Widespread school closures remain Friday as the Bellingham area continues to clean up from this week’s snowfall and slick road conditions.
The National Weather Service says temperatures should slowly warm today with light rain possible. WSDOT reports roads continuing to improve, but there is black ice and compact snow in spots.
City officials noted rain and melting snow may cause localized flooding and residents should call (360) 778-7700 or use the SeeClickFix app to report snow or flooding needs, downed trees on streets or other hazardous conditions.
More than 700 people were without power near Geneva around 9:15 p.m. Thursday, in an outage caused by trees or vegetation, according to Puget Sound Energy’s outage map. Around 160 more residents across from Lake Padden experienced outages, also caused by trees or vegetation. Another 160 people lost power on Guemes Island Thursday night.
Additionally, Sanitary Service Company (SSC) decided to suspend service for Friday due to road conditions on side streets, hills and alleys. Impacted customers have been notified and after conditions have improved, these customers have a variety of ways to have their garbage, recycling and compost collected for no additional charge. Details can be found on their website.
School district closures for Friday include Bellingham, Blaine, Lynden, Ferndale, Lummi, Mount Baker and Nooksack Valley. Athletic and after-school events are also canceled. Lynden Christian is closed due to a previously-scheduled teacher work day.
Northwest Indian College, Whatcom Community College and Bellingham Technical College are closed.
The City of Bellingham Friday said restrooms at Cordata, Lake Padden and Maritime Heritage Parks remain closed due to frozen pipes and snowy conditions.
PeaceHealth Grabow Therapy and Wellness Center will remain closed all day Friday.
What’s open
Whatcom Transportation Authority said all buses would continue to run as scheduled on Friday. Active detours include: Route 512 will travel both directions on Lake Whatcom Boulevard; and Route 72X will travel only as far as the Kendall Fire Station, to be met by a smaller bus that will serve the neighborhoods. Flex Service, Zone Service and Lynden Hop will not be running. Check the WTA website for more details.
Western Washington University announced it will be open starting at 10 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 19.
The warming center at 1013 W. Holly St. will be open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday. Visit whatcomcounty.us/wintershelter for the latest shelter info.
Most of the Bellingham city services are open Friday.
All branches of Bellingham Public Library and the Whatcom Museum Old City Hall and Lightcatcher buildings, including the Family Interactive Gallery, will be open during regular hours. Bellingham Municipal Court is also running all court calendars.
Barnes & Noble reopened – cafe and bookstore – with regular hours, it was announced on Facebook Friday.
Arne Hanna Aquatic Center has a delayed opening until 11 a.m., check the website after 9 a.m. for full details.
This story will be updated.
