: Showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. Southwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Wednesday: Showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 46. Southwest wind between 11 and 16 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Wednesday Night: Rain. Low around 40. South southwest wind between 7 and 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Thursday: Showers. High near 41. South wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Thursday Night: Patchy fog after 4am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 30. Calm wind.

Friday: Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 41.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 33.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 40.

Saturday Night: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 36.

Sunday: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 46.

Sunday Night: A chance of rain. Cloudy, with a low around 39.

Monday: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 45.

Monday Night: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a low around 37.

Tuesday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 44.

Both sons of my neighbor came over to apologize for the actions of their friend, “Mr. Chainsaw”. They assured me that they had not given him permission to cut the wood on my property, and they were angry that he had lied and reflected poorly on them.

One son called Mr. Chainsaw over to my house. He stood at my front door and apologized. He also agreed to come do storm damage cleanup and hauling for a couple of days, under my supervision and with one of the neighbors, to make amends and as compensation for the loss in value of the cypress he had cut up. In addition, he returned the two huge rounds of wood that he had cut off the 6 foot log.

Here’s her original Letter, first posted on Jan. 22:

The fee quoted by the arborist to remove the tree was enough to make anyone’s jaw drop onto the snowy ground. But it was mid-afternoon and getting dark. I had a tree on my roof and needed to get it off. And I was still on stun.

“Fine. Get the tree off the roof.” And that’s all he did for the price, taking full advantage of a bad situation. Removal and cleanup would have been an added fee. The urgency of my situation formed dollar signs in the eyes of the arborist.

The second tree, at the road, was brought down at no charge by Seattle City Light because of the danger it posed to the neighborhood’s lines. The crew was courteous and generous, welcome attitudes after the arborist’s pushy greed the day before. The 100 ft. trunk was cut into manageable pieces and dropped into a pile on the side of my property. The base of the trunk was left at a 6 ft. length, and lay in my lower parking area. I figured that all of this could be dealt with in a day or two, after the snow and ice melted.

The next afternoon, I was talking to a local artist that offered to buy that 6 ft. length of cypress for a commercial project she was working on. We measured it, and brainstormed about potential ways to integrate the wood into her project. She’d come by in a day or two, with a truck and some help, to pick up the heavy piece of wood.

An hour later, now dark, I heard a chainsaw droning on and on. I thought, “who in the world is using a chainsaw this late?” Then I realized the sound seemed to be coming from where the cypress log lay.

I flew out the door and to the road and won’t repeat the expletives that came out of my mouth. The cypress trunk was now only 4 feet long. Mr. Chainsaw was standing on my property, under the street lamp, making firewood out of my wood that had been destined for an art piece. Technically, doesn’t this amount to trespassing and attempted theft?

Mr. Chainsaw said that my neighbors across the street had told him he could cut and take it. Really? Couldn’t he (shouldn’t he) have come knocking on my door to ask politely, “Excuse me, but will you be using the wood from your tree that came down? May I cut it and take it?”

And, what were my neighbors thinking in granting permission that they had no right to grant?

We have all heard reports of post-disaster looting and artificially-high rates for repair and cleanup. It seems to me that after we’ve all endured snow, ice, power outages, downed trees, property damage, loss of work, etc., we should more readily offer generosity, respect… and lawfulness. An urgent situation does not grant license to forego courtesy and propriety! We will not be united through greed and opportunism.

My experience due to the downing of my trees gave me a glimpse into a “darkside” viewpoint. Fortunately, that glimpse was contrasted by the many offers of help, and by a plate of fresh-baked cookies brought over by my elder neighbors, an enduring sweet spot in the middle of a sour-tasting time.

– Maureen Hoffmann

[Have something you'd like to share with our 50,000+ Readers? Please send us your Letter to the Editor via email. Include your full name, and, pending our review, we'll most likely publish it.]

Icicles on a 737 on Jan. 19, 2012 courtesy Alaska Airlines.

