Is the current snow storm a freak weather or common in WA?

[bigbearbear]

I moved to Auburn WA (close to Federal Way) last year in Mar so this is my first winter here in WA, I would like to ask folks who have lived here longer if the current snow storm and the level of snow fall is common here or is this one those those freak weather that happened every 10 years or so?

The amount of snow accumulated on my driveway was between 6 to 8 inches, not really enough to trap me in my house but I shoveled them anyway. Due to the size of my driveway, shoveling it manually was quite a workout and took quite a bit of time. If this amount of snow fall is common in my area, I think I'll beef up my snow removal arsenal, maybe get myself one of those EGO battery powered snow blowers or their bristle brush attachment as I have invested in EGO power tools.

Thanks.

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[Knobgoblin]

I moved to Auburn WA (close to Federal Way) last year in Mar so this is my first winter here in WA, I would like to ask folks who have lived here longer if the current snow storm and the level of snow fall is common here or is this one those those freak weather that happened every 10 years or so?

The amount of snow accumulated on my driveway was between 6 to 8 inches, not really enough to trap me in my house but I shoveled them anyway. Due to the size of my driveway, shoveling it manually was quite a workout and took quite a bit of time. If this amount of snow fall is common in my area, I think I'll beef up my snow removal arsenal, maybe get myself one of those EGO battery powered snow blowers or their bristle brush attachment as I have invested in EGO power tools.

Thanks.

Not common west of Snoqualmie pass.
And it won't stick around to long.

 

[ma96782]

Here in Vancouver....I'd say one event per Winter and it usually lasts for less than a week.

Aloha, Mark

 

[warsteiner]

It's only a "Storm" in the northwest. Just a regular winters event in the rest of the country / world.

 

[kbf64]

I moved to Auburn WA (close to Federal Way) last year in Mar so this is my first winter here in WA, I would like to ask folks who have lived here longer if the current snow storm and the level of snow fall is common here or is this one those those freak weather that happened every 10 years or so?

The amount of snow accumulated on my driveway was between 6 to 8 inches, not really enough to trap me in my house but I shoveled them anyway. Due to the size of my driveway, shoveling it manually was quite a workout and took quite a bit of time. If this amount of snow fall is common in my area, I think I'll beef up my snow removal arsenal, maybe get myself one of those EGO battery powered snow blowers or their bristle brush attachment as I have invested in EGO power tools.

Thanks.

I think the CV vaccine caused it...

 

[The Heretic]

I've lived here most of my 66+ years.

Both Oregon and WA.

I would not say this is a "freak" occurrence but it doesn't happen every year, or even every other year. Some years we get very little snow, sometimes not really anything at all - at leas in lower elevations west of the Cascades.

And when we do get snow, it usually lasts for a few days to a week at most, and it is usually less than a foot or so.

How much you get and whether you get some is very dependent on where you are; had a friend who lives about 30-40 miles from me get about 10X as much snow as I did, and I got twice as much as my kids about 15 miles from me but a lower elevation.

This snow will be gone by Monday for most people. Compared to Montana, the mountains, places like Minnesota, North Dakota, etc., those of use who live west of the Cascades in the PNW get very little snow and for short durations most winters.

 

[clearconscience]

In my memory this much snow/ice comes every 3-6 years.

we will normally get snow in February but its a dusting to a couple inches that is gone within a day or two.

almost never snow for more than a week.

6 inches or more of snow on the valley floors is not "common" but more in a few year cycle.

Of course the city and people here act like its snowing 10ft in an hour and will never go away.

 

[bigbearbear]

I would not say this is a "freak" occurrence but it doesn't happen every year, or even every other year. Some years we get very little snow, sometimes not really anything at all - at leas in lower elevations west of the Cascades.

And when we do get snow, it usually lasts for a few days to a week at most, and it is usually less than a foot or so.

those of use who live west of the Cascades in the PNW get very little snow and for short durations most winters.

