Snowstorm hits region; Bainbridge schools closed Friday

With a white frosting covering the island Friday morning, the Bainbridge Island School District cancelled classes for the day.

In addition to island schools, school districts in other parts of Kitsap County also closed for the day.

A late-night snowstorm rolled through Puget Sound overnight Thursday, and parts of Bainbridge Island got more than 3 inches of snow.

Island Transit was operating on snow routes, and the Human Rights Conference that was scheduled for Friday at Olympic College was cancelled.

Many people avoided snowy streets, and traffic was light across Bainbridge Island on Highway 305.

Heavy snow brought down a few trees along the highway south of Day Road, but only one had debris fall into the roadway, just south of the Highway 305-Madison Avenue intersection.

The highway had turned to a slushy mess by mid-morning Friday.

Bainbridge Island Fire Department Assistant Chief Luke Carpenter said the department had received three calls of cars that had slid off the road. No one was injured in those mishaps, Carpenter reported.

“I saw a few more that weren’t reported as well,” Carpenter added. “Public works was out all night so there weren’t any really bad spots.”

The snow isn’t expected to stick.

The National Weather Service in Seattle is forecasting an 80 percent chance of continued rain through Friday, with more rain expected Saturday and Sunday.

Monday’s forecast for Bainbridge Island, however, calls for a slight chance of snow showers. Tuesday is expected to be clear and sunny.