[Traffic Cam] Seattle Drivers vs the snow: 2021!

Sliding, sideways, stuck and smashed. It's time for another edition of Seattle Drivers vs The Snow!
After a week of forecasted snow that kept getting pushed out, Seattle finally got its first major snow since 2019. Many parts of the metro area picked up 8+ inches and, as you might imagine, Seattle drivers didn't fare too well.
Seattle is a city of hills; steep hills, long hills, and numerous hills. Add a few inches of compacted snow and ice and travel becomes extremely difficult. And entertaining, for those of us lucky enough to be inside.
Filmed February 12th, 13th and 14th. Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with SDOT or the city of Seattle. You can view the traffic cameras for yourself here: web6.seattle.g...
Thanks for watching!
Music used (all from the KZbin audio library):
A Baroque Letter - Aaron Kenny
Holly Dazed - RKVC
Christmas Village - Aaron Kenny
Auld Lang Syne (Instrumental Jazz) - E's Jammy Jams
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy - Kevin MacLeod
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommon...
Source: incompetech.com...
Artist: incompetech.com/

[@eponack]

I grew up in Wyoming, literally, started to learn to drive in snow. I have lived in the Seattle area for 17 years, and I refuse to drive here when it snows, because everyone seems to think 4WD means they can drive like the road conditions won’t effect them.

[@eponack]

And don’t even get me started on the folks that don’t have 4WD drive who think they can go around on all our hills...

[@TexasLonghorns115]

so they need to have winter tires ?

[@Dachdogoriginal]

Exactly. I'm from Western Washington and when I moved to Seattle I learned to stay home. Too many idiots. Remember 2009 I think it was. Snommegeddon. It 12 hour I-5 parking lot. SMH.

[@Dachdogoriginal]

@@TexasLonghorns115 🤦‍♀️ stay home. Lol.

[@Andy-dc7hr]

Agreed! A Washingtonian here and I to stay off the roads as much as possible because other drivers absolutely suck at driving...in the snow and ice.

[@joshuagreen2976]

I listen to a UW professor talk about why the Seattle gets so crazy when it snows. He said that due to the mild climate, it's almost always the case that before the temperature drops below freezing in Seattle, a layer of moisture, either by rain or snow melting on warmer ground, gets deposited on the ground prior to the freezing event. That layer of water then freezes covering all roads with a layer of ice. Compact this with a hilly topography and you get a hilly city covered with icy roads. It blows my mind there were people going down Queen Anne hill in a car. Why gamble with your life just so you can grab a Dick's Deluxe with fries?

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

Yep, that sounds right. We also tend to rise above freezing during the day and then refreeze at night, adding even more ice.

[@Traumatix685]

"Dick's Deluxe with fries"? Such a WA/Seattle thing. Come to California where it essentially never snows let alone never deal with bad WA drivers so you can get an In-n-Out Double Double Animal Style with Animal Style fries, lol. Seriously though as a CA In-n-out lover: Dick's has the better fries but for essentially a buck more, the Double Double Animal style will blow away the Dick's Deluxe...

[@maryanneborders9602]

Dude at 3:42 a true hero ! Pulls over to assist driver spun out and heading wrong way on Aurora !

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

Yeah, that was pretty brave, especially since it was Aurora!

[@sasquatchpatrol9317]

Thought the same thing!

[@evachristine7360]

It's really bad but it's also hilarious and defines every valentines day ever.

[@andrewb3122]

I had a feeling I would be seeing a video like this soon, snow in Seattle means bad driving.

[@Beardymanlol]

Seattle is one of the most hill filled cities in the country

[@Linusrox123]

Love the music!

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

Thanks!

[@fora462]

Many drivers never or dont adapt their driving when snow is falling. Even where I live in Quebec City, where we have a winter which last 5 months. Stay safe everyone and drive carefully :)

[@gsilcox]

I see a lot of comments about bad Seattle drivers. While that can be partially true, you have to remember that Seattle isn't flat. Seattle is built on a series of hills, huge hills. What makes some drivers bad is that they choose to go out in the snow when they should keep their dumba** at home.

[@Dachdogoriginal]

People drive in the mountians. Heck eastern eastern Washington is ALL hills. And those people drive just fine. Seattle gets little snow and so the people have NO skills. And a LOT of over confidence.

