Snow Day on Whidbey

By Michael Watkins • February 7, 2017 1:30 am

Monday-morning snow was a welcome sight for many children and military members on Whidbey Island who got a unexpected three-day weekend.

More than two inches of the white gold blanketed North Whidbey, according to the National Weather Service.

Conor Laffey, communication officer for Oak Harbor Public Schools, sent out an announcement at about 5 a.m., alerting families that all schools would be closed due to the inclement weather.

Naval Air Station Whidbey Island alerted personnel that only those considered “mission essential” should report to work.

Bundled-up kids enjoyed the snow throughout the city. Lauren Piel, along with sisters Irene and Olivia Gunter, grabbed sleds and headed to a hill on base housing.

“I was happy there was no school today,” Piel said. “I wish it would snow more often.”

Snowpeople dotted Oak Harbor neighborhoods by the afternoon.

Brett and Evie Mikota worked with their sons, Max and Jack, to create an impressive man of snow.

“We’re from Chicago, so we know about snow,” said Evie Mikota. “We are gonna take advantage of this as much as we can.”

The National Weather Service predicts a slight chance of snow before 10 a.m. today.

In the grand scheme of things, Whidbey got the light end of what many on the mainland are calling a snowstorm. The amount of snowfall varied greatly throughout Puget Sound, with Seattle and Everett getting about 2 inches while the foothills east of Bellevue got up to 15 inches, according to the National Weather Service.

Typically a recipe for outages, it was a surprisingly quiet day for Puget Sound Energy on the island.

“For once, Whidbey was not really impacted,” Puget Sound Energy Spokesperson Chirstina Donegan said. “Whidbey usually seems to be in the eye of the storm, but this time it doesn’t seem too impacted. Other areas experienced mass outages.”

Alexis Black sits on a giant snowball in Oak Harbor, making the most out of the accumulated snow Monday. See more snow day photos on page 20 of today’s Whidbey News-Times.

Lauren Piel, right, sleds with Irene Gunter and Olivia Gunter Monday in Oak Harbor. Lauren Piel, right, sleds with Irene Gunter and Olivia Gunter Monday in Oak Harbor.