SEATTLE - A cold snap followed Western Washington's second significant snowfall of the season, which snarled Puget Sound-area traffic, figured in at least one traffic death and closed schools for tens of thousands of youngsters.

Mostly subfreezing temperatures were forecast through the weekend with overnight lows in the teens and 20s, and drivers around Puget Sound were greeted with icy and snow-covered roads as they make their way to work Thursday morning.  And another bout with ice was expected for Friday morning.

Most of Seattle got no more than about an inch, but unofficial reports included from 4 to 6 inches in many outlying areas with 9 inches in Ferndale, near the Canadian border, and 10 inches in Sultan, northeast of Seattle in central Snohomish County.

Snow and freezing rain that fell late Wednesday is still on the ground, as temperatures dropped into the low-mid 20s early Thursday morning.  Public schools with more than 350,000 students were closed Thursday in Seattle, Tacoma, Everett and suburban and outlying areas.

Dozens of spinouts and minor crashes were reported throughout the area, and most drivers had to slow down on many arterial roads due to layers of ice.

And even hundreds more drivers ended up abandoning their cars. All across the Eastside, anyplace where snow and ice joined up with even the slightest of hills, it was a nightmare.

At the bottom of the Lakemont Hill, and along Newport Way near Issaquah, well over 200 people made the decision to park and walk.  Lei Guo had a four and a half hour drive just to find, "cars are everywhere."

LeeAnn Gagner wasn't prepared for an uphill hike, "by the time I got here the hill was completely frozen over and there were cars all over the place."

And Andy Call spoke for many when he said, "at first it's a fun novelty, but it was a fun novelty maybe in November, now it's getting old."  He's ready for spring.

While most drivers pulled their cars off the road, some didn't have the chance, as several cars skidded off into ditches; they'll need a tow to get out.

At the Sunset Way interchange, it was another mess and even a 4-wheel drive couldn't help.  

"I thought I'd try to make it but there were cars going sideways," says Robert Milligan, "lot of traffic was crossing lanes, it was pretty crazy there were people standing in the middle of the road."  

It was such a mess, that when Reggie Shells came back Thursday to rescue his abandoned car,  he was blocked in.  

"For them to tow my car they're going to have to tow one, two, three, four, five, six other cars before they get to my car."

Bellevue and Issaquah sent out warnings that if cars weren't moved they risk being ticketed and towed.  Most folks acted fast to get their cars home before the roads freeze Thursday night.

South of Tacoma, snow accumulations were generally less than 2 inches, but the state Department of Transportation reported black ice and numerous collisions on Interstate 5 in the Chehalis and Toledo areas.

Transportation Secretary Doug MacDonald says crews were out overnight sanding and de-icing highways. The crews concentrated on interstates, but side streets are likely to remain icy.

The department says it brought in 19 trucks from central and Eastern Washington to help clear snow and fight ice in Western Washington. That made a total of more than 220 vehicles plowing snow and treating icy spots, such as bridges and overpasses.

The crews have treated at least 22,000 lane miles of highways in the past three days, MacDonald said.

Despite all the preventative measures, many drivers were still caught off guard by Wednesday evening's snow.

An intense Puget Sound Convergence Zone formed over the Snohomish County, then quickly slid south into Seattle/Bellevue metro area right in the heart of the evening commute, coating roads with snow and ice and bringing traffic to a complete standstill.

It was eerily reminiscent of the Nov. 27 snowstorm that brought heavy snow to the North Sound areas during the afternoon, then pushed south through King County during the height of rush hour.

DOT cameras at 5:30 p.m. showed traffic at a dead stop across I-90 and along I-405 on the Eastside. I-5 was a mess as well, but gradually improved. Three hours later, traffic was still at a standstill along eastbound I-90 and I-405 from Bellevue south toward Renton. Most everyone had gotten home by 10 p.m.

Many motorists began heading home shortly before 4 p.m. but that wasn't soon enough to avoid the snowfall that turned their commute into a nightmare, State Patrol Trooper Jeff Merrill said.

Between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m., Merrill estimated there were about 75 collision accidents east of Lake Washington on Interstate 405, Interstate 90 and State Route 520.  Drivers who abandoned their vehicles on state highways can call the state patrol to find out if their vehicle was towed (425-649-4370).

