UPDATE 2/10/2021 3:20 PM: A few things to know when it snows — ‘~5 to 15 inches’ — on Capitol Hill
It won’t be quite at the same levels as Snowbruary 2019, but the coming week will be cold in Seattle
With a winter freeze settling in — and a chance of snow in the city through the weekend — Seattle will open a severe weather shelter with capacity for “80 individuals experiencing homelessness.”
The announcement comes as the city prepares for winter weather and as many eagerly await the relatively rare prospect of lowland snow but also as thousands here are living outside or in vehicles with encampments formed in many of the city’s parks.
“The temporary shelter spaces will meet COVID-19 safety protocols recommended by Public Health-Seattle & King County and the Centers for Disease Control which call for COVID-19 screening for guests, expanded space to allow physical distancing, hygiene access, and increased sanitation guidelines,” the city’s announcement reads.
City contractors will also “coordinate shelter referrals into the temporary cold weather shelter and other City funded shelters,” the city says.
Forecasters are warning that there is a high degree of uncertainty about the timing and potential snowfall amounts in the city where meteorological elements of freezing air and precipitation rarely collide. So far, any predictions seem to fall short of the last time we saw a significant blast of winter weather in February — in 2019, Capitol Hill and the city survived a near entire month of snow and ice.
For now, forecasts predict lows below freezing into the weekend with chances of snow Thursday night, and then again on Saturday and Sunday. The lowest temperatures are also predicted Thursday when Seattle could drop into the low 20s.
In addition to city resources to help during the cold snap, community and volunteer mutual aid efforts are also responding. Groups operating the weekly Thomas Street Mini Park Mutual Aid Pop-Up are accepting financial donations here.
From the National Weather Service:
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I’ve seen those people handing stuff out in the Thomas street park. Enabling drug addicts to take over our parks indefinitely is not a positive contribution to the neighborhood. However I support the city providing shelter away from the elements, especially during this time.