The icy rain is coming down in Eastlake at this hour (8 a.m.). Streets look icy and empty.

Seattle Public Utilities says no garbage pick up today. Metro remains on snow routing.

If your Eastlake business is open this morning, either post in the comments below or email me at curtmilton@comcast.net or Tweet us at @EastlakeAve.

Be careful out there!

Eastlake businesses were open this morning and traffic was moving on Eastlake Ave. despite the snow. A good two to three inches of snow had fallen by lunch time.

It looks like most businesses are open although it's always a good idea to call ahead to check. I noted that Louisa's Cafe Bakery, Voxx Coffee, the 14 Carrot Cafe and Starbucks were open, as were numerous other stores on Eastlake Avenue E. Ed Wyse Beauty Supplies was open but just closed due to lack of customers.

Little Water Cantina says they're open.

If your business is open, add it to the comment list below.

Traffic was moving on Eastlake (check out our video) and buses were appearing, although I'm not sure if they're on schedule or not. Metro has noted that all buses will remain on snow routes today. There have been some route cancellations but none that affect Eastlake.

Side streets are still slick and tricky. Try to avoid driving if you can. The Lynn Street hill was bedeviling drivers earlier this morning so you might want to try to avoid it.

There won't be any garbage, yard waste or recycling pickups today. 

What's it like in your part of the neighborhood? Share what you're up to in the comments or note where there are problems. 

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The snow has stopped in Eastlake at this hour (1:40 p.m.) but Eastlake Ave. and the side streets are still slick and tricky to drive on. Use lots of caution, particularly if you live on a hill.

I just returned from driving downtown and the situation was the same near Westlake and in Belltown. It's very pretty but if you don't have to drive, stay off the roads.

Metro says that all of their buses are on snow routes at this time. The two Eastlake routes that are affected by snow routes are:

• Route 66: It's not operating on E. Jefferson, 9th Avenue, Boren Avenue or Seneca Street.
• Route 70: It's not operating on 5th Avenue S. and South Jackson or 3rd Avenue S. and Main St. 

The routes for these buses along Eastlake Avenue remain unchanged. For more information and updates, visit Metro's snow page.

If you have snow photos you'd like to share, either post them to our Flickr group or email them to me at curtmilton (at) comcast.net and I'll post them here. 

Stay warm!

My quick trip down Eastlake's streets this morning (Thursday) found Eastlake Avenue bare and wet. There isn't much traffic and what traffic there is was moving along with no problems.

Side streets can be slick, particularly if they aren't well traveled. Be careful on hills. Temperatures aren't expected to rise above freezing today so side streets may not clear off today.

Freeways in Seattle appear to be open with little to no ice. 

Metro says buses are running on normal routes.

Seattle Public Utilities says garbage collection will go ahead as it normally would today.

Have any weather related news or photos? Post in the comments!

8:10 UPDATE: Delmar Drive is closed. A large tree has fallen onto the road. If you're trying to get to Montlake, try Fuhrman instead.

WEDNESDAY MORNING UPDATE: It's raining and the streets in Eastlake are slushy but may still be slick.

Seattle Public Schools are running two hours late but buses will be running their regular routes. KIRO is reporting no AM/PM kindergarten, no AM/PM preschool or preschool programs and no AM/PM Head Start. And no door-to-door service.

Metro buses are mostly on snow routes. Check Metro's website for more information.

The City of Seattle says garbage pickup will proceed a usual today despite the snow.

Original post:

The snow is falling in Eastlake ... finally. Forecasts had snow arriving this afternoon for the evening commute but it didn't.

Report from south end of Eastlake is that snow is just starting to accumulate. About an inch has fallen. Looks like even more has fallen on the southern end of Franklin (see photo).

It's now almost 9 p.m. and snow has been falling for about an hour. It's sticking on the pavement in the alley behind my condo. What's going on where you live? Post your comments below. Have photos? Send them and I'll add them to this post.

Stay warm!

3:22 p.m. UPDATE: Metro has sent alerts for most of the bus routes that go through Eastlake, saying that they are still on snow routes and warning: "It is not possible to know when it (a bus) will arrive at a specific location. Use regularly published timetables as a guide, then be prepared for delays."

