State Route 900 remains barricaded at midafternoon Jan. 20 to motorists wanting to go southbound past Northwest Talus Drive, a day after a downed tree blocked access to the urban village. By Greg Farrar

In the days after a snowstorm pummeled the region, blackout chased whiteout, as residents uneasy about thorny commutes and missed meetings instead confronted sinking temperatures and toppling trees — all sans electricity.

The major snowstorm dropped 3 to 6 inches across the Issaquah area Jan. 18, but the struggle started the next day, as a rare ice storm led to widespread power outages and caused trees to send ice- and snow-laden branches earthward.

The harsh conditions tested road crews, prompted spinouts and fender benders around the region, and led officials to cancel school for almost a week.

“It was like a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 punch,” Bret Heath, city Public Works Operations and emergency management director, said Jan. 23, as cleanup efforts continued. “For awhile there, I wasn’t sure if we were ever going to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Ironically, snowfall on the ground early Jan. 18 came from a less-severe-than-predicted snowstorm. Still, the snowstorm left deep snow in local neighborhoods, especially areas at higher elevations. The tough challenges came in the days afterward, as ice encased power lines and tree branches.

Brent Bower, a National Weather Service senior hydrologist in Seattle, said the snowstorm still ranked as substantial, even if predictions of a “mega-storm” in the days preceding the event did not come to fruition.

“The storm kept changing course and ended up going a little bit further south,” he said. “It didn’t take much, but it was enough to make it a lot lighter snow rate up here, and it looks like it’s going to shorten the duration, too.”

The snowstorm caused minor headaches compared to the subsequent ice storm, as more than 18,000 customers in the Issaquah area and more than 200,000 customers in Western Washington lost power.

The electricity sputtered moments after Mayor Ava Frisinger poured batter into a waffle iron for 7-year-old granddaughter Ava.

“So, one batch of waffles got baked and then the rest turned into cooked-on-the-stovetop pancakes,” the elder Ava Frisinger said the next day.

Catastrophe averted, but troubles linger

The mayor — bundled in a fleece bomber jacket and heavy duty boots — trekked to City Hall from home in downtown Issaquah. City Hall had power, but no heat, and the temperature in the mayor’s office hovered in the mid-50s.

Trees toppled on Squak Mountain, prompting street closures and power outages as city and Puget Sound Energy crews battled the elements. Communities on Tiger Mountain, just outside city limits, remained in darkness for days after the storm, as crews toiled to restore power.

“Some areas are harder hit than others,” Heath said. “It’s interesting when you’re driving around. Some areas look fairly normal, like it was breezy. Other areas look like a bomb went off.”

Still, despite the damage — and a winter storm emergency proclamation from Gov. Chris Gregoire — catastrophe did not come. Forecasters predicted strong winds and heavy rains for the days after the snowstorm, though neither materialized.

“If that had hit when the trees were loaded with snow and ice, that would have been something to see,” Heath said. “Fortunately, that didn’t really develop and I think we skated on that one.”

Concerns about Issaquah Creek and street flooding bubbled to the surface late Jan. 20, as forecasters issued a flood watch for Western Washington. City crews, officials and residents also cast a wary eye at ice- and snow-laden trees.

(Issaquah dodged significant flooding last year, and the last flooding to occur in the city resulted after a Pineapple Express storm barreled into the region in early December 2010.)

City officials opened the Emergency Operations Center on Jan. 19 to coordinate the response to the emergency.
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Snowstorm causes road closures

The slushy snow and downed trees posed obstacles to road crews for days.

State Route 900 at the southern city limits closed due to a downed tree. Southeast 56th Street from 229th Avenue Southeast to East Lake Sammamish Parkway Southeast closed due to downed power lines. So is 221st Place Southeast from Southeast 62nd Street to Northwest Sammamish Road. Several Squak Mountain streets closed as tree branches rained onto the roadway.

Outside Issaquah, state Route 18 from Interstate 90 near Preston to Auburn closed for days to due hundreds of downed trees on the roadway. State Route 900 closed at Southeast May Valley Road due to downed trees.

