PORT ANGELES — Heavy snow blanketed the north Olympic Peninsula overnight and through the early part of today.
Port Angeles led the western Washington lowland areas in snow totals with nearly 20 inches at sea level since yesterday afternoon. Forecasters had predicted 4 to 12 inches.
The snow made travel nearly impossible, stranding many people in their driveways, unable to even make it to a street. All the schools in the region shut down Wednesday. Port Angeles city hall also closed.
The snow collapsed the tent covering the Winter Ice Village in downtown Port Angeles.
Winds also picked up and trees are falling down in many parts of the region. There have been numerous reports of scattered power outages.
The National Weather Serviced is warning of continued strong easterly winds through the rest of Wednesday. There’s also possibility of another inch or two of snow to coat the area again.
Frigid temperatures will also keep things quite icy into the end of the week. Forecasters say a return to a warmer, wetter pattern should start by Saturday.