My thanks, this is what I was looking for. I was considering if I should go with a 2-stage self propelled snow blower, a single stage blower or a bristle brush attachment to my EGO Powerhead. Sounds like snow blowers will be overkill for where I am so I just place an order for the bristle brush attachment. It should make clearing of light snow a lot easier for me.

I'm on a higher elevation and I think I get more snow than elsewhere, when shoveling snow today, I saw a neighbor drove by in a quad ATV that has a snow plow attached on the front. That lead me to think this community usually get more snow and hence the quad with snow plow.

 

[bigbearbear]

In my memory this much snow/ice comes every 3-6 years.
we will normally get snow in February but its a dusting to a couple inches that is gone within a day or two.
almost never snow for more than a week.
6 inches or more of snow on the valley floors is not "common" but more in a few year cycle.
Of course the city and people here act like its snowing 10ft in an hour and will never go away.

Thanks, this gives me a good idea what to add to my collection of tools for snow removal. It sounds like a snow blower, especially a self-propelled 2-stage EGO is probably WAY overkill unless I want to volunteer to clear snow in the neighborhood for 5 block radius.

I ordered a bristle brush attached for my EGO Powerhead unit instead, should make it a little easier to push snow aside and I can use it on the lawn this coming Spring.

 

[Alexx1401]

My thanks, this is what I was looking for. I was considering if I should go with a 2-stage self propelled snow blower, a single stage blower or a bristle brush attachment to my EGO Powerhead. Sounds like snow blowers will be overkill for where I am so I just place an order for the bristle brush attachment. It should make clearing of light snow a lot easier for me.

I'm on a higher elevation and I think I get more snow than elsewhere, when shoveling snow today, I saw a neighbor drove by in a quad ATV that has a snow plow attached on the front. That lead me to think this community usually get more snow and hence the quad with snow plow.

For most of Pierce and King Co real snow is a rare thing. It's nice as it's seldom a problem. Problem of course is when it does happen everything is a mess for a while as they can't afford to keep enough equipment on hand to deal with it. If they did the stuff would sit idle many years. I always have snow tires for my vehicles and some winters they never get put on at all. This is also why the poor Cops have it bad when this happens. A large percentage of the population just has zero clue how to drive in this and its a parade of crashes. The night this last real snow happened I had to drive 512, I5, and SR16. Could not see the lines, had to kind of guess where a lane should be. I was driving along about 40. Most traffic would just follow. All along the way vehicles on both sides of the road who thought they could still do 60
One guy in a nice 4WD truck got pissed following me, decided to pass on my right. I left him plenty of room. Soon he was going sideways. Corrected, pulled back in behind me. While later he is passing on my left, again lots of room. Before he could get past my he was going sideways again. Corrected and back behind me. I kept thinking go ahead moron. I am not going to stop to help you when you end up in the median, I have to get to work. Most who end up in the median when they call for help and are told hours till next help will leave the vehicle and try to walk off. Hence the vehicles on both sides of the road with no one there. By the time I went home this morning I had seen some plows but the freeways still were one big lane of snow, no way to tell where a lane was. So most kind of just made a lane and followed along. County here will sand the bad hills pretty well but that's about all they can really do. Fortunately we go many winters and never see real snow where it actually sticks like this and when it does it's soon gone.

 

[HighlandLofts]

Buy a four wheel drive Ford F250 four speed and install a full angle snow plow. You can store it at my place until.you need it. I'll only use it when I go up in the Cascades with my grandson..

I use a aluminum feed scoop shovel for snow. We got ten inches or so. Generally when we do get snow ( an inch or two) it is gone with in a couple of days.

 

[oremike]

The approximate ratio is 1 snow day in the winter for every 100 degree day in the summer.

 

[The Heretic]

My thanks, this is what I was looking for. I was considering if I should go with a 2-stage self propelled snow blower, a single stage blower or a bristle brush attachment to my EGO Powerhead. Sounds like snow blowers will be overkill for where I am so I just place an order for the bristle brush attachment. It should make clearing of light snow a lot easier for me.