“Hundreds of trees fell,” said Dave McCormick, state Department of Transportation regional maintenance manager. “It’s the worst we’ve seen in the last several years.”

Officials urged people to exercise caution outdoors in order to prevent another tragedy similar to a Jan. 19 incident, after a falling tree killed a 61-year-old man near Issaquah.

“Be very careful when you’re outside of possible falling trees or limbs,” said Communications Coordinator Autumn Monahan, the city official responsible for disseminating information to the public during snowstorms and other emergencies. “When we have rain that’s right on top of heavy snow, we’ve got weight issues, so make sure to be aware of you’re surroundings when you’re outside.”

The focus remained on the power outage, as residents questioned PSE and city officials about repairs. Issaquah Police Department dispatchers received a handful of calls from residents asking about repairs to the power grid — a no-no. PSE urged customers to direct questions about repairs to the utility.

“Every call that we receive that’s not an emergency call, that takes away our dispatchers from taking a call that could be an emergency,” Monahan said. “We do ask people to only call if they have an actual emergency.”

Frisinger said residents adapted gracefully to the challenges posed by ongoing power outages and harsh conditions.

“I’m glad that people are as self-reliant as they are and they’re very helpful to other people and concerned about them,” she said.

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

Kyle Patterson, a city snowplow driver, maneuvers through the Montreux neighborhood to remove snow from streets Tuesday afternoon. By Warren Kagarise

Snow, split into quarters from tire tracks, clung to the streets just before sunset Jan. 17 in Montreux, a tony neighborhood on Cougar Mountain named for a city in the Swiss Alps. In methodical maneuvers, city snowplow driver Kyle Patterson edged back and forth along cul-de-sac after cul-de-sac, pushing snow from the roadway to form dirt-flecked berms along the street.

In the process, snow cascades from the plow and light powder is compacted into something more akin to spackle.

Each large snowplow truck in the city fleet resembles a mustard-yellow box atop gargantuan tires, a Tonka toy for a giant. Empty, a large truck tips the scales at about 30,000 pounds. Loaded, full of sand and de-icing fluid, the total balloons to about 60,000 pounds.

(The city operates seven snowplow trucks, a larger model for main roads and a smaller model for difficult-to-maneuver side streets.)

The drivers, dressed in fluorescent jackets the same color as a highlighter pen, ride in the snowplow cabs beneath a flashing amber light. Most drivers use earplugs to block noise from the rumbling engine and brakes screeching like a pterodactyl.

The job requires a nimble hand on the steering wheel and the levers used to manipulate the plow — not to mention patience, precision and pluck — for the lumbering trucks remain susceptible to the same road hazards as other vehicles, despite the bulk and chains meant to ensure traction.

Sometimes, in difficult conditions, “these things still slide, even with all of that weight,” Patterson said.

If the forecast calls for snow, a choreographed sequence is set in motion to clear streets and stage equipment for other possible problems, such as downed trees.

Crews toil around the clock in 12-hour shifts to shove snow from the roadway and, if necessary, drop sand and de-icing fluid onto the roadway. (Drivers usually head home between shifts, but the Public Works Operations shop contains cots and a shower just in case.)

Patterson started at noon Jan. 17 and, not long before sunset, reached Montreux. The crews rely on laminated sheets outlining road priorities. Drivers then radio status updates to supervisors.

The policy for snow removal ranks major arteries and access to mountainside neighborhoods — Highlands Drive Northeast, for instance — as top priorities. Then, as conditions allow, crews plow the side streets branching out across the city.

Patterson, en route to the Public Works Operations facility along First Avenue Northeast after the stint in Montreux, stopped at The Grange Supply to fill up on diesel. The tab for fueling a snowplow is about $150.

The constant use amid harsh weather exacts a toll on the vehicles, despite the trucks’ tank-like resilience.

Dave Boyle, a city heavy equipment mechanic dubbed a “savior” by snowplow drivers, mends the wear-and-tear on the trucks. The most common issues stem from chains on the tires, brake components and the rubber plow edges, he said.

