The start of 2021 has brought many challenges. This week, we are likely to experience our first extreme winter weather event of the year - including ice, winds, cold temperatures, and snow in the forecast. I wanted to share with you how the City of Seattle has planned for responding to the forecasted weather. 

Preparing for a winter weather event like this one starts well in advance. Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) crews began pre-treating major roads and elevated structures Tuesday night in order to prevent ice from forming and allow us to clear roads more effectively in freezing temperatures.  

In the case of snow, crews will begin working 24/7 to ensure the city’s most critical streets for buses and emergency services are clear, prioritizing 1,200 miles of Seattle’s most critical routes to hospitals, schools, emergency services, shelters, City testing sites, and major employers.  

Snow plow routes have been updated based on the West Seattle High-Rise Bridge closure, and so people can get to COVID-19 testing sites. Visit the SDOT Winter Weather Response webpage for more information, including a map of planned snow routes. 

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is working with the community to prepare for weather related challenges such as frozen pipes, floods, and icy roads.  For information on keeping your pipes from freezing, please visit the SPU blog. 

In the event of extreme winter weather and snow, there are five key things we need you to do: 

• Stay informed: Be sure to check the National Weather Service for updates, and sign up for AlertSeattle for emergency notifications. 
• Shovel your sidewalks: It’s your responsibility to make sure the sidewalk in front of your home or business is safe and accessible. It’s not only the law – it's just the right thing to do so that everyone can travel safely during a snow storm, especially people who are blind, disabled, or have a harder time getting around. 
• Don’t drive unless you absolutely have to: Driving during a storm is dangerous – please avoid driving, and choose to take public transit whenever possible. If you have to drive, check out these tips on how to stay safe. 
• Check on your neighbors: Make sure your neighbors have everything they need to be prepared for a storm, and if they’re older or disabled, be a good neighbor and offer to help get supplies, and shovel their sidewalk. 
• Get prepared: Make sure your emergency kit is up-to-date, and make sure you have a plan in the event of a power outage. 

The City of Seattle is closely monitoring impacts to services ahead of expected winter storms that will bring cold temperatures and potential snowfall through the weekend.  

As always, please continue to write me at [email protected], reach out via Twitter and Facebook, and stay up-to-date on the work we’re doing for the people of Seattle on my blog. 

Stay Safe and Healthy, 

In preparation for forecasted below freezing temperatures and snow over the coming days, the Human Services Department (HSD), in partnership with Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR), is opening Bitter Lake and Garfield Community Centers as 24-hour coed severe weather shelters on Thursday, February 11, at 8 pm. Both locations will remain open through the morning of Monday, February 15. The Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) will operate both locations with support from HSD and SPR staff.  

These two shelter locations will provide an additional COVID-safe emergency shelter spaces for individuals experiencing homelessness. Bitter Lake Community Center is located at 13035 Linden Ave N, Seattle, WA 98133 and Garfield Community Center is located at 2323 East Cherry St, Seattle, WA 98122). 

King County has opened the Jefferson Day Center (420 4th Avenue, Seattle 98104) as a men’s only severe weather shelter that can accommodate 25 men. The temporary shelter opened Tuesday, February 9 and will remain open through Saturday, February 13 and is operated by The Salvation Army.  

In addition to our Seattle Fire Department’s Health One that is operating to help refer people to shelter, the Homelessness Outreach and Provider Ecosystem (HOPE) Team is coordinating outreach and shelter referrals into the City’s temporary severe weather shelters, and other City funded shelters, in partnership with our contracted outreach providers.  

Read more 

We are all in this together and everyone has a responsibility to help keep sidewalks in front of your home or business clear during a snowstorm. There are over 2,400 miles of sidewalks in Seattle, and SDOT crews cannot be everywhere at once. We rely on you to do your part so that we can focus on clearing sidewalks that are not near privately owned buildings and keeping the city’s most critical streets clear. 

Clearing the sidewalks in front of your home or business isn’t just the law, it’s also the right thing to do so that everyone can travel safely during a snow storm, especially people who are blind, disabled, or have a harder time getting around. Talk to your neighbors before a storm to find out who will need help in your community. Work together to support one another, and come up with a plan to ensure that all the sidewalks on your block are kept clear so that everyone can get around safely. 

SDOT can’t be everywhere at once, and many streets are too narrow or steep to plow safely. During a major snow storm, we prioritize plowing 1,200 miles of Seattle’s most critical routes to hospitals, schools, emergency services, shelters and City testing sites.    This map shows our planned snow plow routes, and during a storm you can also use this online Storm Response Map to see real-time updates of which roads we’ve plowed and live camera feeds. 

• For additional information and printable copies of our Winter Weather brochure, visit: www.seattle.gov/transportation/winter-weather.   
• See real-time updates on the roads we’ve plowed in the city.  
• For information on King County Metro, check out metrowinter.com for weather-specific access and snow routes, follow Healthier Metro guidelines, text your bus stop number to 62550, sign up for Metro transit alerts, and follow @kcmetrobus on Twitter.  
• For information on highways, download the WSDOT app, sign up for WSDOT travel alerts, and follow @wsdot on Twitter. 

Mayor Jenny Durkan announced the City of Seattle’s plan for the upcoming week of vaccinations administered by the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) Mobile Vaccination Teams (MVT). Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC) provided the City of Seattle with 600 first doses of the Moderna vaccine, and the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) granted the City’s allocation request for 400 second doses.  

This week, the SFD MVTs will continue providing first doses of the vaccine to Phase 1B, Tier 1 eligible older adults living in affordable housing buildings, and Phase 1B, Tier 1 eligible older adults through a pop-up vaccination clinic in partnership with the Central Area Senior Center. The Seattle Fire Department will also begin administering the second dose to residents and workers at Adult Family Homes throughout Seattle this week. 

To date, Seattle fire department has vaccinated 3,481 vulnerable Seattle residents through mobile vaccination teams. 

Read more