I'm on a higher elevation and I think I get more snow than elsewhere, when shoveling snow today, I saw a neighbor drove by in a quad ATV that has a snow plow attached on the front. That lead me to think this community usually get more snow and hence the quad with snow plow.

I am at 900' on a mountain, so I get a bit more snow than the flatlands.

A neighbor went up and down our private road with something to move the snow last night. From the tracks I think it was a brush cutter, maybe with a plow attachment? Wasn't really needed IMO as the snow was only 3-4" deep and everybody here has AWD vehicles. Still, the thought was appreciated.

I've spent time in Vermont, Minnesota, Montana and Alaska during winters - working each place for a couple of months. They get a LOT more snow and it lasts a lot longer than is typical for the PNW west of the Cascades. But yes, every once in a while we get maybe a foot dumped on us - it lasts a few days to a week usually and then melts. The time I spent in Minnesota - the snow there was ubiquitous and windblown - not a lot of depth IIRC (a couple of feet), but it was very cold/windy and snow was deep enough to have to deal with it. I have a friend who lived much of her life in N. Dakota and from her descriptions what they deal with every winters is impressive.

 

[STEELE]

I moved to Auburn WA (close to Federal Way) last year in Mar so this is my first winter here in WA, I would like to ask folks who have lived here longer if the current snow storm and the level of snow fall is common here or is this one those those freak weather that happened every 10 years or so?

The amount of snow accumulated on my driveway was between 6 to 8 inches, not really enough to trap me in my house but I shoveled them anyway. Due to the size of my driveway, shoveling it manually was quite a workout and took quite a bit of time. If this amount of snow fall is common in my area, I think I'll beef up my snow removal arsenal, maybe get myself one of those EGO battery powered snow blowers or their bristle brush attachment as I have invested in EGO power tools.

Thanks.

You must be old, calling it a snow STORM! If you carefully listen and adhere to the media's reporting, it's a like, a snow EVENT!

 

[Carcassman]

Been in western WA since 72, in the lowlands the whole time. I have seen snow in November to as late as April 19, which I remember because it was my birthday. Seem to get some snow every winter. Generally what they call a "dusting" to maybe an inch. Every few years it dumps 5-6" or more. Generally melts away rather quickly. In a broad brush sense, the State does a pretty good job of cleaning the highways, starting with the freeways. This cities and counties are less well equipped. One Seattle mayor essentially did nothing after a big snowstorm and lost the next election. As many have noted, drivers here are not well versed in driving in snow....

 

[RevBadger]

To add on, It's pretty much a couple days of snow, normally totalling almost a foot or so. Every couple years. I've lived in washington my whole life and my preparation for it is basically this. I drive a 4wd SUV and have a snow shovel and if it gets real bad, chains.

 

[bigbearbear]

You must be old, calling it a snow STORM! If you carefully listen and adhere to the media's reporting, it's a like, a snow EVENT!

Let's just say I am ignorant of the local practice.
My Tesla app for the Powerwalls I have at home went into "Storm Watch" mode for the last 2 days though so the national weather authorities must've labeled this a storm.

 

[HaveGun]

Supposed to get another foot of it over here over the next two days. Finally!

 

[1371JarHead]

In my memory this much snow/ice comes every 3-6 years.

we will normally get snow in February but its a dusting to a couple inches that is gone within a day or two.

almost never snow for more than a week.

6 inches or more of snow on the valley floors is not "common" but more in a few year cycle.

Of course the city and people here act like its snowing 10ft in an hour and will never go away.

hahahahaah `citypeople` hahahaahah

 

[bigbearbear]

Buy a four wheel drive Ford F250 four speed and install a full angle snow plow. You can store it at my place until.you need it. I'll only use it when I go up in the Cascades with my grandson..

I use a aluminum feed scoop shovel for snow. We got ten inches or so. Generally when we do get snow ( an inch or two) it is gone with in a couple of days.

LOL. Thanks and I appreciate the offer of storage. However, I should mention that my property is a pretty nice sized one and my driveway is big enough to park 3 class A RVs on it. A Ford 250 would be no problem.