Motorists present another challenge to snowplow crews.

Though the snowplows carry a sign on the rear to remind motorists to remain at least 100 feet from the vehicle — “some people follow it, some don’t,” Patterson said — and a flashing light, motorists sometimes drive too close in the hope to ride on clear streets.

In Issaquah, road conditions differ from neighborhood to neighborhood, due to changes in elevation.

Snow might blanket Forest Rim — Squak Mountain’s highest-elevation neighborhood — even as the lowlands remain bare. Other neighborhoods at higher elevations, such as the Issaquah Highlands and Talus, also require additional scrutiny from road crews.

(Outside Issaquah city limits, King County Roads Services Division teams handle roads in the unincorporated county and the state Department of Transportation is responsible for interstate and state highways.)

The snow last week offered the initial test. Forecasters called for snow to turn to rain after the snowstorm, and for temperatures to climb into the 40s. The abrupt shift means Public Works Operations crews shifted gears to face flooding in Issaquah.

So, teams delivered generators to key sites throughout the city to run pump stations if electricity failed amid the snowstorm. Officials also stationed utility trucks across Issaquah. If the snowstorm led to flooding later, crews planned to swap chainsaws meant for hacking apart fallen trees for road closure signs to direct motorists around floodwaters.

“We’ve been through this so many times before that we know,” Jeffrey Estrin, a longtime city maintenance worker, said during a drive around the city just before sunset Jan. 17.

In the meantime, crews criss-crossed the city to remove snow from streets. High on Squak Mountain, Estrin rolled down a window to address a resident building a snowman on a snow-covered island in a cul-de-sac’s center.

“We’ll have a plow up here real soon,” he said.

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

Concerns about Issaquah Creek and street flooding bubbled to the surface Friday afternoon, as ice and snow melt after debilitating storms and forecasters issued a flood watch for Western Washington.

City crews, officials and residents also cast a wary eye at ice- and snow-laden trees, as meteorologists forecast strong winds to last through the weekend — creating another possibility for overtaxed trees to drop branches on roads and residences.

Officials urged residents to clear snow and debris, such as fallen leaves and downed tree branches, from storm drains near homes in order to reduce the street-flooding risk.

The latest alerts came as many Issaquah residents spent another day without power, as Puget Sound Energy crews raced to restore power to more than 200,000 customers across the region.

National Weather Service meteorologists in Seattle predicted rain to fall in the Issaquah area through the weekend. Expect sustained winds in the 20 mph to 30 mph range, and gusts up to 41 mph Friday night. Forecasters said strong winds should continue Saturday and Sunday.

“We’re going to see a lot of water here in the next few hours as the snow starts to melt,” Communications Coordinator Autumn Monahan, the city official responsible for disseminating information to the public during snowstorms and other emergencies, said Friday afternoon. “We’re watching both urban flooding issues and Issaquah Creek.”

(Issaquah dodged significant flooding last year, and the last flooding to occur in the city resulted after a Pineapple Express storm barreled into the region in early December 2010.)

The slushy snow and downed trees continue to pose obstacles to city road crews. Public Works Operations crews continue to operate around the clock.

Motorists should prepare for numerous road closures in Issaquah and the surrounding area.

State Route 900 at the southern city limits is closed due to a downed tree. Southeast 56th Street from 229th Avenue Southeast to East Lake Sammamish Parkway Southeast is closed due to downed power lines. So is 221st Place Southeast from Southeast 62nd Street to Northwest Sammamish Road.

On Squak Mountain, Highwood Drive Southwest near the Greenwood Boulevard Southwest intersection is closed. Southwest Forest Drive is closed from Wildwood Boulevard Southwest to Wildwood Boulevard Southwest. In addition, the road is closed at 845 S.W. Ellerwood St. Wildwood Boulevard Southwest from Valley View Place Southwest to Ridgewood Circle Southwest is closed.

Outside Issaquah, state Route 18 from Interstate 90 near Preston to Auburn remains closed to due hundreds of downed trees on the roadway. State Route 900 at closed at Southeast May Valley Road due to downed trees.