[@wendyweaver8749]

@@Dachdogoriginal - I have lived most of my life in the Seattle area and just over two years in Omak in the 1970s. Eastern Washington has a drier climate and the temperature does not regularly exceed 32 degrees during the day in the winter months. These two facts makes snow driving in Eastern Washington much easier. In addition, there is so much less traffic in most of Eastern Washington so the snow on roads does not continually melt and refreeze as it does in Seattle. Plus, there is snow in Eastern Washington for several months each year so a person (even an outsider) can and does learn how to drive in the snow. When I returned to the Seattle area, I rarely drove during snow periods BECAUSE of the other drivers. I had learned so much during three Omak winters that I could drive in most areas (but never James, Cherry, Madison, Denny in downtown - too steep and too many stoplights stopping momentum) but the other drivers were a danger to me.

[@Dachdogoriginal]

@@wendyweaver8749 Omak is central Washington. It is flat, and dry. The climate in Eastern Washington is different. Yes, the whole issue is that people in western WA don't get enough experience driving. But that doesn't mean they aren't over confident. They have NO winter tires, no chains, no plan. They just drive and get stuck. The Palouse is wet, windy, and FREEZING in the winter. There are big rolling hills, and freezing rain regularly. And a ton of snow. It's a mess. But usually, everyone learns very early in life how to drive in it. But you have two universities over there and you get the Students from W.W driving the first snow. Chaos!! Then they finally line up at Les Schwab to actually get prepared. So they get better, or walk. So things settle down. But Seattle snow driving, NO. I avoid that at all cost.

[@brianoconnell6459]

A lot of Seattle (and surrounding Puget Sound) drivers are also still CA transplants, who haven't had to drive in regular snowfall on a yearly basis. I'm originally from NY (state and city), they do tend to do better with snowy roads, even in the Catskills, but I limit my trips to very short runs (under a mile), and on relatively flat grounds. The top of East Hill is fairly flat for example, but when you go downhill, forget it. I also restrict those runs to daytime, for whenever there's enough sunlight to warm up the pavement enough to drive on.

[@asmodiusjones9563]

Before people disparage Seattle drivers, there are a few things to know: 1) Seattle is one of the hilliest major cities in America. If you are from the Midwest where snow lasts 5 months, you have likely never driven on snow on hills as steep or roads as winding as in these videos. 2) Enough snow to cause slippage falls in about an hour and lasts less than a day, and does not happen every year. It is easy to get caught in this snow and not reasonable to get studded tires or 4 wheel drive for conditions that happen 1 day every two or three years. I do admit there’s no reason not to have chains, although many people believe you should not drive with chains on the freeway when there is no snow there (the freeways never accumulate snow). 3) Many people in Seattle are recent transplants from hot climates (other countries or just Southern California). There is a decent chance that for any driver you see, it is the first time they have driven in snow in their life. I grew up in Seattle and always took crap from Midwesterners about Seattle snow driving. Then I took a trip to the Midwest once and got vertigo by how unbelievably flat it is and how straight all the roads are, and realized driving in the snow there is just not the same thing.

[@adamt4742]

as someone from the midwest, thanks for the info, I didn't realize Seattle had so many hills

[@asmodiusjones9563]

@@adamt4742 Happy to share. For example Madison Ave, featured from many angles in this video, is a 19% grade around most of these intersections. The average person would have trouble riding a bike up most of the hills shown. If you know they are hills it is apparent in the videos, but if your default experience of roads is flat you wouldn’t know to look for it.

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

Yep, the hills here are ridiculous. But, as someone who lives here, I wouldn't even attempt Madison, Denny or the 45th St viaduct in the snow...

[@TheAngiPants]

@@adamt4742 seattle is nothing but steep hills, in every direction. Big ones.

[@nikkitronic80]

💯 agree! We have many large hills here in Seattle and people from elsewhere don't realize that. Makes a big difference when we do get snow, which is one or 2 days every few years or so. Although I wish we got more snow. I love it! I simply don't drive in it. Take a walk or just wait, it will turn to rain with in 48hrs. ❄️❤️❄️❤️

[@musselmanmedia5236]

Why do people think that their vehicles are some type of snow mobile thingy that can somehow win against mother nature for some reason

[@OS253]

The traditional music is awesome. It reminds me of music from the 1920's. The music from the 2020's suck.

[@Omikoshi78]

2:55 Pedestrians j-walking and 3:08 overconfident cyclists. There is right of way and then there is darwin awards. Laws of physics don't care about right of way rules.

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

Yep, plus that guy sledding in front of cars at 2:13 and the person at 7:30, walking in the travel lanes of Aurora (in the downhill section)! Not sure what's going through these people's minds...

[@Omikoshi78]

@@SeattleTrafficCams wow at the guy sledding at 2:13! 🤦‍♀️ he wasn’t even panicking as he approached the intersection.