Whew…after more than 14 hours without power due to the unexpected ice storm, the B-Town Blog Home HQ got its electricity restored, and after dusting ourselves off, cleaning up the mess known as “keep the kids warm all night with just a fireplace in an old, drafty house,” we’re finally doing our best to catch up. Here’s the latest weather-related news:

• Power was restored to parts of Burien Thursday night, just before midnight. However, with the large amount of ice still coating trees and power lines, we suggest you stay prepared – see our list of suggestions below.
• Highline Public Schools (and most others) are closed today (including West Seattle Montessori School and West Seattle Academy).
• The National Weather Service says warmer temps are expected today. We remain skeptical as we were TOTALLY SURPRISED BY AN ICE STORM. Luckily, we still have a little pile of firewood left.
• Flooding may be an issue over the next few days as the snow and ice melt. Clear your storm drains!
• A fallen tree on Maplewild Ave SW (BTW, this was blocking the road to our Home HQ) has been removed and the road has been reopened. However numerous power outages remain in the Burien area. People who see a downed power line should stay clear and call 911.
• Burien City Hall and Community Center will open at 10 a.m. today (Friday) due to the inclement weather and hazardous driving conditions.  All Recreation Dept. classes and programs are canceled for the day.
• Waste Management has not been able to service all Burien customers this week due to the snow. Missed customers can place out twice their regular amount their next collection day at no additional charge.
• In Normandy Park, Allied Waste residential collection of recycle, yard waste and garbage is suspended today due to inclement weather; critical commercial accounts will be serviced on a limited basis. Residents who are missed due to inclement weather, whose normal collection day is Friday (today) may put up to double the load out on their next regularly scheduled collection day.
• The Port of Seattle says that all runways are open at Sea-Tac Airport today. No operational impacts are expected with airfield conditions however flight cancellations have occurred. Check with your airline for the status of your specific flight.
• Alaska Airlines reports “Due to fluctuating weather conditions and forecasts of freezing rain, Alaska Airlines is proactively canceling 50 flights and plans to operate 60 percent of its daily 120 departures Friday, Jan. 20. Details regarding Horizon Air’s operation will be provided tomorrow. Customers traveling on flights into and out of Seattle tomorrow are STRONGLY urged to check www.alaskaair.com before leaving for the airport.”

Here’s the latest ‘Winter Weather Message‘ from the Weather Wonks:

URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
402 AM PST FRI JAN 20 2012

.WARMER AIR WILL GRADUALLY MOVE NORTH THROUGH WESTERN WASHINGTON THIS MORNING INTO THE AFTERNOON HOURS WITH TEMPERATURES MODERATING AND PRECIPITATION CHANGING OVER TO ALL RAIN FROM THE SOUTH TO THE NORTH DURING THE DAY. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN ABOVE FREEZING TONIGHT.

ANOTHER STRONG…WET SYSTEM WILL BRING HEAVY SNOW TO THE MOUNTAINS TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY.

…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING…

* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS…SEATTLE…OLYMPIA…TACOMA… BREMERTON AND BELLEVUE.

* TIMING….SNOW OR LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE ENDING THIS MORNING.

* ACCUMULATIONS…NO ADDITIONAL SNOW ACCUMULATION. POSSIBLE ADDITIONAL ICE ACCUMULATION OF 0.10 INCHES OR LESS.

* MAIN IMPACT…EXPECT WINTER WEATHER DRIVING CONDITIONS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS ISSUED FOR A VARIETY OF WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS SUCH AS FREEZING RAIN AND SNOW OCCURRING AT THE SAME TIME. WHILE THE WEATHER WILL BE SIGNIFICANT…THE WORD ADVISORY MEANS THAT LIFE THREATENING WINTER WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED.

Here are some suggestions for staying warm in a power outage:

• FROM SEATTLE CITY LIGHT:
• If you experience a power outage, report it to Seattle City Light at (206) 684-3000.
• Keep doors closed and block drafts to keep the heat you already have inside your home.
• Dress in warm layers of clothing to keep yourself warm.
• Keep barbecue grills and electric generators outside. Bringing them indoors can quickly cause fatal buildups of carbon monoxide.
• Updates on outages are available online at www.seattle.gov/light/sysstat and on mobile devices at http://m.seattle.gov/light
• EDITOR’S PERSONAL TIPS:
• Bundle up – find that long-lost long underwear and ugly sweater. Layer t-shirts underneath until you can’t move your arms.
• Don’t go out and play in the snow if you have no power – you’ll end up getting all wet with no way to get sufficiently dry. Seriously!
• Stay together with your family and friends and pull out an old board game. BTB Editor Scott Schaefer played an epic, marathon bout of ‘Monopoly’ in front of the fire with his family for most of Thursday, and time seemingly flew by (BTW, the game was determined to be a 4-way draw after 6-7 hours!).
• Make sure you have plenty of firewood ready to burn. If not, find some downed branches and break them into small pieces, then pray to the steaming, hissing wooden moisture gods that they’ll actually burn. Or find bits of your old Christmas tree. Or go knock on the door of your neighbor’s house – you know, the only one in the neighborhood with the lights still on, and the humming of a generator in the back?

