The icy rain is coming down in Eastlake at this hour (8 a.m.). Streets look icy and empty.

Seattle Public Utilities says no garbage pick up today. Metro remains on snow routing.

If your Eastlake business is open this morning, either post in the comments below or email me at curtmilton@comcast.net or Tweet us at @EastlakeAve.

Be careful out there!

Eastlake businesses were open this morning and traffic was moving on Eastlake Ave. despite the snow. A good two to three inches of snow had fallen by lunch time.

It looks like most businesses are open although it's always a good idea to call ahead to check. I noted that Louisa's Cafe Bakery, Voxx Coffee, the 14 Carrot Cafe and Starbucks were open, as were numerous other stores on Eastlake Avenue E. Ed Wyse Beauty Supplies was open but just closed due to lack of customers.

Little Water Cantina says they're open.

If your business is open, add it to the comment list below.

Traffic was moving on Eastlake (check out our video) and buses were appearing, although I'm not sure if they're on schedule or not. Metro has noted that all buses will remain on snow routes today. There have been some route cancellations but none that affect Eastlake.

Side streets are still slick and tricky. Try to avoid driving if you can. The Lynn Street hill was bedeviling drivers earlier this morning so you might want to try to avoid it.

There won't be any garbage, yard waste or recycling pickups today. 

What's it like in your part of the neighborhood? Share what you're up to in the comments or note where there are problems. 

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The snow has stopped in Eastlake at this hour (1:40 p.m.) but Eastlake Ave. and the side streets are still slick and tricky to drive on. Use lots of caution, particularly if you live on a hill.

I just returned from driving downtown and the situation was the same near Westlake and in Belltown. It's very pretty but if you don't have to drive, stay off the roads.

Metro says that all of their buses are on snow routes at this time. The two Eastlake routes that are affected by snow routes are:

• Route 66: It's not operating on E. Jefferson, 9th Avenue, Boren Avenue or Seneca Street.
• Route 70: It's not operating on 5th Avenue S. and South Jackson or 3rd Avenue S. and Main St. 

The routes for these buses along Eastlake Avenue remain unchanged. For more information and updates, visit Metro's snow page.

If you have snow photos you'd like to share, either post them to our Flickr group or email them to me at curtmilton (at) comcast.net and I'll post them here. 

Stay warm!

My quick trip down Eastlake's streets this morning (Thursday) found Eastlake Avenue bare and wet. There isn't much traffic and what traffic there is was moving along with no problems.

Side streets can be slick, particularly if they aren't well traveled. Be careful on hills. Temperatures aren't expected to rise above freezing today so side streets may not clear off today.

Freeways in Seattle appear to be open with little to no ice. 

Metro says buses are running on normal routes.

Seattle Public Utilities says garbage collection will go ahead as it normally would today.

Have any weather related news or photos? Post in the comments!

8:10 UPDATE: Delmar Drive is closed. A large tree has fallen onto the road. If you're trying to get to Montlake, try Fuhrman instead.

WEDNESDAY MORNING UPDATE: It's raining and the streets in Eastlake are slushy but may still be slick.

Seattle Public Schools are running two hours late but buses will be running their regular routes. KIRO is reporting no AM/PM kindergarten, no AM/PM preschool or preschool programs and no AM/PM Head Start. And no door-to-door service.

Metro buses are mostly on snow routes. Check Metro's website for more information.

The City of Seattle says garbage pickup will proceed a usual today despite the snow.

Original post:

The snow is falling in Eastlake ... finally. Forecasts had snow arriving this afternoon for the evening commute but it didn't.

Report from south end of Eastlake is that snow is just starting to accumulate. About an inch has fallen. Looks like even more has fallen on the southern end of Franklin (see photo).

It's now almost 9 p.m. and snow has been falling for about an hour. It's sticking on the pavement in the alley behind my condo. What's going on where you live? Post your comments below. Have photos? Send them and I'll add them to this post.

Stay warm!

This week's Eastlake police reports has a number of auto accidents, presumably related to last week's snow:

• Nov. 22: Auto accident, 2300 block of Boylston, 9:12 p.m.
• Nov. 23: Auto accident, 2000 block of Eastlake, 5:03 p.m.
• Nov. 23: Car prowl, 2700 block of Boyston, 6:47 p.m.
• Nov. 24: Auto fire alarm, 2500 block of Franklin, 3:08 a.m.
• Nov. 25: Auto accident, 2200 block of Franklin, 10:48 p.m.
• Nov. 26: Broken water pipes, 1800 block of Fairview, 11:04 a.m.
• Nov. 27: Intoxicated person, 2700 block of Boylston, 10:16 a.m.
• Nov. 27: Boat taking water, 1500 block of Fairview, 2:44 p.m.
• Nov. 27: Misdemeanor warrant service, E. Roanoke, 5:59 p.m.
• Nov. 28: Vehicle theft, 1800 block of Eastlake, 2 a.m.

To see the complete map, go to SeattleCrime.com.