[@cyndisherry7547]

Round 2!!! Weren't we here almost the exact time 3 years ago? 😂 When did you get these pictures? Cuz my street was 11" deep by early sat morning... Couldn't even recognize the car!! Great vids, I hope you find a part 2 to the round 2 🤣🤣Thanks! 🙋

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

These were filmed Friday night and Saturday morning, with maybe a clip or two from today. And yeah, it was 2 years ago, February 10th and 11th, that we had our last big storm - this just seems to be our month for snow!

[@cyndisherry7547]

@@SeattleTrafficCams I think that storm ( in 2018 ) is what brought me to your channel! Ah well, great minds think alike!! 😁

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

Nice! Yeah, that's my most popular video on this channel, so I knew I had to make another one when we finally got snow again 😀

[@cyndisherry7547]

@@SeattleTrafficCams Absolutely! But don't kid yourself... Your vids are great! These are just so funny 😂 It would be great if the cameras cooperated when you get a cooking fire though LOL! Happy Valentine's Day, by the way. 🥰

[@sebdo2292]

@@SeattleTrafficCams yeah lol

Lived here all my life.... this is classic Seattle driving in the snow. ~ just sayin'

[@jamesmcallister5494]

Me too,,I never drove in the snow up here,,somebody will git ya,sure as shit.

[@Dubanx]

Like 90% of these are people who are going as slow as they realistically can, but are sliding down the hills faster than their brakes can keep up. Especially that one hill that shows up a lot where people keep sliding and hitting the side. They're going as slow as they can...

[@Dachdogoriginal]

And driving too slow going up hill and driving down hills in the wrong gear, and with brakes is the issue. Oh, and all the morons. Just stay home.

[@mjl5497]

Kudos to the Good Samaritan at 3:40!

[@cdmoon1048]

Those skiing and snowboarding had the right idea!

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

Right? Way closer than Snoqualmie 😀

[@paxwallacejazz]

Seattle drivers so bad in snow but this year maybe better. I miss Seattle.. hey gimeabreak I was pushing cars on capital hill and Udist. in the late 80s

[@richardkronberg4925]

Capital hill was cool back then I also was there in late eighties worked at us bank on Broadway.(where good ol Charlie sold Seattle times in his booth)

[@thedopeshiz]

These drivers are not Seattle natives! Lol

[@jamesmcallister5494]

It's not the same town you left in the 80s,it's over populated and dirty now ,so sad,,

[@omaromerika1390]

When it snows people in Seattle seem to think its still okay to tailgate and go 50 in a 35. Insane

[@steveurbach3093]

Years ago, I remember making it all the way back from Monroe in a 1T pickup with trailer and turning onto 30th from 145 and finding a small PU stuck and I had to have my wife hold the brake pedal down (to keep the trailers brakes on), So I could chain up to go the last 300' :(

[@TheSmashbrowns]

Everyone seems to forget that Seattle is the second most hilly city in the country. That matters.

[@SatanistSchool]

I'm also a Seattleite that won't drive or leave my apartment when it snows. This is classic.

[@musselmanmedia5236]

i love these

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

Me too - thanks for watching!

[@bodeankit]

As a native Seattle Light I gave up driving 20 years ago because the mass invasion of Seattle and a lot of the people are lousy drivers! I have no regrets

[@darrenmichaelsen8908]

The Californian invasion?

[@PoeticallyIronic]

the entire state of washington cant drive regardless of weather conditions

[@rohanjolly2408]

Great compilation. How did you get that together so quickly? Is it scrubbed from news outlets or does the DOT keep track of these incidents? (Edit: or did I just realize that this video isn’t from the current snowstorm of dec. 2021)

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

Thanks for watching! Yeah, this was from our snow back in February of this year. All the footage is recorded from SDOT's live streaming traffic cameras: web6.seattle.gov/travelers/ I do have a bit of footage from our current storm that I'm hoping to get posted in the next day or so.

[@ABC-bangkok]

👍 👍 👍

[@randallstewart175]

I lived in Seattle for a decade and have since lived near Portland, Oregon, which suffers the same driver limitations. It is true that the idea of an inch or two of snow on the road there drives the population nuts. However, in fairness to those folks, the situation here was several inches of snow, probably compacted by traffic, followed by up to a half inch of freezing rain, putting a layer of ice on top of the snow, then another layer of snow. That's why they are all skating around on the streets. The only solutions are studded tires (which are probably illegal in Seattle) or just stay home.

[@petewilliamsiv3512]

Some Drivers are not smart when it come to the Snow in Seattle xD

[@Virre737]

This was awesome!!

