Heavy snow falls on Ballard

9:45 p.m. update: Falling heavily now, and we’ve measured just short of two inches of new snow here in East Ballard. This is shaping up to be one to remember, that’s for sure. Still, Doppler radar shows no sign of letting up.

This is 15th Ave. at 70th, where that Metro bus stalled a couple days ago. An eerie, quiet scene courtesy of My Ballard reader Fred who snapped the photo. If this keeps up, Ballard will be covered in deep snow by morning (as much as 5-8 inches of new snowfall, say forecasters). No word on the status of the Ballard Farmers Market — we’ve emailed organizers but have not heard back — but we can imagine some vendors would have a very difficult time making it.

Meanwhile, the mayor held an evening press conference and announced that SDOT has now deployed all 27 snow plows to clear the priority Seattle roads, and Metro may have to “significantly cut back Sunday service.” Also, 7 utility repair crews stand ready to respond to any power outages. So what about that wind? It’s still a real possibility, especially along the water, despite happening a little later than expected. “The pressure difference across the mountains is extraordinary, nearly as high as I have ever seen it,” explains UW atmospheric sciences professor Cliff Mass on his blog. “This event is not over yet.” Mass has predicted this will be our greatest snowstorm since 1996.

The scene along 85th approaching Greenwood Market earlier this evening. How much snow has fallen on your block? Post a report below…

Also: Check out our new Ballard wire, an unfiltered, real-time stream of nearly everything posted on the web about Ballard, from Twitter to Craigslist (and right now, just about everything is about the snow.)