Eastlake routes that are on snow routes are 25, 49, 66, 70, 72 and 73. Check Metro's storm alert web page for more information.

1:26 p.m. UPDATE: Looks like the wrecked truck is still there at Eastlake and Newton. See the photos provided by reader Kate Dulemba. The truck apparently came down the hill, slid off to the side, hit an embankment and rolled on its side. No word on how the driver is doing. (Thanks for sharing the pix, Kate!)

12:20 p.m. UPDATE: Eastlake Avenue is bare and wet at this point and traffic is moving along with no problems. It appears that the city's plan to de-ice the main routes has worked so far.

The side streets in Eastlake, especially those with a hill, are another story. Roanoke E. is closed at the Boylston intersection although the stretch from Franklin to Eastlake is open. Two cars that embraced in a way they hadn't intended are stuck in the driveway to the TOPS@Seward School parking lot. There are another two cars that slid into each other at the top of Louisa.

I've heard reports of an expensive SUV that was on its side by Serafina Monday night but, if it was there, it's gone now. Also heard of a multiple fender bender last night at the top of Lynn where it meets Boylston. There are numerous cars parked in places they wouldn't ordinarily be.

Looks like most businesses in Eastlake are open. I didn't see a single closed sign. Looks like many people took the advice from Metro and the SPD and stayed home. Voxx Coffee was packed with people working on their laptops.

Kids are sliding on a few of the hills and Rogers Playfield was active with kids, parents and dogs.

Temperature on my deck is 26 degrees with snow drifts.

9:50 a.m. UPDATE: Christina says Nettletown is open today 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and they're selling special Thanksgiving retail items and wild mushrooms. Also, Jaxx Boutique is open until 5 p.m.

9:21 a.m. UPDATE: Ed Wyse Beauty Supply is open on Eastlake Ave. E.

8:28 a.m. UPDATE: Alcena says Louisa's is "open for now." Also open: Voxx Coffee (regular hours, until 10 p.m.) and 14 Carrot Cafe (also regular hours ... "Nothing stops us!").

8:10 a.m. UPDATE: Seattle Public Utilities says garbage collections scheduled for today are CANCELLED. Garbage that was supposed to be picked up today will be picked up NEXT Tuesday, Nov. 30.

Metro says all buses are on snow routes this morning. They're advising people to stay off the roads and stay home if they can. You can check what's up with each bus route by going to Metro's website.

All University of Washington campuses are closed today.

What's up on your street? Put news in the comments or e-mail me at curtmilton (at) comcast.net.

At least, that's what the Seattle Parks Department is saying. They've closed all city playfields yesterday and today (Saturday) due to the rain and muddy field conditions.

Their press release says: "All baseball and softball games and practices have been cancelled for today and tomorrow."

Parks spokesperson Joelle Hammerstad says in an e-mail that her understanding is that the fields are closed to organized play. 

"That doesn't mean we'll be policing the fields to shoo folks off if they're enjoying the park," she adds, "although, with the weather we've had it's hard to imagine too many folks wanting to be hang on wet, muddy fields in the cold."

Remind me: Weren't we all wearing shorts just last week?

I just saw a city sand truck heading up 10th Ave. E. where it crosses over 520. Temperatures near freezing are forecast for tonight.

According to a press release from the Seattle Department of Transportation, city crews have been "proactively" applying salt brine to streets and bridges in Seattle in anticipation of the cold weather. The press release even mentions the possibility of snow tonight. Yikes! (NOAA says low temps, with highs in the 30s, will continue through next week.)

The press release notes that the brine solution "remains effective for several days unless it rains." And it says city crews have been out treating streets where groundwater seepage is causing ice to form.

If you notice a slick, untreated street tonight or this weekend, call the SDOT at 206-386-1218.

SDOT winter links that might prove useful:

• SDOT's Twitter feed is at twitter.com/seattledot.
• Their winter weather response plan is here.
• Their winter weather Facebook page is here.
• And the main SDOT web page is here.

If you... (more)

UPDATE: Added a few comments and a photo. The original post is below the line.

6:27 p.m.: Adding audio clip of evening rain.

