Winter weather that blasted Whidbey Island Monday caused the closure of Deception Pass Bridge, creating an hours-long traffic backup that reached into Oak Harbor.

It appears a collision on the bridge sparked the closure of both lanes of traffic on Highway 20, which caused backups to reach the outskirts of Oak Harbor and to the Highway 20 spur near Anacortes.

Trooper Keith Leary said a multitude of factors contributed to the standstill that plagued North Whidbey Island Monday afternoon. Those factors included people driving too fast for conditions, not having the proper tires, to others deciding to abandon their cars on the side of the road.

The icy conditions and the clogged roads were prolonged because work crews had difficulty driving to the bridge to clear the span.

Dave Chesson, spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Transportation, said it appears the bridge opened to alternating lanes of traffic around 5 p.m. Then, at approximately 6 p.m., the bridge opened to traffic driving in both directions.

Snow started falling on Whidbey Island around 9 a.m. Monday, after most people started work and classes in Oak Harbor were already in session. Once the snow started, conditions quickly deteriorated.

Chesson said state road crews were busy Monday sanding highways. However, many drivers still ended up in ditches on the side of the road.

Marv Koorn, Chief of North Whidbey Fire and Rescue, said the Highway 20 backup caused chaos in the Dugualla Bay area, especially when people tried to turn around after tiring of gridlock. He said firefighters responded to several spinouts on Highway 20 in the area and on nearby roads. People spent hours getting home from work even though many left early because of the snow.

Chesson said work crews did not spray an anti-icing agent on highways the day before Monday’s snow. The anti-icing agent helps prevent frost, snow and ice from bonding with the pavement.

He said the ant-icing agent is normally sprayed on the highways if the temperature is supposed to fall and precipitation is in the forecast. However, he said the forecast Sunday indicated zero precipitation for Whidbey Island on Monday. He noted that staff was on hand with sanding equipment when the snow fell.

The Oak Harbor School District was the only school district on Whidbey Island to hold classes on Monday. School in Coupeville and South Whidbey was canceled for the week due to parent teacher conferences and the Thanksgiving holiday.

Oak Harbor school officials decided to keep class in session Monday because it was safer to keep kids in school for the scheduled day. That way, some students were spared from having to come home to an empty, or worse, a locked house.

Oak Harbor School District Superintendent Rick Schulte noted how poorly prepared many student were for the cold weather.

“A surprising number of students weren’t dressed for winter weather yesterday,” Schulte said.

He said the snow provided a challenge getting the students home on the bus Monday. Buses were delayed by a half hour from the high school and by 45 minutes at the middle schools.

Schulte said the Highway 20 backup Monday afternoon contributed to delaying the students’ trip home, especially in areas around Northgate Terrace and Troxell Road. The last student departed the school bus approximately two-and-a-half hours later than scheduled.

He complimented the parents on how cooperative and patient they were while waiting for their children to arrive home safely.

Classes in Oak Harbor were canceled Tuesday. Schulte said staff made the decision Monday afternoon to keep students home. He said it was the best decision after talking with emergency personnel. School officials are also canceling Wednesday’s classes.

Despite the cold snap, people were outside and businesses, for the most part, remained open.

“It caught everybody by surprise, said Barbara Counts, who co-owns Three Men and a Mower in Oak Harbor with her husband, Kevin. The couple were busy putting chains on a Bobcat before plowing a bank parking lot on Midway Boulevard.

Just up the road, Adam Melvin, Thomas Knepper and Chris Miller were walking home from the supermarket where they picked up soup and sandwich fixings, while Linda Pickering was busy putting chains on her tires to go into work. The Toney family in Oak Harbor always enjoy a substantial snowfall. It provides a great environment to sled.

The mercury dipped Tuesday morning as the conditions cleared.The temperature Tuesday night is scheduled to dip as low as 14 degrees. The forecast for Wednesday calls for mostly cloudy skies and a high of 32 degrees with the temperature set to increase Thursday and Friday.

Also, two house fires were reported with at least one woman hospitalized. To top it all off, there was a small earthquake Monday night centered near Oak Harbor.