Most of western Whatcom County became shiny white late this evening with the area’s first snowfall of the season.
Snowfall began in earnest about 10pm Thursday night and by midnight most of the Ferndale area was covered in white, and not just at higher altitudes.
Click here to view photos neighbors took of this first snow event of the season.
A quick glance at the WSDOT traffic cameras up and down I-5 from Ferndale showed the impact was not limited to just the Ferndale. From Bellingham to Blaine, the roadway was covered in white.
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Click for more informationAt the same time, while blustery, northeasterly wind gusts have remained well under 40mph as reported by weather stations around the Ferndale area. Temperatures continued to drop, a trend that began about 1pm, reaching between 31° and 29° around midnight according to a weather stations around the area.
North Custer neighbors have been without power since about 11pm. According to PSE, 482 of their customers are without power there. The cause has been attributed to fallen trees or vegetation and the estimate for restoring power, as of midnight, is 1:30am. (UPDATE: PSE reported at 12:30am that power had been restored).
PSE also reports 266 customers on Lummi Island have been without power since 11:30pm. The estimate for restoring power, as of 11:45pm 12:45am, is 2am 9am. No cause has been announced for this power outage.
WSDOT says they have dispatched snowplows to clear snow-covered areas on I-5. No word from City staff whether crews will be dispatched to plow roads designated as priority routes.
UPDATE 3am
The heavy snowfall from earlier has transitioned to light flurries. The temperature has risen 3 or 4° bringing it back up to freezing or a little higher around the Ferndale area.
UPDATE 6:40am
PSE reported power has been restored to Lummi Island residents.