Here’s the latest weather forecast:

Today: Occasional snow and freezing drizzle before 10am, then rain. Snow level 200 feet rising to 3700 feet. High near 40. North wind at 11 mph becoming west southwest. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Tonight: Rain. Low around 40. South southeast wind around 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

Saturday: Showers likely, mainly before 10am. Cloudy, with a high near 46. Breezy, with a southwest wind between 22 and 29 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Saturday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. Southwest wind around 14 mph.

Sunday: Rain. High near 44. South southeast wind around 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Sunday Night: Rain. Low around 38. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Monday: Showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 43. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Monday Night: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 37.

Tuesday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 47.

Tuesday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 37.

Wednesday: Rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 51.

Wednesday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 37.

Thursday: Showers. Cloudy, with a high near 48.

Two bald eagles at Three Tree Point during Wednesday's snowstorm. Blood from a recent kills is on the bulkhead next to the eagle on the right. Click image to see larger version. Photo by Ursula Haigh.

Despite all the media weather overhype and abuse of yellow parkas, the first snowstorm of 2012 didn’t disappoint us, as we enjoyed a true snow day with our kids in conditions perfect for building snowmen, playing and throwing snowballs.

At the Blog’s Home Headquarters in Three Tree Point, we received between 4-5″ of the white stuff and had a great time.

And of course we took photos on this historic day, as did many of our Readers; if you’ve got some good snow pics you think we should share, please email them to us: editor@b-townblog.com and we’ll do our best to post them.

In the meantime, here’s the best of what we’ve received so far (click images to see larger versions and start slideshow):

The City of Burien reports that City Hall and the Community Center will open at 10 a.m. today.

All classes at the Community Center and Moshier Art Center are canceled for the day.

Normandy Park City Hall is closed today, and Allied Waste will not be operating as well.

Weather wonks are saying we’ll get between 4 to 8 inches of the white stuff today before the warm front takes over and ruins our snow party.

The National Weather Service issued the following Winter Storm Warning at 6:33 a.m. this morning (Wed., Jan. 18), in effect until 8 p.m. tonight:

URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA 633 AM PST WED JAN 18 2012

A MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL MOVE INTO WESTERN WASHINGTON TODAY BRINGING WIDESPREAD HEAVY SNOWFALL TO THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF WESTERN WASHINGTON.

…WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM PST THIS EVENING…

* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS…SEATTLE…TACOMA…EVERETT… BREMERTON… SHELTON…OLYMPIA… ABERDEEN…MONTESANO…ELMA.

* TIMING…THOUGH THIS EVENING.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS…TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 10 TO 20 INCHES IN THE SOUTHWEST INTERIOR AND 8 TO 16 INCHES OF NEW SNOW IN THE LOWER CHEHALIS VALLEY. 4 TO 8 INCHES IN THE SEATTLE AREA INCLUDING HOOD CANAL AND THE EAST PUGET SOUND LOWLANDS AND OVER THE CENTRAL COAST.

* FREEZING RAIN…FREEZING RAIN IS POSSIBLE OVER THE SOUTH SOUND THIS AFTERNOON. LOCAL ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF UP TO ONE-TENTH OF AN INCH ARE POSSIBLE ALONG THE I-5 CORRIDOR BETWEEN OLYMPIA AND CHEHALIS.

* MAIN IMPACT…EXPECT EXTREME TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES TODAY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

IF YOU MUST TRAVEL IN THE AREA…CARRY AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT…FOOD…WATER…AND BLANKETS IN CASE OF EMERGENCY.

Here’s the latest 7-day forecast:

Today: Snow. High near 32. Breezy, with a north northeast wind between 18 and 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.

Tonight: Snow, possibly mixed with rain, mainly after 4am. Snow level 200 feet. Steady temperature around 31. North northeast wind between 9 and 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Thursday: Rain and snow, becoming all rain after 10am. Snow level 0 feet rising to 700 feet. High near 36. North wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Thursday Night: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a low around 34. South wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Friday: Rain. High near 46. South wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Friday Night: Rain. Low around 40. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Saturday: Rain. High near 46. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Saturday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 37.

Sunday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 43.

Sunday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 38.

Monday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 43.

Monday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 37.

Tuesday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 47.

Also, if you happen to take any really cool snow pics, please email us and we’ll do our best to post them: editor@b-townblog.com.