Officials urged people to exercise caution outdoors in order prevent another tragedy similar to a Thursday incident. Police said a falling tree killed a 60-year-old man near Issaquah.

“Be very when you’re outside of possible falling trees or limbs,” Monahan said. “When we have rain that’s right on top of heavy snow, we’ve got weight issues, so make sure to be aware of you’re surroundings when you’re outside.”

On Friday, however, the focus remained on the power outage, as residents questioned PSE and city officials about repairs. Issaquah Police Department dispatchers received a handful of calls from residents asking about repairs to the power grid — a no-no. PSE urged customers to direct questions about repairs to the utility.

“Every call that we receive that’s not an emergency call, that takes away our dispatchers from taking a call that could be an emergency,” Monahan said. “We do ask people to only call if they an actual emergency.”

Officials also directed people without power to a shelter set up by the city and the American Red Cross at the Issaquah Community Center. Monahan said three people spent the night at the shelter Thursday, and the facility handled about 30 drop-in clients by Friday afternoon.

Mayor Ava Frisinger — bundled in a fleece bomber jacket and heavy duty boots — trekked to City Hall from home in downtown Issaquah. City Hall had power, but no heat. The temperature in the mayor’s office hovered in the mid-50s.

The mayor’s neighborhood lost power Thursday morning moments after she poured batter into a waffle iron for 7-year-old granddaughter Ava.

“So, one batch of waffles got baked and then the rest turned into cooked-on-the-stovetop pancakes,” she said.

Frisinger said residents adapted gracefully to the challenges posed by ongoing power outage and harsh conditions.

“I’m glad that people are as self-reliant as they are and they’re very helpful to other people and concerned about them,” she said.

State Route 900 remains barricaded at midafternoon Jan. 20 to motorists wanting to go southbound past Northwest Talus Drive, a day after a downed tree blocked access to the urban village. By Greg Farrar

NEW — 1:15 p.m. Jan. 19, 2012

State transportation officials said the ice after a major snowstorm continues to create difficult driving conditions throughout the region.

Department of Transportation planners said frigid temperatures should continue to cause harsh conditions throughout Thursday.

“We had our crews out all night de-icing the roads. We threw everything we had at this storm — sand, de-icer, salt and plows,” Regional Maintenance Manager Dave McCormick said. ”It’s so widespread that it’s been very difficult to keep up.”

State Route 900 is closed at Southeast May Valley Road. State Route 18 remains closed from Auburn Way and Issaquah-Hobart Road Southeast due to multiple downed trees for several miles. State Route 202 is closed between Fall City and Snoqualmie due to downed trees. The roads should remain closed for several hours.

In Issaquah, crews responded a downed tree and power lines before 7:50 a.m. between Northwest Talus Drive and the southern city limits. The stretch between the access road to the Talus urban village and the city line remains closed as Puget Sound Energy crews tend to the downed tree.

Southeast 56th Street from 229th Avenue Southeast to East Lake Sammamish Parkway Southeast is closed due to downed power lines.

Trees loaded with snow continue to snap and fall on state highways and local streets across King, Pierce and Snohomish counties.

Crews said a coating of ice on trees is further complicating travel. Motorists should be on the lookout for falling debris as well as ice on roads.

“We haven’t seen trees come down like this in years,” state Department of Transportation Maintenance Manager Chris Johnson said.

King County Road Services Division crews reported little improvement in road conditions in the afternoon. In addition to the snow, a mixture of freezing rain and sleet has turned most roadways into sheets of ice.

Motorists should check the forecast and check conditions before heading out. Drivers should consider waiting before driving and putting off unnecessary trips.

“We need drivers’ help,” McCormick said. ”The more prepared you are, the better it is for everyone.”

Residents should also check storm drains to make sure ice or snow is not clogging the drain to ensure proper drainage as temperatures warm and melting starts.

City road crews labored throughout the night and morning to remove snow and treat Issaquah streets, as officials and residents prepare for another day of snow-snarled commutes.

