Ballard awakens to deep snow, more ice

11:30 a.m. update: It’s on-again, off-again for the snow this morning. This is the first official day of winter and so far we have 4 to 7 inches of snow on the ground. We drove down 24th and Market St and both were slow-going. We’re still making our way around Ballard and will update road conditions soon.

This is 80th St. near 19th Ave., shot by My Ballard reader David, who says there are essentially no cars on the road.

And this is 19th Ave. looking like a photo out of the Midwest. “Most snow I’ve ever seen at one time in Ballard in all my 11+ years of living in this town,” wrote RoyalBacon on Twitter via our Ballard wire. There have even been a couple snowmobile sightings on Ballard streets.

Here on 24th near 67th, this Metro bus is stuck, which should give you an idea of the road conditions (thanks Damon for the photo!) The freezing rain created a icy crust on top of the snow and making even the plowed roads treacherous to drive. If you’re thinking about heading to the airport, many flights are canceled this morning. The Ballard library, however, is open from noon to 5 p.m.

This is 3rd Ave. near 85th (thanks Brian for the pic!) We’ll keep updating My Ballard through the morning, but please post your own reports in comments below and send photos to tips@myballard.com.