There's lots of water coming down off Capitol Hill and running through Eastlake's streets this morning, but it's been worse. A plugged storm drain at Eastlake and Hamlin had resulted in a big puddle (see photo).

The Seattle Department of Transportation had e-mailed a few days ago asked residents to clean plugged drains if they noticed them so, if you're so inclined, scrape some leaves out of the way to help get the water off the streets.

Lots of leaves in the streets after the storm but I didn't see any other damage during my quick tour. Anyone else notice anything?

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Another big thunderclap just exploded over Eastlake. And that comes after last night's booming and pounding by thunder, rain and hail.

Any weather stories to tell? Storm drains backed up? Did your lights go out or flicker? Post your comments here and tell us about how the storm appeared from where you lived.

Yikes! Looks like autumn decided not to wait until after Labor Day, as is customary. It's pouring buckets in Eastlake and across Seattle. Water is running down the alley behind my place and everything is drenched.

What are you seeing? Any plugged storm drains? I'll take a look around but let me know if you see anything flooding or soaked or whatever. And stay dry!

Here's what the rain sounded like just a few minutes ago:

Despair not! The forecast says the rain should taper off by the end of the morning, followed by clear skies (with maybe a dash or rain in the afternoon) and a high of 73 today. Perfect for outdoor movie watching!

Kate Dulemba says she's off to pick up the movie screen. 

The show ("Groundhog Day") starts at sundown. Bring something dry to sit on and join us at Rogers Playfield!

And all over the city, it appears. Sounds nice to hear the drops coming down through the leaves on the tree at the end of my deck. Here's a little sample:

Weather expert Cliff Maas was at Eastlake resident Monica Guzman's Big Blog meetup last night. He says the super hot weather is over for the summer, but nice days will continue.

What are your weather thoughts? 

UPDATE at 6:39 a.m. Thursday: SDOT says the University Bridge has been inspected and can resume opening to allow marine traffic to go through.

The Seattle Department of Transportation is leaving the University Bridge closed over night Wednesday. The high temperatures have caused the bridge's metal to expand and SDOT is worried that opening the bridge might cause damage.

From the SDOT press release:

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will leave the bridge in a closed position overnight to prevent any structural damage and adverse impacts to emergency response. After the bridge contracts overnight in cooler temperatures, SDOT structural engineers will inspect it at 6:00 a.m. on Thursday morning to reevaluate its condition and determine if normal operations can resume.

So, if you're taking your boat through the bridge tonight, you're going to have to wait until the morning.

The heat has descended on Eastlake this evening like a warm, moist cloud. Sounds are muffled and people talk quietly as though the weather has sapped their energy to speak louder.

Fairview Avenue, never the busiest of streets, seems even slower tonight. Cars float by and people are seen drinking a cold beer or exiting Pete's with an ice cream bar.

Anna Lawton, whose husband works on a yacht on the lake, was carrying supplies out of Pete's, including sacks of crushed ice, one of which she balanced briefly on her head. Did it help? a passerby asked. Yes, she said. It made her feel cooler.

Many are drawn to the outdoors and, especially, the lake in an effort to cool off. Dogs are seen chasing sticks in the water or just standing and panting as their owners splash them. People jump off houseboats for a quiet swim or slowly paddle a canoe or kayak out in to the lake. Boats drift languidly by. The sun sets behind Gas Works and the Aurora Bridge. Everything glows briefly orange.

Windows are open. You hear the occasional whir of a fan and disconnected voices. The clatter of silverware on plates echoes, the indicator of a late supper.

People are waiting for a breeze and hoping it cools off so they can sleep. Tomorrow's forecast: even hotter.

Zowie! The temperatures are expected to climb to almost 100 by the middle of the week. THAT'S hot!

Everyone is looking for ways to stay cool. What's your favorite Eastlake place to cool off? Or is there something else you do in the neighborhood when the temperature zooms to the stratosphere?

Tell us your favorite Eastlake cooling off ideas or places in the comments. An iced mocha from Voxx or Louisa's? A cold beer at the Zoo or a cold cocktail at the Eastlake Bar & Grill? A dip in Lake Union? Or ... what? 

Stay cool!