Roads remain open and snowplows continue to focus on Priority 1 routes — important arteries and access to hillside communities. Crews intend to address side streets as conditions allow. (Officials divide streets into priority levels for snow removal.)

Officials canceled all programs at the Issaquah Community Center and Julius Boehm Pool for Thursday. Call 837-3300 or go to the city website for updates on possible drop-in hours.

Expect rain and snow before 10 a.m. Thursday. Temperatures should rise into the upper 30s throughout the day. More rain and snow is expected Thursday night.

Meanwhile, concerns turned to possible flooding as higher temperatures and rain entered the forecast. Meteorologists said evaluating the moisture locked in snow and melting into runoff into local waterways is difficult. In addition, a storm is heading for Western Washington from the Pacific Ocean. National Weather Service forecasters in Seattle said the storm could drop 0.5 to 2.5 inches of rain on lowland soggy lowland areas.

But predicting how snow melt and additional precipitation could impact Issaquah Creek and other waterways is difficult to determine.

“This will be a tricky situation to forecast, and uncertainty that there will or will not be flooding is quite high,” forecasters noted in a hydrologic outlook posted Wednesday afternoon. “Rainfall intensities and the amount and rate of lowland snow melt will determine how high the rivers rise. There is a lot of uncertainty in how much snow water is there and how fast that snow will melt.”

Snow blankets downtown Issaquah on Wednesday morning as a King County Metro Transit bus heads north along Front Street South. By Kathleen R. Merrill

NEW — 9:15 a.m. Jan. 18, 2012

Snowfall greeted Issaquah residents Wednesday morning, as a less-severe-than-predicted snowstorm still left deep snow in local neighborhoods, especially areas at higher elevations.

City road crews continue to remove snow on a 24-hour basis, and all city streets remain open to traffic. Snowplows remain focused on Priority 1 routes — important arteries and access to hillside communities. Crews intend to address side streets as conditions allow. (Officials divide streets into priority levels for snow removal.)

Issaquah residents reported 3 to 6 inches throughout the area early Wednesday morning. Residents can expect a similar amount of snowfall to continue throughout the day.

Brent Bower, a National Weather Service senior hydrologist in Seattle, said the snowstorm is substantial, even if predictions of a “mega-storm” in the days preceding the event did not come to fruition.

“It was going to be big,” he said Wednesday morning. “We’ve had reports, some people have already had 16 inches” in the South Puget Sound region.

Olympia and other communities to the south bore the brunt of the snowstorm.

“The storm kept changing course and ended up going a little bit further south,” Bower said. “It didn’t take much, but it was enough to make it a lot lighter snow rate up here, and it looks like it’s going to shorten the duration, too.”

Still, city officials urged residents to prepare for winter driving conditions — even on treated roads — and to check the municipal traffic camera network before heading out onto roads.

If drivers must abandon vehicles along Issaquah streets, park clear of travel lanes to allow snow equipment to pass. (The city tows vehicles left abandoned in travel lanes. Call the Issaquah Police Department nonemergency line, 837-3200, to locate vehicles after a snowstorm.)

Expect snowfall to continue throughout Wednesday and additional snow showers to occur Thursday. Rain is in the forecast for Friday — and officials raised concerns about possible flooding in Issaquah as snow melts and rain falls.

Kyle Patterson, a city snowplow driver, maneuvers through the Montreux neighborhood to remove snow from streets Tuesday afternoon. By Warren Kagarise

NEW — 8 a.m. Jan. 18, 2012

Come winter, the nonstop struggle between man and Mother Nature unfolds in a teeth-rattling ride aboard city snowplows.

Snow, split into quarters from tire tracks, clung to the streets late Tuesday afternoon in Montreux, a tony neighborhood on Cougar Mountain named for a city in the Swiss Alps. In methodical maneuvers, city snowplow driver Kyle Patterson edged back and forth along cul-de-sac after cul-de-sac, pushing snow from the roadway to form dirt-flecked berms along the street.

In the process, snow cascades from the plow and light powder is compacted into something more akin to spackle.

