Widespread snowstorm wallops Pacific Northwest U.S.

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OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - A winter storm that packed winds of 100 mph and dumped more than a foot of snow in the Pacific Northwest could soon give way to another threat: warmer weather and the potential for flooding.
However, an icy Thursday morning commute was the next challenge likely to face Western Washington drivers, local emergency management officials warned.
Sub-freezing temperatures were the rule late Wednesday with Bellingham forecast to dip as low as 15 degrees with wind gusts to 25 mph. Light freezing drizzle fell in Seattle and Tacoma.
More than 40,000 electrical customers lost power at least temporarily late Wednesday, in many cases as icy, snow-laden tree limbs drooped or fell onto power lines. Many of the outages were quickly restored.

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http://www.620ktar.com/509/1488902/Widespread-snowstorm-wallops-Seattle-area

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Boeing, Microsoft Face Seattle Snow as Flights Canceled

(Updates with latest forecast in second paragraph, flight cancellations in fifth.)
Jan. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Airlines canceled flights out of Seattle, Microsoft Corp. employees worked from home via teleconference and Starbucks Corp. shut its headquarters as a winter snowstorm hit the normally rainy city.
Two to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) of snow blanketed city streets by mid-morning and another 2 to 4 inches may fall before the storm ends overnight, the National Weather Service said. Earlier forecasts were for as much as 12 inches, which would have been the city’s biggest snowfall in 27 years.
The region, where major employers also include Boeing Co. and Amazon.com Inc., lacks the plows of places that get snow more regularly, and hilly terrain complicates travel. Public schools and the University of Washington in Seattle told students to stay home today.
“For a city that is known more for its rain than its snow, this is going to be a big snowstorm,” said Andy Haner, a National Weather Service forecaster in Seattle. “The other big issue here is our hills. San Francisco is known for its hills but Seattle isn’t that far behind.”
Alaska Air Group Inc., the largest carrier at Seattle- Tacoma International Airport, had canceled 47 flights by Alaska Air and its Horizon unit as of 9:30 a.m. local time.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-19/boeing-microsoft-face-seattle-snow-as-flights-canceled.html