Don't despair, Seattle. Snow could return Sunday

Snow is blanketing much of western Washington this morning.

Seattle got about two inches of snow overnight, and other places got more, according to Dustin Guy of the National Weather Service.

"When you get south of Seattle, down around the southwest interior, they actually had some of the best snowfall totals,” Guy said. Yelm and the Olympia area had reports of three to five inches in a few spots.

Guy says temperatures should rise later this morning and rain is expected to move in. That could make for slushy conditions.

The weather should warm up over the weekend. But then early next week, more cold air is expected to move in. Guy said that means that there MIGHT be a chance of snow as early as Sunday night.

Despite the snow overnight, most of the main arterial streets in Seattle should be passable, said Norm Mah, a city spokesman.

He said the smaller streets might take a little longer to clear.

"Non-arterial side streets and residential side streets may have some slush,” Mah said. “As the morning progresses, temperatures will rise, which will cause that to melt."

Mah says the Seattle Department of Transportation had 31 trucks clearing the streets overnight, mainly in the southern and northern ends of the city.

The city also opened up a shelter for homeless people at the Seattle Center Pavilion last night. And about 75 people sought refuge from the cold.

King County Metro, Sound Transit and Community Transit have most buses operating but there are some delays today.

Check the transit company's websites for specific information about snow routes and delays.

School districts were delayed for the most part, but there are some closures and a few districts in western Washington are also operating on normal schedules.

Seattle and Federal Way schools are on a two-hour delay.

The Lake Washington, Shoreline, Edmonds, Everett and Mukilteo districts are closed.

Tacoma schools have just announced they are operating on a NORMAL schedule today, as are the Highline and Renton districts.

In Kitsap County, the South Kitsap, Bremerton and Bainbridge districts are closed today.

There are many other districts with delays – and that includes many local colleges and universities.

For complete details, check this link.