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

Thanks for watching!

[@brokenmotorwagen1328]

LOL, the music was great!

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

Thanks for watching!

[@naiastra]

the guy sledding down Denny! WTF was he thinking?! HOLY DARWIN AWARDS, BATMAN! O_O

[@gabriellea.lowery6824]

Un-f-ing believable. The only place worse is MS. We had 9" about ten years ago. Pickups were in the ditch and there I am in a 15 year old Cadillac having no problems at all.

[@lakotasue]

I’m so happy it’s March now... flight less chance of snow in Seattle. 🙏🏽

[@bubba966]

Seattle + snow = LOL for many reasons. First off, NO ONE has actual winter/snow/ice tires around here due to not ever having enough snow to justify them. Seattle is all hills. It doesn't ever get cold enough for dry snow, so it's wet and slick. There's tons of 4WD/AWD vehicles around here & people think that means they can drive fine in snow, yet they lack the proper tires to get traction in snow making the type of drive your vehicle has pointless. There's usually ice involved in the mix due to either wet snow or rain freezing before/during/after the snowfall. No one ever learns how to drive in snow around here as we don't get much snow to learn in, and if we do get snow it's usually gone in hours or a day or so. And Seattle drivers are in general horrid.... add in all the above factors and yeah, this is the behavior you get in the vid.

[@maggpi717]

I'm from Chicago, this is my first winter in seattle.... The drivers are outrageous!! I saw 8 accidents including an SUV v bus in one 30 minute drive.

[@skinnybricks]

Almost like this place has hills, crazy!

[@maggpi717]

@@skinnybricks yes, but I-5 north from fed way to Seattle is almost completely flat.

[@siujajanenatas9170]

I love y'all miss u ...I'll be back soon ...hang love free I got u...humbled by thee siempre

[@ChairDancerReacts]

People need to understand the topography of Seattle when making fun of drivers in the snow. Lots of y'all live in very flat states. Seattle is ridiculous with all the hills.

[@TheSmashbrowns]

When it snows in a place like Montana you don't have worry about careening down a hill through a busy intersection directly into a coffee shop.

[@jaypers232]

Why would you ever learn from peoples past mistakes when you can just get out there behind the wheel and learn for yourself

[@kerplunk9434]

Come to Saskatchewan. We'll teach you how to drive in deep snow, on icy roads or on rutted, snow roads.

[@hannahbumbalough8567]

Lol the busses jack knifed itself right on 3rd and bell right outside my apartment lol

[@cj7girl280]

They didn't get much snow.. Check out the lynnwood area they got more than 2feet showdown fall

[@jonnj9701]

This is some of the best driving I've seen all year.

[@brianoconnell6459]

That's funny, that guy's Tokyo drifting where there ain't no Tokyo!

[@megamanjoe]

Lack of feathering the brake and accelerator... Also, going to fast and not changing to snow tires, chains, or studs.

[@ChrisWizzerd]

Hahaha we don’t need snow... that’s how we drive every day!!🤣🤣

[@reilly6171]

Seattle drivers are the worst! That’s before you even add the snow.

[@mollyjane4628]

1:16 lights off but blinker’s on…welp…

[@evachristine7360]

Tom Hanks- why no one ever talks about your movies -

[@callofthewintermoon91]

Snow, vehicles and pedestrians all together don't mix but was entertaining to watch as it seemed no one was injured. Great vid, fun music and pedestrian on Denny sliding on their rear just oh so casually out in front of traffic 😂👍. Thanks!

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

Yeah, I was glad everyone (mostly) avoided each other - thank you for watching!

[@anniemalloy8208]

That was such an enjoyable montage - great music choices, as well :) Thanks!

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

Thanks for watching!

[@selincaka2088]

Why on earth would someone try to get UP Cherry in the snow?!

[@OREGINALLION]

Looks more like ice by the way their sliding

[@aarons2848]

As someone who lives in Spokane, I always enjoy Seattle snow days (:

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

Haha, yeah - they're best enjoyed from far away (or inside) 😂

[@Brian_rock_railfan]

could you have a channel for Portland, Oregon Traffic Cams please

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

I don't think Portland has live streaming traffic cameras the way Seattle does, do they?

[@Brian_rock_railfan]

@@SeattleTrafficCams sadly i do not see a KZbin channel for Portland, Oregon traffic cams :(

[@FenrirFire18]

👁👄👁 - Headlights, Seattle!

[@DanielHeppner]

When it snows, I'll see you on the bus or train.

