Auburn, covered in a blanket of snow on Thursday, awoke to sunshine, freezing temperatures and slick roads Friday.
And the thaw will wait.
The forecast calls for more cold weather with another severe storm looming – a fierce gusty blast from Mother Nature that could bring snow or freezing rain this weekend.
A nasty windstorm is expected to strike Saturday afternoon or evening and continue into Sunday.
Forecasters say the strong winds and freezing precipitation could topple trees and produce power outages in some areas, particularly in east King and Snohomish counties.
Thursday’s storm left a few inches of snow, leading to some anxious moments for commuters and forcing several road and building closures in the Auburn area.
Businesses shut down early. The Auburn School District and Green River Community College canceled classes.
The classrooms again were empty Friday as kids played in the sun-splashed snow.
City crews, meanwhile, were busy assessing and tackling slick roadways.
Auburn’s Street Division added two staffed service trucks to hand sand at intersections for the Friday morning commute. All major arterials reportedly were clear and all roads were open. However, flat areas and side streets remained very icy.
Drivers were urged to use extreme caution.
“We’re doing OK,” said Auburn Mayor Pete Lewis, who continued to closely monitor the situation. “I have the best roads crew in the world. So far they have kept up with the main arterials, but the side streets remain slippery.”
Lewis pointed out his limited crew has performed extremely well, considering Auburn has 212 miles of roads with more than 83 miles of arterial streets.
City crews persevered despite losing one of its overworked sand trucks to a mechanical problem overnight.
The crew hopes to have the sidelined truck up and running again by noon Friday.
The current working fleet currently has three sanders, one de-icer truck and two one-ton service trucks.
Sanders are located on the West Hill, Lea Hill and Lakeland Hills.
City crews added two one-ton trucks to hand sand major intersections around 6 a.m. Friday to prepare for the morning commute.
Highways 18 and 167 were moving freely, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Meanwhile, the City of Auburn Emergency Management Office is encouraging citizens to exercise caution.
Citizens can prepare for the weather by ensuring to have ample warm blankets, clothing and emergency food wherever they are – home, work, school, or in the car.
Also make sure to have plenty of water and prescription medication on hand. A regular-corded telephone also is useful, as cordless phones, cellular phones and Internet phones often become unusable when the power goes out.
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IMPORTANT INFO
• The City of Auburn Emergency Management Office can provide additional information regarding winter weather preparedness. For information on disaster education and preparedness, please call 253-876-1925.
• For more information on road conditions, snow routes and maps, visit the City of Auburn Web site at www.auburnwa.gov.