Noted UW Meteorologist Cliff Mass says we need to “scale back” the prediction on his blog, from a frightening “up to 14 inches” down to “2-5 inches”:

Folks this is a very difficult forecast.  Everything depends on getting the track of the low exactly right…first to decide where the rain/snow changeover will be and secondly to get the amount of precipitation right.

The most recent warning, updated at 5 a.m. Tuesday morning, says:

…WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO MIDNIGHT PST WEDNESDAY NIGHT…

* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS…SEATTLE…TACOMA…BREMERTON… SHELTON.

* TIMING…TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS…ANOTHER 1 TO 2 INCHES IS POSSIBLE TODAY IN SHOWERS. SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED LATE TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING WITH ANOTHER 5 TO 10 INCHES OF NEW SNOW POSSIBLE BY WEDNESDAY EVENING.

* MAIN IMPACT…EXPECT EXTREME TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES TO DEVELOP ON WEDNESDAY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

IF YOU MUST TRAVEL IN THE AREA…CARRY AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT… FOOD…WATER…AND BLANKETS IN CASE OF EMERGENCY.

And the most recent forecast, issued at 10:39 a.m., says:

This Afternoon: Showers. High near 35. West southwest wind around 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Tonight: Rain before 10pm, then snow. Low around 29. Northeast wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Wednesday: Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. High near 32. North northeast wind around 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 5 to 9 inches possible.

Wednesday Night: Snow before 4am, then rain and snow. Low around 32. North northeast wind between 8 and 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

Thursday: Rain and snow, becoming all rain after 10am. Snow level 100 feet rising to 1600 feet. High near 38. North wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Thursday Night: Rain. Low around 33. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Friday: Rain. High near 44. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Friday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 40.

Saturday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 44.

Saturday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 35.

Sunday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 42.

Sunday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 38.

Monday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 45.

Photo courtesy Jeff Simpson.

UPDATE Tues. 1/17/12 8 a.m.: Highline Schools will start two hours late today (Tuesday, Jan. 17), and there will be no A.M. Kindergarten, no A.M. ECEAP. and no A.M. Preschool Programs. Buses will stop at their regular bus stops two hours later than normal. There will be no breakfast, no morning classes for preschool, kindergarten, ECEAP, or PSSC. Afternoon classes for these programs will be on time. Schools will dismiss at regular times.

John F. Kennedy Catholic High School is closed.

St. Francis of Assisi School will start at 10 a.m.

St. Bernadette School will start at 10:30 a.m.

We’ll update this post with other school information as we learn it.

Looks like the first batch of precipitation was mostly rain, but the National Weather Service is still calling for a major snowstorm to hit Wednesday Jan. 18.

Below are some relevant links to help you plan your day:

CITY
Burien Parks has created a weather-related website that shows what parks, facilities and programs are affected by the weather – see it here.

WEATHER:
To see the latest local weather info from the National Weather Service, click here. Keep your eye open for any special “Alerts,” “Warnings” or “Statements,” which are usually posted just above the forecast.

TRAFFIC:
If you’re planning on leaving your home, here’s our handy-dandy collection of local webcams that show the current traffic conditions (mostly rainy at 6:42 a.m.) – be sure to refresh the page to see the latest images:

Lake Burien in the snow. Photo by Kay Storhoff.

UPDATE 3:40 p.m., 1/16/12: The National Weather Service issued a revised ‘Winter Storm Watch‘ Monday afternoon, calling for two more rounds of snow – up to 3 inches through Tuesday, and up to 14 inches through Wednesday.

Also, noted UW Meteorologist Cliff Mass warned on his blog Monday afternoon that this could be “the biggest snowstorm in years”:

“The bottom line is that there is a serious threat on Wednesday of 8-15 inches of snow over the region, with a minimal turn over to rain. The biggest snowstorm in years. Anyway, before anyone goes out and buys a snowblower, lets see what tonight’s runs show. If they continue this trend then Slushmageddon might be replaced by Snowmageddon. In almost any conceivable case, Wednesday morning is going to be very problematic for travel…I suspect there will be a lot of school cancellations and the like.

The main roads around Seattle are in very good shape now, but the Wednesday event could dwarf the weekend snow.”

As always, we encourage our Readers to stock up and be prepared to hunker down to ride this system out. Oh, and don’t forget to actually enjoy the snow!

We’ll keep updating the blog as we learn of any changes from the weather peeps; here’s the latest warning:

…WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT PST TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON… …WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING…

* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS…SEATTLE…TACOMA…BREMERTON… SHELTON.

