Washington and Colorado snowstorms blamed in deaths, injuries and delays

A storm that dumped traffic-strangling amounts of snow in the Puget Sound region and even more in other parts of western Washington state is being blamed for the deaths of two teens.

Photo: Washington and Colorado snowstorms blamed in deaths, injuries and delays

Two 16-year-old boys were found dead Tuesday in a garage east of Port Angeles in the Upper Peninsula, apparently the victims of carbon monoxide poisoning.

They had apparently been trying to refuel a portable generator that was supplying power to the adjacent home, said Jim Borte, a spokesman for the Clallam County sheriff's office. The home had lost power after a snowstorm hit that area Sunday.

Colorado also was trying to dig out after a wintry storm dropped up to 2 feet (60 centimeters) of snow in the Colorado high country Tuesday, replenishing ski resorts but making mountain travel treacherous and forcing downhill skiers off the slopes.

World Cup organizers canceled a men's downhill practice at the Beaver Creek resort near Vail, saying the racers who can exceed 70 mph (113 kph) could not see far enough ahead through the heavy snowfall. They also cited the threat of avalanches if the new accumulation slides off the icy, hard-packed base.

The full picture of Monday's storm in Washington state included 287 collisions and 166 disabled vehicles reported on interstates or state routes in Pierce, Thurston and Lewis counties, south of Seattle. In King County, where Seattle is, the State Patrol received 653 calls for assistance, including 242 crashes, most of them minor.

A 60-year-old man who got out of his car following a Monday night crash on State Route 509 south of Seattle lost his legs after being hit by another vehicle that lost control, State Patrol Trooper Jeff Merrill said.

The rare Puget Sound snow that fell led to nightmarish tales of suburban commutes. Some football fans reported spending eight hours or more getting home on icy roads after the Seattle Seahawks Monday night National Football League game, while other drivers became so frustrated that they simply abandoned their cars on the freeways, reports AP.

"It took me 3 1/2 hours to go 10 miles (16 kilometers) and I didn't even get home," said Jennifer Pack, a 33-year-old loan officer who lives in the northern suburb of Kenmore. "I checked into a hotel."

One to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.5 centimeters) of snow fell in Seattle, much of it during the Monday evening rush-hour, and as much as 5 or 6 inches (12.5 to 15 centimeters) in the surrounding suburbs, according to the National Weather Service.

The service recorded .08 inches (.20 centimeters) of precipitation Monday night at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport bringing the November total to 15.26 inches (38.76 centimeters). That's just .07 inches (.18 centimeters) less than the wettest month on record in Seattle, December 1933.