The North Kitsap School District has canceled all school Wednesday after a snowfall Tuesday night covered the area in one to five inches of snow.
Rain Wednesday morning turned snow on most major arterials to slush, while many neighborhood and side roads remain covered in snow and compact ice, according to a Kitsap County report.
County offices are operating on a two-hour delay today.
Showers are expected to continue through the week, with temperatures likely in the upper 40s, according to the National Weather Service.
Due to the conditions, the Kingston High School wrestling meet against Klahowya and the North Kitsap High meet against Port Townsend is canceled. The varsity matches were scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
North Kitsap Fire & Rescue responded to downed wires across Hood Canal Drive and a one-car collision on Bond Road early this morning.
A rash of car collisions have been reported throughout the county as commuters navigate thick slush and standing water on roadways, NKF&R spokeswoman Michele Laboda said.
Roughly 1,500 homes are without power in Poulsbo and on Bainbridge Island, said Puget Sound Energy spokeswoman Allison Standford. Crews were out Wednesday morning to restore electricity.
Kitsap Transit bus routes in North Kitsap, including those between Poulsbo and Bainbridge Island, are running on regular schedules. Buses in other parts of the county are operating on snow routes.
After-school activities and athletics have been canceled Wednesday by the school district. Functions taking place in district facilities are also canceled.
Poulsbo city crews were on standby with plows, de-icer chemicals and a stockpile of sand for roadways, Public Works Director Barry Loveless said earlier this week.
A severe weather shelter at Poulsbo’s First Lutheran Church, 18920 4th Avenue N.E., opened Monday and Tuesday nights.
Depending on the forecast for the remainder of the week, the shelters may remain open. For now, it is too early to judge, said Jim Stowers of Kitsap Community Resources.
“First thing Wednesday we will take a look at where the weather is at and go from there,” he said.
Two Bremerton shelters also opened, at St. Paul’s Episcopal, 2117 Walnut Street and The Coffee Oasis, 822 Burwell Street.
The shelters will open from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. Guests will not be able to check in after 9 p.m. Residents can dial 2-1-1 for more information.