"Wherever snow fell, accidents occurred," Merrill said, adding no serious injuries were reported.

Washington State Ferries had to suspend vehicle service for about an hour and a half from West Seattle to Vashon Island because cars departing the ferry on the Vashon side couldn't climb an ice-covered hill near the ferry dock, ferries spokeswoman Susan Harris said.

Trucks eventually arrived to sand the hill, solving the problem, she said.

In Kitsap County, across Puget Sound, Gemma Collins, 30, of Bremerton, died after her car skidded on ice into oncoming traffic and collided with a pickup truck on State Route 307, state troopers said. The pickup driver escaped injury.

The Convergence Zone gradually weakened Wednesday night, and all snow warnings expired at 10 p.m. At its peak, the Zone was putting out snow at the rate of 1-2" an hour. Issaquah reported 6", while Des Moines said 5" and Renton was at 6".

Aside from the 4-6" in the Zone, snow totals from the storm have ranged from 1-2" in the Puget Sound area to 5-12" in Skagit, Whatcom and San Juan Counties.

In Seattle, police officers accompanied by Operation Night Watch volunteers were teaming up Wednesday evening to contact homeless people and offer them transportation to the city's four cold weather shelters, the mayor's office said.

Arctic air was expected to remain in the area Thursday, keeping temperatures at or below freezing. An even colder night was expected Thursday night, with expected low temperatures between 12-18 degrees. That will refreeze any moisture still around and make for yet another very icy commute Friday morning.

We stay sunny and gradually moderate through the weekend, adding about 3 degrees to our highs and lows each day, getting back into the low 40s by the start of next week.

The Meteorological Mumbo-Jumbo

As we've alluded to, it was quite a complex weather pattern Wednesday (isn't it always, with snow?). The meteorological community will be analyzing it for months to come -- and I'm sure some grad students at the University of Washington will become quite familiar with this storm.

Here's our take on what happened -- the weather 101 version. We're sure there were several other localized factors in play.

It all began Tuesday with that windstorm that brought wind gusts as high as 60-64 mph and knocked out power to about 7,000 people. But while we've seen that about 20 times so far this fall and winter, this time the storm had an impressive pool of cold air behind it.

But where that cold air is coming from is a little unusual. Typically, our really cold air comes from the Canadian interior, funneled in via a north wind through the Fraser Valley. This time, the cold air is, at least initially, coming from the Gulf of Alaska. Normally, that pattern doesn't make for much snow because the air has a long time to moderate over the warmer ocean waters. But the air mass up there is SO cold -- Anchorage was at -12 Tuesday -- that even with the ocean's moderating effects, the air was still cold enough to snow by the time it made it here.

A second area of low pressure moved through the northern half of the state during the midday and early afternoon hours, intensifying as it moved east down the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It brought a heavy snow to Whidbey, Camano and the San Juan Islands before pushing into Skagit and Snohomish Counties, with a quick 1-3" of snow there.

As that low passed over the I-5 corridor, north winds behind the low quickly raced down the Puget Sound area and collided with the persistent south winds already there, making for a quick and energized Puget Sound Convergence Zone.

It's that Zone brought heavy snow and snow pellet showers to central King and southern Snohomish County right around 4:30 -- and the start of the commute. It then slid south and then stalled right over Central and southern King County, reaching over into northern Pierce County through the evening, bringing continuing snow there.

And now, arctic air is blowing in from the north, keeping temperatures below freezing and making for a very chilly north wind.

How Much Snow Fell?

Here are some snow totals from the storm:

Fall City: 13"
Gold Bar: 12"
Issaquah Plateau: 11.5"
Ferndale: 11"
Sultan: 10"
Snoqualmie Ridge: 9"
Orcas Island: 9"
Sammamish: 8"
Renton: 7.5"
Bellingham: 7"
Duvall: 7"
Tacoma: 7"
Sequim: 6.5"
Issaquah (City): 6"
Federal Way: 6"
Maple Valley: 6"
Covington: 6"
Burien: 5.5"
Beacon Hill: 5"
Des Moines: 5"
Anacortes: 4"
West Seattle: 3"
Port Angeles: 3"
Belfair: 3"
Kent: 3"
Puyallup: 2"
Raymond: 2"
Mill Creek: 2"
Belfair: 2"
Everett: 2"
Mukilteo: 1.5"
Olympia: 1.5"