"Thunder snow" strikes much of King County

The National Weather Service has been warning of the possibility of significant snowfall over much of King County for days, but apparently, there are plenty of people who decided to ignore the forecasts and warnings as snow repeatedly failed to materialize over the last seven days.

This morning, those who ventured out unprepared are paying the price:

Drivers appeared to be completely caught off guard by the snow Thursday morning, abandoning vehicles on SR-520 as traffic gridlocked. Some drivers were turning around and driving the wrong way on the highway in an attempt to get back home.

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Drivers on Thursday morning were met with steady snow in the Seattle area, causing dozens of spinouts and bringing traffic to a standstill on some highways. Many school districts throughout the region again closed or delayed classes due to ice and snow (see complete list).

Traffic was completely stopped at times on parts of State Route 520 on the Eastside as snow covered the highway, and some drivers abandoned their cars and began to walk down the freeway.

In what Department of Transportation officials called a very dangerous thing to do, some drivers were turning around and using the shoulder to drive the wrong way on 520 in an attempt to get off of the highway.

The National Weather Service says:

SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE THIS MORNING THEN DECREASE THIS AFTERNOON. ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE AROUND AN INCH. NORTH WINDS PUSHING SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE PUGET SOUND REGION WILL CONVERGE WITH PRE-EXISTING SOUTH WINDS...CAUSING SNOW SHOWERS TO FORM. IN ADDITION...SNOW SHOWERS MOVING INLAND FROM THE COAST WILL CROSS THE SOUTH PART OF PUGET SOUND.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS..

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CAUSE PRIMARILY TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SNOW COVERED ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES...AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.

Expect colder temperatures tonight and tomorrow, with a low of 21° F tonight and a low of 18° F Friday night. That snow isn't going anywhere, and more might fall this weekend. If you can avoid going in to work today, try to stay home.

It's pretty slow going out there.