Each large snowplow truck in the city fleet resembles a mustard-yellow box atop gargantuan tires, a Tonka toy for a giant. Empty, a large truck tips the scales at about 30,000 pounds. Loaded, full of sand and de-icing fluid, the total balloons to about 60,000 pounds.

(The city operates seven snowplow trucks, a larger model for main roads and a smaller model for difficult-to-maneuver side streets.)

The drivers, dressed in fluorescent jackets the same color as a highlighter pen, ride in the snowplow cabs beneath a flashing amber light. Most drivers use earplugs to block noise from the rumbling engine and brakes screeching like a pterodactyl.

The job requires a nimble hand on the steering wheel and the levers used to manipulate the plow — not to mention patience, precision and pluck, for the lumbering trucks remain susceptible to the same road hazards as other vehicles, despite the bulk and chains meant to ensure traction.

Sometimes, in difficult conditions, “these things still slide, even with all of that weight,” Patterson said.

If the forecast calls for snow, a choreographed sequence is set in motion to clear streets and stage equipment for other possible problems, such as downed trees.

Crews toil around the clock in 12-hour shifts to shove snow from the roadway and, if necessary, drop sand and de-icing fluid onto the roadway. (Drivers usually head home between shifts, but the Public Works Operations shop contains cots and a shower just in case.)

Patterson started at noon Tuesday and, not long before sunset, reached Montreux. The crews rely on laminated sheets outlining road priorities. Drivers then radio status updates to supervisors.

The policy for snow removal ranks major arteries and access to mountainside neighborhoods — Highlands Drive Northeast, for instance — as top priorities. Then, as conditions allow, crews plow the side streets branching out across the city.

Patterson, en route to the Public Works Operations facility along First Avenue Northeast after the stint in Montreux, stopped at The Grange Supply to fill up on diesel. The tab for fueling a snowplow is about $150.

The constant use amid harsh weather exacts a toll on the vehicles, despite the trucks’ tank-like resilience.

Dave Boyle, a city heavy equipment mechanic dubbed a “savior” by snowplow drivers, mends the wear-and-tear on the trucks. The most common issues stem from chains on the tires, brake components and the rubber plow edges, he said.

Motorists present another challenge to snowplow crews.

Though the snowplows carry a sign on the rear to remind motorists to remain at least 100 feet from the vehicle — “some people follow it, some don’t,” Patterson said — and a flashing light, motorists sometimes drive too close in the hope to ride on clear streets.

In Issaquah, road conditions differ from neighborhood to neighborhood, due to changes in elevation.

Snow might blanket Forest Rim — Squak Mountain’s highest-elevation neighborhood — even as the lowlands remain bare. Other neighborhoods at higher elevations, such as the Issaquah Highlands and Talus, also require additional scrutiny from road crews.

(Outside Issaquah city limits, King County Roads Services Division teams handle roads in the unincorporated county and the state Department of Transportation is responsible for interstate and state highways.)

The snow offered the initial test. Forecasters called for snow to turn to rain Friday, and for temperatures to climb into the 40s. The abrupt shift means Public Works Operations crews could face flooding in Issaquah before the week concludes.

So, teams delivered generators to key sites throughout the city to run pump stations if electricity failed amid the snowstorm. Officials also stationed utility trucks across Issaquah. If the snowstorm led to flooding later, crews planned to swap chainsaws meant for hacking apart fallen trees for road closure signs to direct motorists around floodwaters.

“We’ve been through this so many times before that we know,” Jeffrey Estrin, a longtime city maintenance worker, said during a drive around the city late Tuesday afternoon.

In the meantime, crews criss-crossed the city to remove snow from streets. High on Squak Mountain, Estrin rolled down a window to address a resident building a snowman on a snow-covered island in a cul-de-sac’s center.

“We’ll have a plow up here real soon,” he said.

The potential for more snow — plus flooding as the snow melted — reminded emergency planners to gird for harsh La Niña conditions, albeit later in the season than expected.

“It’s going to be pretty messy in the next couple of days,” said Johnny Burg, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Seattle. “People should just pay attention to the forecast.”

