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The filters used in the agency’s air quality sampler inhales as much as a child would and twice what the average adult would on a normal day. From left to right, the first filter is a new blank, the second is a “good” air quality day, and the third is a burn ban day (Puget Sound Clean Air Agency).

Declining air-quality conditions have prompted the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency to issue a burn ban for King, Pierce and Snohomish counties until further notice.

Wood-burning won’t be allowed in fireplaces, stoves or outdoors until the Stage 2 burn ban is lifted.

As sunny and clear as the skies have looked for the past few days, wood-burning fires being used to fight freezing temperatures have dirtied the air with fine particle pollution, according to the agency. Recent studies have tied wood-smoke exposure to health effects such as aggravated asthma, increased heart attacks, acute bronchitis, and chronic lung disease.

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is especially concerned with the air quality in the Tacoma-Pierce County Smoke Reduction Zone, where high levels of wood smoke pollution currently violate the federal Clean Air Act. Agency officials will be patrolling that area more heavily and issuing citations, said agency spokeswoman Melissa Paulson.

The agency does make exceptions for households that truly don’t have better sources of heat, though, she said. To help low-income residents phase out wood-burning sources of heat, the agency hosts a buy-back program and replacement-stove drawings. Some low-income residents may also be eligible for a free heating replacement without entering the drawing.

“We’re not trying to put anyone out in the cold here,” Paulson said. “The point of this is really not to collect revenue; it’s to have a conversation about changing behavior.”

Updated air quality information and burn ban updates are available through the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency website or 800-552-3565.

Now that a genuine “Seattle freeze” has arrived, Kent Fire Department Capt. Kyle Ohashi offers survival tips for people who find themselves attracted to frosty lakes and ponds.

Lesson one is, don’t walk out on them, because the ice likely won’t support the weight of a human being.  Pets can go out farther than their owners, who would break through the ice trying to retrieve a pet.  In Minnesota, where people do safely skate and fish on lakes, resource officials say the ice needs to be at least two inches thick.

If someone does break through into icy waters, bystanders ought to:

* Call 9-1-1 immediately.

* Throw a rope or flotation device, while trying not to send additional people onto the thin ice.

* Understand that someone can lose consciousness in 10-15 minutes, or suffer hypothermia far sooner.

* Take off wet clothing and dry the victim until paramedics arrive – but do not place the person in a hot bath or shower.

In Seattle, Kent and surroundings, the National Weather Service forecast calls for lows of around 30 degrees all week.

More information is linked here from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

This 24-hour time-lapse video of the skies above the Space Needle Jan. 4, aka Seahawks “Blue Friday“, comes to you courtesy of our own rooftop webcam. Greg Anderson put it together using a still image captured every minute from midnight last Friday morning to 11:59 p.m.

A little after the 12th Man flag pops up on top of the Space Needle in the middle of the video, you can see there were plenty of bright blue skies to make the day especially fitting of its name.

For a live shot of this view from the top of our building at 1000 Denny Way, check out our rooftop webcam page.

If you can’t avoid driving around Western Washington tonight and tomorrow morning, make sure you’re driving as slowly and as carefully as you can.

Although not much more precipitation is expected tonight and early Friday morning, freezing temperatures at sea level and above could turn any remaining moisture on the roads into ice, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Johnny Burg.

Seattle’s low for tonight is expected to be 30 while Bellevue and areas east of that could see temperatures in the high- to mid-20s, Burg said. If it does snow anywhere in Snohomish, King or Pierce counties, it will probably be less than an inch.

At least 12 King County trucks and several crews from the Washington State Department of Transportation are prepared to lay anti-icers on roads most prone to freezing over.

WSDOT spokesman Greg Phipps said their crews will focus on areas that tend to freeze over first such as freeway ramps, bridges and overpasses. They’ll start laying anti-icer down after rush hour.

“If you do it now you’ve got afternoon traffic that could take it off the road and if it rains later, that might wash it over the road,” Phipps said. “You want to time it right.”

The most important things anyone can do to reduce accidents, Phipps said, is to drive slowly, leaving three times as much space as usual between you and other cars, and looking farther in the distance for possible road hazards.

“Don’t get overconfident because black ice is always an issue with these temperatures,” Phipps said. “Some people with SUVs, for example, get overconfident because their car is good in snow, but it isn’t any better than another car on ice.”

The icy conditions could continue through Saturday, which is expected to be just as cold if not colder, said Burg. Although Friday should be sunny in Seattle, the city’s forecasted low for the day is 28.

The mountain passes won’t get more than an inch or 2 of snow Friday, Burg said, and should be able to stay open. Phipps said that falling trees, which became a widespread threat on several Western Washington highways and freeways last month, shouldn’t be an issue either because of the light amount of snow expected.
Check for road closure and public transit updates here:

King County Road Alerts

King County Metro Transit Alerts

Community Transit Alerts

Pierce Transit Alerts

Snohomish County Roads

WSDOT Puget Sound Region Traffic Map

The Associated Press

Snow began falling early Wednesday evening in Everett and other areas around the Snohomish/King County border, but don’t expect a lot.

