Schools across Whatcom and Skagit counties are closed or delayed today due to snow and slick road surfaces.
All Whatcom County school districts are closed today, including Bellingham, Ferndale, Meridian, Lynden, Blaine, Nooksack Valley and Mount Vernon. Lummi Nation School and Early Learning is also closed.
Western Washington University is on a snow delay and has canceled all classes that begin before 10 a.m. Only “essential employees” need to report to work before, including some in facilities, development and operations and University Police. Other employees or students are urged to not come to campus before 10 a.m.
In Skagit County, some schools will operate on a two-hour delay, including Mount Vernon, Burlington-Edison and Sedro-Woolley. Some will operate limited “snow routes,” including Burlington-Edison, which will have limited snow routes to Alger and Bow, and Sedro-Woolley, which saw 6 inches of snow this weekend.
Skagit Valley College will open at 10 a.m. All classes starting before 10, including online classes, are canceled.
Whatcom Community College’s campus is closed, with all in-person classes canceled. Employees should not report to campus unless instructed by a supervisor.
Bellingham Technical College and Northwest Indian College are also closed.
Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office in a Facebook post urged people to stay home if they can, due to “fairly treacherous” roads north of Bellingham and in the rest of the county. A road report from Blaine Police posted on X at 3 a.m. noted road conditions were “pretty bad, with a mix of ice and about 6 inches of snow on the ground.”
It was snowing heavily on Mount Baker Highway this morning, according a Washington State Department of Transportation alert at 5:24 a.m. The roadway is bare and wet, with compact snow and ice in some places. Traction tires are required.
The City of Bellingham expects to operate services normally today. Northern Bellingham has seen 3-4 inches of snow, while some areas on the south side have received little or no snow, according to a city news release. City staff encourage people to walk or take a bus, when possible, and to use “extreme caution” when driving today.
Whatcom County Health and Community Services offices are closed today. The county’s severe weather shelter at 925 N. Forest St. in Bellingham is expected to open tonight through Friday morning, Feb. 7.
Whatcom Transportation Authority said in a Facebook post that buses are operating today, but to expect delays.
Bellingham is under a winter weather advisory until 1 p.m. today.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
Charlotte Alden is CDN’s general assignment/enterprise reporter; reach her at charlottealden@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 123.
