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UPDATE: Gov. Chris Gregoire declared a winter storm emergency this morning, allowing the state to activate the Washington National Guard, and free up state agencies to help local jurisdictions, according to a statement.
About 40,000 homes and business in Thurston County are without power due to the ice storm, and the worst may not be over, said Roger Thompson, a spokesman for Puget Sound Energy.
He said it may take days to restore power -- perhaps Friday or Saturday for some.
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory that includes the South Sound. More freezing rain or up to 2 inches of snow are possible tonight. An Ice Storm Warning issued earlier has expired.
"We’ve gotten reports of at least a half inch accumulation down there," said Jeff Michalski, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Seattle.
Falling limbs wreaked havoc at the state Capitol Campus this morning, cutting power and stranding some people in elevators, according to Steve Valandra, a spokesman for the Department of Enterprise Services. Crews were able to rescue people from the elevators, but House and Senate members were advised not to take them.
Downed trees have also closed a number of roads throughout the area. The entire length of Deschutes Parkway is closed, Valandra said, due to falling limbs. Division Street was also reported blocked this afternoon, according to dispatch radio.
A Thurston County sheriff's lieutenant urged motorists to stay home Thursday morning, as law enforcement responded to a large number of wrecks and tried to clear the roads of downed power lines and tree branches.
"Many of our main thoroughfares are blocked with trees and downed power lines," Thurston County Sheriff's Lt. Greg Elwin said.
Emergency dispatchers confirmed that people trying to get to work on the county's icy roads was causing a large number of wrecks, but so far no one had been seriously injured.
Elwin said sheriff's deputies were working with State Patrol trying to clear the roads. He added that Thurston County Superior and District Courts were not expected to open until noon.
Trouble spots identified by Elwin included:
• Old Highway 99 south Tumwater.
• State route 510, where there are "sporadic road closures between Yelm and Lacey."
• Elwin added that there was "an incredible influx of traffic" on Littlerock Road Thursday morning due to an Interstate 5 closure that turned the area into a "parking lot."
Elwin also warned motorists to stay away from downed power lines, because they may be charged with electricity, and potentially fatal.
Many roads in the city of Olympia are closed due to the ice storm:
• Legion Way from Plum Street to Pear Street
• The 800 block of West Bay Drive
• 22nd Ave from Boulevard Road to Wheeler Avenue
• Morse-Merryman Road
• Henderson Boulevard
• Cooper Point Road from 14th Avenue to Conger Avenue
• 22nd Avenue at Henderson Boulevard.
The following hills are closed:
• 4th Ave W, Sherman to Olympic
• 5th Ave W, Sherman to Olympic
• Brawne Ave, Rogers to West Bay
• Garfield Ave, Sherman to West Bay
• Lakeridge Dr, Evergreen Park to Deschutes
• Raft Ave, Crestline to West Bay
• 7th Avenue, from Central to McCormick
• 10th Ave, Central to Fir
• Berry Street, East Bay to Milas
• Bigelow St, Quince to Eastside
• San Francisco Ave, East Bay to Quince
There is no Amtrak service at Centennial Station in Lacey, according to Intercity Transit.
But service was restored this afternoon to The Evergreen State College, the transit agency says. Route 41 is back in service on a modified detour, as is Route 48.
Route 94 service to Yelm is unstable. All severe weather detours are still in effect. Updates are available at www.intercitytransit.com.
Stay with theolympian.com for updates.