* TIMING…SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY AS COOLER UNSTABLE AIR CONTINUES OVER THE AREA. LOCAL ACCUMULATIONS UP TO 3 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE. A MUCH MORE SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM IS LIKELY LATE TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY OR WEDNESDAY NIGHT. SNOW WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL BE WIDESPREAD AND HEAVY.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS…AT THIS TIME UP TO 3 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE ON TUESDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN STEADY OR GRADUALLY FALL DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS…SO ROADWAYS MAY FREEZE. A MUCH MORE SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM IS LIKELY LATE TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING. WEDNESDAYS STORM MAY BRING 6 TO 14 INCHES OF SNOW.

* MAIN IMPACT…EXTREME TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES ARE POSSIBLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE WINTER WEATHER. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL IN THE WATCH AREA…CARRY AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT…FOOD…WATER…AND BLANKETS IN CASE OF EMERGENCY.

Here’s this week’s forecast:

M.L.King Day: Scattered snow showers. Cloudy, with a high near 36. South southwest wind around 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Tonight: Snow showers likely, mainly after 10pm. Cloudy, with a low around 32. South southwest wind between 6 and 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Tuesday: Snow showers. High near 35. South southwest wind 8 to 11 mph becoming northeast. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.

Tuesday Night: Snow. Low around 28. West wind 5 to 9 mph becoming north northeast. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Wednesday: Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. High near 34. Northeast wind around 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 4 to 8 inches possible.

Wednesday Night: Rain and snow, becoming all rain after 10pm. Snow level 600 feet. Low around 32. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Thursday: Rain. High near 46. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

Thursday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 39.

Friday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 44.

Friday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 40.

Saturday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 44.

Saturday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 35.

Sunday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 42.

Sunday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 38.

Monday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 45.

Snow may start earlier, and may linger around until Wednesday, so be sure to stock up and be ready to hunker down if needed.

Here’s the latest special weather statement, released late Friday afternoon (Jan. 13):

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
353 PM PST FRI JAN 13 2012

…A COLD FRONT WILL BRING COLDER AIR BEHIND IT SATURDAY MORNING FOR A CHANCE OF LOWLAND SNOW SHOWERS… …A SERIES OF ACTIVE STORM SYSTEMS NEXT WEEK WILL BRING PERIODS OF WINTER WEATHER TO WESTERN WASHINGTON…

A COLD FRONT WILL CROSS WESTERN WASHINGTON EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. THE AIR MASS IS EXPECTED TO BE COLD ENOUGH SO THAT SNOW LEVELS WILL LOWER BELOW 500 FEET. SCATTERED RAIN OR SNOW SHOWERS WILL BECOME MORE PREDOMINANTLY SNOW SHOWERS SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY. THESE HIT AND MISS SHOWERS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE SPOTTY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF TWO INCHES OR LESS ACROSS WESTERN WASHINGTON. AREAS WITH MORE PERSISTENT SHOWER ACTIVITY LIKE THE PUGET SOUND CONVERGENCE ZONE COULD HAVE LOCALLY HIGHER ACCUMULATIONS AS WELL AS AREAS WITH A LITTLE ELEVATION.

NEXT WEEK…A SERIES OF STRONGER AND WETTER FRONTAL SYSTEMS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST…STARTING AROUND MONDAY. THESE WEATHER SYSTEMS WILL BRING A THREAT OF SIGNIFICANT SNOW TO THE LOWLANDS. THE EXACT TRACK AND STRENGTH OF THE SYSTEMS THAT WILL BRING THIS WINTER WEATHER THREAT ARE UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME.

PLEASE MONITOR LATEST FORECAST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

Here’s the latest forecast:

Tonight: Showers after 4am. Low around 36. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Saturday: Rain showers before 10am, then snow showers likely, possibly mixed with rain. High near 41. South wind 13 to 15 mph becoming west. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Saturday Night: A chance of rain and snow showers before 10pm, then a chance of snow showers. Snow level 200 feet. Cloudy, with a low around 32. Southwest wind between 8 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Sunday: A 50 percent chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a high near 37. South wind between 7 and 13 mph. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Sunday Night: A 50 percent chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a low around 29. Light west southwest wind. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

M.L.King Day: A 50 percent chance of snow showers. Snow level 200 feet. Cloudy, with a high near 37. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Monday Night: A chance of snow showers. Snow level 300 feet. Cloudy, with a low around 31. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Tuesday: A chance of rain and snow showers. Snow level 300 feet. Cloudy, with a high near 39.