Earlier predictions of a possible 15 inches have been pared back, said Johnny Burg, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. About 10 inches fell on Mount Baker today. Snoqualmie and Stevens passes — where it was snowing as of early evening — should get just 1 to 3 inches overnight. The Everett area could wake up to a dusting, as well.

The same thing is expected for the region on Thursday morning — light snow, with little accumulation. But by evening, the weather is expected to be dry.

Predicted highs in Seattle on Thursday and Friday will approach 40 degrees. Nighttime lows could dip down into the mid- to upper 20s.

The low temperatures, combined with moisture on the roads, could cause “some black ice and some headaches for people driving,” Burg added.

Rainwater pours into a storm drain on 17th Avenue Northeast at Lake City Way Northeast Wednesday morning.The rain is expected to ease later today, but it’s expected to get colder and there could be a dusting of snow north of Seattle Thursday night. (Photo by Mike Siegel / The Seattle Times)

Hoping for a big snowfall down low this week? If you’re living in Seattle, chances are you’ll have to keep waiting.

Much of the Puget Sound Region is getting what you would expect, that typical Seattle rain, says National Weather Service Meteorologist Steve Reedy. While temperatures are expected to drop, the intensity of the rain is expected to ease up today and that means  snow here isn’t likely.

People living around Everett and to the north and in the higher elevations might see a dusting of snow Thursday night. A few folks in Seattle might see a few flurries as well, Reedy said.

In the Seattle-area, expect temperatures around 48 degrees today, dipping to the mid 30s tonight. The rest of the week, daytime temperatures will hover around 40, Reedy said.

If you’re looking for snow, head to the mountains, where a winter storm warning has been issued from Snohomish County and north, with up to 15 inches of snow expected to fall.

The “s” word – snow – has crept into the forecast again, but not in a huge way.

A cold front moving in Wednesday evening could drop the snow level well below 1,000 feet, producing a dusting or more around Puget Sound.

“Maybe the tops of the higher hills could get an inch or two,” said Danny Mercer of the  Weather Service, “places like the Cascade foothills, the Issaquah Highlands or the top of Queen Anne.”

In the meantime, snow is staying where it belongs – in the mountains.  Heavy snow, as much as 18 inches, could fall in the passes today and tonight. Traffic on Interstate 90 across Snoqualmie Pass could be particularly difficult during the day today, as a coat of ice forms on top of compact snow.

Today and Tuesday are forecast to be wet all around Western Washington, with an 80 percent chance of rain in the Seattle area today (make that 100 percent if you’re already wet) and a 90 percent chance Tuesday.

The latest mudslide on train tracks between Seattle and Everett. (Gus Melonas / BNSF Railway)

Yet another mudslide on BNSF Railway tracks between Seattle and Everett has canceled Northline Sounder service for 48 hours. There will be no service for this evening’s commute and none for Friday.

Southline Sounder service between Seattle and Lakewood is not affected.

Sound Transit suggests Northline Sounder passengers monitor www.soundtrantransit.org for updates and provides the following information about bus service this evening and Friday morning between Seattle and points north:

Evening bus service – Thursday, January 3, 2013

Seattle – Edmonds: Special buses will depart 4th Ave. S. and S. Jackson St. at 4:33 p.m. and 5:35 p.m. with direct service to Edmonds Station. Riders may also board regularly scheduled Community Transit Route 416 at 5th and James at 4:27 p.m., 4:58 p.m., 5:31 p.m. and 5:57 p.m.

Seattle – Mukilteo: Special buses will depart 4th Ave. S. and S. Jackson St. at 4:33 p.m. and 5:35 p.m. with direct service to Mukilteo Station. Riders may also board regularly scheduled Community Transit Route 417 at 4th Ave S and S Jackson St at 3:59 p.m., 4:22 p.m. 4:50 p.m., and 5:30 p.m.

Seattle – Everett: Special buses will depart 4th Ave. S. and S. Jackson St. at 4:05 p.m., 4:33 p.m. 5:05 p.m., and 5:35 p.m. with direct service to Everett Station. Riders may also board regularly scheduled ST Express Route 510 buses at 4th Ave. S and S. Jackson St. departing approximately every 10 minutes.

Morning bus service – Friday, January 4, 2013

Everett-Seattle: Board regularly scheduled ST Express Route 510 at Everett Station bay C1, departing approximately every 10 minutes. Additional 510 coaches will be deployed to accommodate Sounder riders.

Mukilteo-Seattle: Special buses will depart Mukilteo Station at 5:56 a.m. and 7:26 a.m. Riders may also board regularly scheduled Community Transit Route 417 at the Ferry Terminal departing at 5:49 a.m., 6:21 a.m., 6:51 a.m., and 7:53 a.m.

Edmonds-Seattle: Special buses will depart Edmonds Station at 6:11 a.m. and 7:41 a.m. Riders may also board regularly scheduled Community Transit Route 416 at Edmonds Station departing at 6:15 a.m., 6:35 a.m., 6:55 a.m., and 7:47 a.m.

UPDATE 7:30 P.M.| Actually, Sound Transit says Sounder Northline service will resume Thursday morning. Passengers could experience delays of at least 15 minutes as maintenance continues on the route’s train tracks.

Before you spring to the station tomorrow, check for updates on the route’s schedule and alerts on the Sound Transit website.

The Associated Press