UPDATE at 3:48 p.m.: Meant to post this sooner. Traffic moving fine on Eastlake Avenue E. It seems to be bare and mostly dry. Side streets still icy and tricky. Roanoke E. isn't closed at Boylston but the sign says it's restricted to "Local Access." You can get through but take it slow!

UPDATE at 7 a.m.: It's 24 degrees on my deck in Eastlake. Seattle Schools are closed again today. After saying it would be open, the UW changed course and will be closed again. 

The city won't be picking up garbage today. If your garbage wasn't picked up Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, you'll be collected on those days next week. You will be able to put out twice the usual garbage. There's no pick up on Thanksgiving day either.

Add your weather related observations in the comments. We also accept reader photos! Send them to curtmilton (at) comcast.net. Thanks and stay warm!

3:22 p.m. UPDATE: Metro has sent alerts for most of the bus routes that go through Eastlake, saying that they are still on snow routes and warning: "It is not possible to know when it (a bus) will arrive at a specific location. Use regularly published timetables as a guide, then be prepared for delays."

Eastlake routes that are on snow routes are 25, 49, 66, 70, 72 and 73. Check Metro's storm alert web page for more information.

1:26 p.m. UPDATE: Looks like the wrecked truck is still there at Eastlake and Newton. See the photos provided by reader Kate Dulemba. The truck apparently came down the hill, slid off to the side, hit an embankment and rolled on its side. No word on how the driver is doing. (Thanks for sharing the pix, Kate!)

12:20 p.m. UPDATE: Eastlake Avenue is bare and wet at this point and traffic is moving along with no problems. It appears that the city's plan to de-ice the main routes has worked so far.

The side streets in Eastlake, especially those with a hill, are another story. Roanoke E. is closed at the Boylston intersection although the stretch from Franklin to Eastlake is open. Two cars that embraced in a way they hadn't intended are stuck in the driveway to the TOPS@Seward School parking lot. There are another two cars that slid into each other at the top of Louisa.

I've heard reports of an expensive SUV that was on its side by Serafina Monday night but, if it was there, it's gone now. Also heard of a multiple fender bender last night at the top of Lynn where it meets Boylston. There are numerous cars parked in places they wouldn't ordinarily be.

Looks like most businesses in Eastlake are open. I didn't see a single closed sign. Looks like many people took the advice from Metro and the SPD and stayed home. Voxx Coffee was packed with people working on their laptops.

Kids are sliding on a few of the hills and Rogers Playfield was active with kids, parents and dogs.

Temperature on my deck is 26 degrees with snow drifts.

9:50 a.m. UPDATE: Christina says Nettletown is open today 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and they're selling special Thanksgiving retail items and wild mushrooms. Also, Jaxx Boutique is open until 5 p.m.

9:21 a.m. UPDATE: Ed Wyse Beauty Supply is open on Eastlake Ave. E.

8:28 a.m. UPDATE: Alcena says Louisa's is "open for now." Also open: Voxx Coffee (regular hours, until 10 p.m.) and 14 Carrot Cafe (also regular hours ... "Nothing stops us!").

8:10 a.m. UPDATE: Seattle Public Utilities says garbage collections scheduled for today are CANCELLED. Garbage that was supposed to be picked up today will be picked up NEXT Tuesday, Nov. 30.

Metro says all buses are on snow routes this morning. They're advising people to stay off the roads and stay home if they can. You can check what's up with each bus route by going to Metro's website.

All University of Washington campuses are closed today.

What's up on your street? Put news in the comments or e-mail me at curtmilton (at) comcast.net.

The snow fell and then stopped and then fell again on Eastlake today. Here are a few photos taken during a short and very cold walk about the neighborhood in mid-afternoon.

UPDATE at 4:09 p.m.: Bob Payne from the Seattle Times says traffic is gridlocked on Fairview Ave. at the Mercer I-5 on-ramps. Expect Route 70 delays unless it clears up, he says.

UPDATE at 3:43 p.m.: Metro says that all buses will stay on snow routes through Monday evening. Metro will evaluate this evening to determine if snow routes will be continued on Tuesday.

UPDATE: This post has been updated since it was first published. Photos of the snow have been added.

Cool panorama photo of Eastlake snow has been posted on Intersect by local resident Kristi Waite. Check it out here.

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It's snowing! Snow was falling this morning in Eastlake with more expected as the day goes on. Buses may be running late and it's cold so bundle up.

If you have information about the snow or just want to tell us what it looks like at your place, add to the comments. If you have snow photos you'd like to see on the blog, send them to me and I'll publish them: curtmilton (at) comcast.net.

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ORIGINAL POST: There's snow in the forecast for tonight and Monday morning. Metro has announced they won't be taking any chances with bus service. They're going to start service Monday morning with buses in all areas on snow routes.

Snow routes remove buses from hilly streets and put them out onto arterials "that are more likely to be plowed," according to a Metro brochure.

Eastlake Avenue E. is a snow route for the buses that go along it. What happens after those buses leave Eastlake may be another story.

You can look to see what the snow routes are for any Metro route by going to their snow web page. You can also see transit alerts on this page and you can sign up for transit alerts via e-mail.

