[1]The snow stopped falling this morning along Rice Road, just southwest of Chehalis
Updated at 11:49 a.m.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – The winter storm warning remains in effect through 8 o’clock tonight with total snow accumulations expected for greater Lewis County of 10 to 20 inches, according to a report from the National Weather Service just after 6:30 a.m. today.
A short term forecast issued at 8 a.m. however is suggesting moderate to heavy snow in the area will continue through 10 a.m.
Continue to expect extreme travel difficulties, the weather service says.
Northeast winds will increase through the morning hours to 10 to 20 mph causing drifting of the snow, according to the weather service.
Freezing rain is still possible over the South Sound this afternoon, with ice accumulations of up to one-tenth of an inch possible along the Interstate 5 corridor between Olympia and Chehalis, forecasters say.
Readers this morning have reported various snow accumulations of: 12 inches in Centralia, 14 inches in Chehalis and Doty, 17 inches in Onalaska, 18 inches in Pe Ell, 19 inches in Winlock, 24 inches in Cispus and more than that in Packwood.
Lewis County Superior Court is closed today. Lewis County District Court is open.
Power outages have been reported in Ethel and Centralia.
“We’ve got numerous outages all across the board actually,” Jeff Hoyt of Centralia City Light said this morning.
Their two line crews are out working and he is requesting a contract crew from outside the city to assist, Hoyt said.
Snow on the power lines and at least one tree that fell and broke a utility pole are the culprits, according to Hoyt.
As it warms and the snow gets heavier, he expects further outages today, he said. Hoyt did not have an estimate when all repairs would be made.
At noontime, there was a seven minute wait on hold to report power outages to Lewis County PUD.
A recorded message from about 6 a.m. named outages in some two dozen areas including such places as downtown Toledo, Wildwood Road, Middle Fork Road, Deep Creek Road, Carr Road in Randle and Ashford.
Readers of Lewis County Sirens have been offering continuous updates about their areas on the Lewis County Sirens Facebook group page, here [2]