Twin Harbors get a good taste of winter

A mix of rain and snow is forecast for the next couple of days in Grays Harbor and Pacific counties, in what the National Weather Service says is an “extremely challenging forecast” to sort out.

The snow came down in large wet flakes Monday morning, bringing several inches and complicating travel all over the Twin Harbors and leading to multiple collisions around both counties. There were 29 vehicle collisions in Grays Harbor County and 9 in Pacific County between 11 a.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Sunday according to State Patrol Trooper Chelsea Hodgson on Twitter. Hodgson added that State Patrol dispatch has taken 212 calls from 911 since the storm hit Friday.

At one point Monday afternoon, downed trees blocked both eastbound lanes of Highway 8 near Summit Lake.

Forecasters predicted that the snow would turn to rain around mid-day, but by mid-afternoon, it was still snowing in most places.

Most schools opened late or were closed Monday. Aberdeen schools were the only ones to start on time but officials later decided to let those schools out early.

The Twin Harbors dodged the worst of the winter weather over the weekend. While there was plenty of rain, elsewhere in Western Washington, particularly from Olympia north to the border, there was more than a foot of snow in many places, high winds and tens of thousands without power for extended periods and temperatures in the teens.

On Grays Harbor, government agencies and many businesses curtailed hours in light of Monday’s snow. All Timberland Regional libraries were closed and Grays Harbor College closed the campus at mid-morning. City Hall buildings in Aberdeen, Hoquiam and Cosmopolis closed at mid-day Monday, as did the Aberdeen Municipal Court.

Daytime Tuesday should bring more rain, as well as gusts up to 21 mph in Aberdeen, the National Weather Service predicts. Between a quarter and a half-inch of precipitation is possible.

Tuesday night will bring more rain, and a chance of rain and snow showers after 4 a.m. Wednesday. Little to no snow accumulation is expected then.

Wednesday is expected to be partly sunny, with a chance of rain and more snow showers. New snow accumulation of less than a half-inch is possible Wednesday.

The rest of the week is expected to be rainy, with a 50 percent chance of rain Thursday, and rain showers likely Thursday night, Friday and Saturday.

The National Weather Service in Seattle said Tuesday’s forecast is complex and hard to predict, and advised drivers to prepare for hazardous travel conditions.

(Louis Krauss | Grays Harbor News Group) The Hoquiam Licensing office in the snow Monday morning.

(Louis Krauss | Grays Harbor News Group) From left, Greg Sanchez, Josh Francis, Phil Calloway, Liz Aitken and Jim Traversie sit inside Revival of Grays Harbors shelter, where 24 people have been sleeping overnight during the snow storm.