Tuesday Night: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 32.

Wednesday: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 40.

Wednesday Night: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 36.

Thursday: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 40.

Thursday Night: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 36.

Friday: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 41.

The county also issued the following statement:

Snow in the forecast: prepare now for possible winter weather emergencies

Restock your vehicle emergency kit and sign up for public alerts

The National Weather Service is forecasting cold weather and likely snowfall within the next several days. The King County Office of Emergency Management urges residents and businesses to prepare now for possible winter weather emergencies.

Before the weather turns bad, make sure your family, home, and vehicle are ready for whatever Mother Nature sends. The following guidelines can help you prepare.

Family

• Listen to weather forecasts regularly and heed any warnings.
• Make sure everyone knows when and how to call 9-1-1.
• Make sure you understand the emergency plans and expectations at your child’s school and your work.
• Check your emergency supplies and restock outdated items. Be sure to include plenty of water and non-perishable food, first aid supplies, a battery-operated radio, flashlight and extra batteries for both. A checklist can be found at www.TakeWinterByStorm.org.
• If you have pets, bring them indoors. If you cannot bring them inside, provide adequate shelter to keep them warm and make sure they have access to unfrozen water.
• Identify an out-of-state contact to call during a major disaster or emergency; it will be easier to call out of the area if local lines are tied up.
• Your ability to feel a change in temperature decreases with age, and older people are more susceptible to health problems caused by cold. If you are over 65 years old, place an easy-to-read thermometer in an indoor location where you will see it frequently, and check the temperature of your home often during the winter months.
• Monitor the weather forecast and adjust your travel plans if necessary. Know the snow routing for school buses and public transit.
• Check on neighbors, especially anyone who might need help.
• Subscribe to free regional alerts and news bulletins at www.rpin.org.

Home

• Be sure you have sufficient heating fuel for emergency equipment in case the electricity is cut off (such as a good supply of dry, seasoned wood for your fireplace or wood-burning stove).
• Install a smoke detector and a battery-operated carbon monoxide detector. Test the batteries each month, and replace them twice a year.
• Take steps to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. Never use a generator indoors, in garages, or in carports. Never use a gas or charcoal grill, hibachi, or portable propane heater to cook indoors or heat your home. Avoid combustion “space heaters” unless there is an exhaust vent.
• Insulate any water lines that run along exterior walls so your water supply will be less likely to freeze. To the extent possible, weatherproof your home by adding weather-stripping, insulation, insulated doors and storm windows, or thermal-pane windows.
• Learn how to shut off water valves in case a pipe bursts.
• Have your chimney or flue inspected each year.
• Learn more tips for preparing your home at www.TakeWinterByStorm.org.

Vehicle

• Make sure your vehicle is properly serviced and maintained. Ensure the electrical systems, brakes, batteries, lights, windshield wipers, antifreeze and heating and cooling systems are in good shape. Check fluid levels – antifreeze, windshield washer, and oil.
• Keep tires properly inflated and make sure they have adequate tread. Replace any worn tires.
• Build, or restock, a vehicle emergency kit, including flares, flashlight, extra batteries, ice scraper, tire chains, a blanket and warm clothing, sturdy shoes, first-aid supplies, water, and non-perishable food. You can find a detailed list at www.TakeWinterByStorm.org.
• Keep your gas tank at least half full; the extra gas helps reduce condensation that can plug your fuel line with ice and stall your engine in cooler weather. It also helps you avoid running out of gas if you experience long traffic delays.
• When driving in snow, stick to major arterials. Register for road alerts at www.kingcounty.gov/roadalert and transit alerts at www.kingcounty.gov/transit.

If snow piles up and roads become hazardous, postpone your trip if possible. Staying home will keep you and others safe. If you must travel, be aware of ice hazards, especially on shaded roadways, bridges, or in high elevation areas prone to freezing.

Hypothermia is a common problem during cold winter weather, especially with young children and older adults who are most vulnerable. Symptoms include uncontrolled shivering, slow or unclear speech, extreme tiredness, stumbling, confusion, semi-consciousness, or unconsciousness. If a person becomes unconscious, get medical help immediately. To prevent hypothermia, wear warm, multi-layered clothing with good head, hand, and foot protection. Avoid overly constricting wrist bands, socks, or shoes.

King County offices will be closed on Monday, January 16 for the Martin Luther King holiday. If closures or delays are necessary due to severe winter weather, they will be posted at www.kingcounty.gov and distributed by local media.