The forecast could change, of course, but meteorologists predicted additional snow in the days ahead. Then, urban flooding along streets could occur as the snow starts to melt, perhaps later in the week.

“Usually, we try to get things nailed down within the next 48 hours,” Burg said. “Anything beyond that, really, the accuracy kind of falls off. It all depends on if the models are all in agreement and if the models are doing well.”

The city Public Works Operations Department and King County Road Services Division start to dispatch crews to plow and sand slushy roadways as snow materializes. Crews may also apply de-icing material to major arterial streets and bridges. Sometimes, city crews stage equipment along major roadways if snow is certain to fall.

The city focuses on high-priority, hillside routes — such as Highlands Drive Northeast, Mountain Park Boulevard Southwest, Northwest Talus Drive and Southeast Issaquah-Fall City Road — to maintain access to Issaquah hillside communities and the Sammamish Plateau amid inclement conditions.

Officials also reminded motorists to pay special attention to bridges and overpasses, because both can be more prone to freeze during late night and early morning hours. So, drivers should be on the lookout for black ice, as well as snow.

Unlike snowstorms in 2010 and 2011 — including a pre-Thanksgiving 2010 nightmare responsible for transportation gridlock throughout the region — officials said this snowstorm did not cause as many headaches, at least in the initial days. Issaquah police did not encounter vehicles abandoned en masse at the base of steep hills after the Jan. 15 snowstorm — a change from past incidents.

“It’s been really quiet on the roads,” said Communications Coordinator Autumn Monahan, the city official responsible for disseminating information to the public during snowstorms and other emergencies. “I think people have either been staying at home or being prepared and checking their routes before they leave.”

Planners credited residents for preparing for inclement conditions and opting to ride out the snowstorm at home rather than attempt a commute to the office. Some commuters encountered a smoother ride because the Issaquah School District and many government offices closed Jan. 16 for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.

“Traffic has been very light because it’s a holiday weekend — and that really helps,” Monahan said.

La Niña poses challenge

Sara Niegowski, Issaquah School District spokeswoman, said officials prepared early for possible cancellations or delays related to inclement conditions. The district did not need to cancel or delay classes due to weather during the 2011-12 school year through Jan. 16.

“We’re very, very happy with that,” Niegowski said. “We know it’s bound to catch up with us at some point. In the past couple years, it’s been hitting us in November. For January, this is not too bad.”

Issaquah, King County and state Department of Transportation crews toiled around the clock to clear streets, and to dump sand and apply de-icing fluid to roadways. (The holiday weekend did not affect staffing levels for snow-response crews.)

“We encourage people to take major arterials, or to get onto a major arterial as soon as they can, because they’re the ones that will be cleared first,” Monahan said.

King County crews started responding to snow and ice on roadways in north areas of the county the afternoon of Jan. 14, and by early the next day, officials placed all crews on 12-hour shifts to conduct around-the-clock snow and ice operations countywide. Officials placed about 150 county maintenance staffers on snow duty.

The county focuses on major roadways during regional snowstorms. The setup could mean less attention on neighborhood streets and closures for steep roads.

In inclement conditions, the Issaquah School District’s transportation team fans out on roads across the district before 4 a.m. to assess conditions. The team focuses on the most treacherous areas in the sprawling district. (The district stretches from Preston to Newcastle, and from Sammamish to Renton.)

The team then relays the information to district officials. Superintendent Steve Rasmussen then makes the decision to cancel or delay school.

“If it’s something really obvious, we’ll try to make the decision the night before,” Niegowski said. “But if it’s something where the weather might change, it might drop off and there’s still a question, I think people have got to get up in the morning and just start driving the roads.”

If the district cancels school, officials built in days throughout the school year to accommodate possible snow days.

“We like it when they don’t occur, but we’re ready when they do,” Niegowski said.

Meteorologists said harsh conditions could continue due to La Niña. The phenomenon means unusually cold temperatures in the Pacific Ocean near South America — and colder-than-normal temperatures and greater-than-normal rain and snowfall in Western Washington.