Metro will be using a new color-coded map to indicate the status of service on a route: Green means buses are running normally; yellow means some but not all routes in an area are on snow routes; and red means all routes in an area are on snow routes.

Metro's rationale for going to snow routes early is explained in an e-mail:

While the accumulations are not expected to be deep, Metro managers want to be prepared and not have to change to snow routing during the middle of the busiest travel times.

"We decided Sunday night to be proactive, even though we know how unpredictable snowfall can be in King County,” said Metro General Manager Kevin Desmond. “We would rather be over prepared than have buses stuck on regular routes during the middle of a snowy commute in the morning or afternoon."

A few brave snowflakes fell in Eastlake in the late morning and early afternoon, but nothing has come down since. Still, it's cold out there (the sandwich board in front of Louisa's this morning said simply: "BRRRR!") and the forecast is calling for a low of 28 tonight and possible snow showers in the morning. Metro advises you to be patient if there is snow and dress warmly, which is good advice.

Be prepared!

I just saw a city sand truck heading up 10th Ave. E. where it crosses over 520. Temperatures near freezing are forecast for tonight.

According to a press release from the Seattle Department of Transportation, city crews have been "proactively" applying salt brine to streets and bridges in Seattle in anticipation of the cold weather. The press release even mentions the possibility of snow tonight. Yikes! (NOAA says low temps, with highs in the 30s, will continue through next week.)

The press release notes that the brine solution "remains effective for several days unless it rains." And it says city crews have been out treating streets where groundwater seepage is causing ice to form.

If you notice a slick, untreated street tonight or this weekend, call the SDOT at 206-386-1218.

SDOT winter links that might prove useful:

• SDOT's Twitter feed is at twitter.com/seattledot.
• Their winter weather response plan is here.
• Their winter weather Facebook page is here.
• And the main SDOT web page is here.

If you... (more)

Rochelle Ogershok from Metro e-mailed today to clairfy about when Metro's Emergency Network plans, with its special bare-bones bus schedules, will go into effect.

It won't be used for regular snow storms, she explains, only where there is "severe" winter weather like the pounding we took last December. From her e-mail:

'During more typical snow events, riders will be able use the Internet to quickly see which buses in the Metro system are on snow route based on “geographic area.” Green will indicate buses are operating on normal routes, yellow will signify minor reroutes (primarily in higher elevation areas), and red will alert customers that buses in the entire geographic area are on snow route or are being significantly impacted by snow."

You can sign up for e-mail and cell-phone alerts and find out more about emergency's a Metro's special web page.

Our previous post about Metro and City of Seattle snow plans for Eastlake is here.

After last winter's snow debacle, both the City of Seattle and Metro are making plans for this year's storm season. The goal is to keep main streets open and key bus lines running.

What fate awaits Eastlake under the new snow plans? It's hard to know how the new plans will work but at least this winter there will be plans.

In case of a storm, Metro says it will keep Route 70 running between the University District and downtown down Eastlake Ave. (see PDF with this post). And that appears to be the only route that will be servicing Eastlake. It is one of 70 routes Metro says it will try to keep running during a snow storm.

Metro's Emergency Service Network page has a few details about service during a storm (watch Metro's home page for emergency alerts, sign up now for alerts to be sent to your e-mail or phone).

Meanwhile, the City of Seattle did a test of its new snow procedure last week. It has a map showing which streets it will attempt to keep open. Eastlake Ave. E. is in Level 2, which means one lane in each direction will be kept bare and wet (see attached PDF and detail map). Also in Level 2 are 10th Ave. E and Harvard Ave. E.

Boylston Ave. E. comes under Level 3: "Curves, hills & stopping zones treated." Also in Level 3 are Fuhrman Ave. E. along Portage Bay and Delmar Drive down to E. Lynn. In Montlake, 24th Ave. E. is in Level 1, which means all lanes are supposed to be kept bare and wet.

The Seattle Department of Transportation's Winter Weather page has more details on the city's plans. The page says a printed brochure of the snow routes will be available "soon" at city libraries and Neighborhood Service Centers. The SDOT says:

"We commit to using all the tools at our disposal to make sure that the people of Seattle as well as our interagency partners are fully informed and involved in our snow response."

Informed is good. So are passable streets.

Another good resource on transportation issues is the Seattle Transit Blog.

The Seattle Department of Transportation will be testing its new snow fighting plan starting at 3 p.m. today. The plan was developed in response to last winter's plowing fiasco when heavy snow paralyzed the city for almost a week.

At 3 p.m. today, four tanker trucks will head out to pre-treat the city's arterials with salt brine (today it will only be water). During a real snow storm, motorists would be advised to stay 100 feet behind the trucks to avoid having their cars hit with brine.

At 4 a.m., 20 snow plows will roll out to travel their routes and make sure they are well-defined and that they have enough time to make the circuit.

More info on SDOT's new snow plan can be found on their web site.

Did you see the tanker trucks on Eastlake? Post a comment or, better yet, a photo, if you saw them come by.