The double whammy from significant snowfall, rain and subsequent snowmelt could cause flooding along Issaquah streets. Monahan said city crews prepared for flood response in addition to snow removal.

La Niña is considered the opposite of El Niño — a phenomenon defined by unusually warm temperatures in the equatorial Pacific. In the Pacific Northwest, El Niño tends to mean drier winters. (Meteorologists use data collected at Sea-Tac International Airport for official, long-term climate records in the region.)

“We have plenty of the winter left — we have the rest of January, February and until March,” Burg said. “We’ll probably get more snow, and we’ll have to see how the rest of January shakes out as far as temperatures go.”

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

King County is under a flood watch as a precipitation-laden system barrels into Western Washington, and Issaquah residents should prepare for localized flooding as rain and wind pelt the area.

The flood watch is in effect until through late Wednesday night. Expect 2 to 4 inches of rainfall Monday night and Tuesday as the snow level rises to about 6,000 feet, and then another 1 to 3 inches Tuesday night and Wednesday as the snow level gradually dips to about 3,000 feet.

National Weather Service meteorologists in Seattle said any flooding related to the system is expected to be minor.

In addition, a wind advisory is in effect through noon Tuesday.

Bret Heath, city Public Works Operations and emergency management director, said leaves dislodged from trees by rain and wind could also clog storm drains and lead to flooding along city streets.

Issaquah Creek flooding is not expected to pose a major problem in the days ahead.

“It’s going to be a decent storm, but being that this is going to be the first one, stream levels are relatively low,” he said. “We’ll probably see some urban flooding issues, especially with all of the leaves coming off of the trees.”

Seattle Public Utilities encourage residents to “adopt” a local storm drain or drainage ditch to remove leaves and other debris. Residents should also maintain gutters, downspouts, rain barrels and private culverts by keeping them clean, flowing and directed away from properties and hillsides.

Local preparation efforts started before the La Niña conditions — colder-than-normal temperatures and greater-than-normal rain- and snowfall — came to bear. The city enlisted Community Emergency Response Team members to distribute more than 300 fliers to businesses and residences in the Issaquah Creek floodplain.

Autumn Monahan, city spokeswoman, encouraged residents to turn to the municipal website, Emergency Information Line — 837-3028 — Channel 21 and 1700-AM radio station for up-to-date flooding information. Residents can request free sand and bags from the city by calling 837-3470.

Since the last flood season, forecasters also changed how flood data is reported for Issaquah Creek.

In response to conflicting flood information during a deluge last December, the National Weather Service adjusted flood warning levels for the creek.

The agency now bases flood warnings on the creek flow, rather than height.

Forecasters made the adjustments in October. The switch is meant to avoid confusion between National Weather Service data and the municipal flood warning system.

The city bases warnings on real-time data from a gauge upstream from Issaquah in Hobart. The system can usually provide a few hours of lead time before flooding impacts Issaquah. The data collected by the National Weather Service comes from a downstream gauge near the creek mouth in Lake Sammamish State Park.

Less than a year after conflicting flood information confused Issaquah residents during a December deluge, the National Weather Service plans to adjust flood warning levels for Issaquah Creek.

The agency plans to base flood warnings on the creek’s flow, rather than height. The agency plans to make the adjustments Oct. 1.

The switch is meant to avoid confusion between National Weather Service data and the city’s flood warning system.

The city bases warnings on real-time data from a gauge upstream from Issaquah in Hobart. The system can usually provide a few hours of lead time before flooding impacts Issaquah.

The data collected by the National Weather Service comes from a downstream gauge near the creek mouth in Lake Sammamish State Park.

Due to gradual changes in the steam bed — a result of years of flood-mitigation projects and other factors — means potential flooding impacts no longer pose as much of a risk.

Last December, Issaquah Creek data from the Hobart gauge indicated a rain-swollen creek, but not enough to cause more than localized flooding. Information from the downstream gauge and a notice from the National Weather Service, however, cautioned residents to prepare for widespread flooding in the city.

The flooding — the result of a Pineapple Express system barreling off the Pacific Ocean — flooded Issaquah streets and spawned mudslides.