[@WesbirdlyO]

All these comments saying the same thing about "THE HILLS!" Yeah, no. Snow on the hills is a symptom of the issue, not the cause. People here drive impatiently and recklessly year-round, regardless of the terrain, driving conditions, or type of vehicle they're in.

[@hallmarkaddict8455]

They do yes but the hills make it 10x worse. Hills suck going down even when its dry let alone when there's snow and an inch thick sheet of ice on them

[@flymanhawaii]

Same thing happened today~~

[@tonia3371]

It was absolutely horrible

[@StrikeTheRoot]

Build your city on a hill they said. it'll be fine they said. a once in a decade storm. it was nice while it lasted. my snow tires worked as advertised.

[@darrenmichaelsen8908]

We had a worse storm just a couple years ago. Or at least it was worse where I was at.

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

In my part of Seattle we got more snow this time vs 2019, but the 2019 snow stuck around quite a bit longer.

[@motofan16]

Ski is good invention.

[@MrSwimmerGod]

I hate boren ave when its fucking dry AF

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

Yeah, we have no shortage of gnarly hills! I think my least favorite is that extra steep part of East Denny where you get caught at red lights in the middle of the hill.

[@reneeochoa1015]

This is halarious.

[@MrTimeless101]

the music?🤨

[@Brian_rock_railfan]

great video 👍❄️😱

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

Thanks!

[@xrrrismickey]

People can't drive here when it isn't snowing.

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

Lol, true...

[@mmiller1188]

How do so many people end up the wrong way on one way streets? Is this a normal occurence?

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

I'm not sure - the streets can be a little confusing, but there's usually plenty of signage...

[@asmodiusjones9563]

The streets are very confusing and the clearest indicators are on the pavement itself (arrows, double yellow lines, etc). The snow obscured them.

[@TheAngiPants]

There are many one way streets, and the markers get covered by the snow

[@patriciareid5595]

Spinouts.

[@NekoShintaro]

seattle never fails to amaze me and i live here lol

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

Lol, same - thanks for watching!

[@kennysbusdrawings]

What is that music at 6:43 ? I swear I've heard it before and I don't know what it is

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

It's "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" from the Nutcracker. Thanks for watching!

[@kennysbusdrawings]

@@SeattleTrafficCams Thanks!

[@tooterramediahouse3892]

I wanna see future self driving cars and ice slides 🤭🤔

[@comedickunt]

I was born and raised in vegas. The idea of driving in snow is not only foreign but t e r r i f y i n g 😬

[@thomasfletcher4765]

Driving in Seattle is " hill areas " 😜🤣🤣🤣

[@michaelschneider2874]

Seattle drivers in snow !!! Hilariously Krazy !!! Years ago there was also a heavy snowstorm when I decided to take a downtown walk just as the snow started to get heavy .... And Pandemonium Struck !!!! You could actually see the panic on the faces of the drivers ....wrong way on one way streets....sliding down the streets side ways ...alleyways became congested high speed thoroughfares...And people started Driving Down Sidewalks and literally mowing down parking meters... That was when I went back to my apartment and continued watching the show ! Amazing and Krazy !

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

That sounds terrifying! I'm glad I didn't have to go out during the worst of the snow.

[@swaggmasterr]

The snow was incredible! But now its getting warmer and we might get rain :/

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

Yep, ours turned to rain in the evening - still a fair amount of snow on the ground though. Hope you were able to enjoy it a bit!

[@helderalmeida2790]

I like the music it makes watching this more fun

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

Thanks! I tried to line the music and the clips up - I think it worked pretty well.

[@goodladdn]

Drivers there don't have a clue!

[@TheAngiPants]

Of course not. We don't get snow every year, there are less than 20 plows for the whole city, and the hills are steeper than you can imagine. Seattle hills are what other states call mountains.

[@TheAngiPants]

Also, the roads are usually wet before they freeze, so we get a nice layer of ice under the powder. It's a nightmare

[@samcampbell1351]

3:05 !!!! Nice

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

Lol yeah, I'm not sure what was going on with those two...

[@richardkronberg4925]

Great production.

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

Thank you for watching!

[@richardkronberg4925]

@@SeattleTrafficCams thanks for looking out after us!😳

[@SaltySeattleCyclist]

Omg this is my everything. Growing up in the Midwest, snow doesn't scare me at all. Seattle drivers literally don't know the first thing about snow driving 🤣

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

Thanks for watching! Yeah, Seattle drivers have a few strikes against them when it comes to snow: not enough experience, too many hills, and (often) untreated roads.

[@tiffanimai8317]

Pls........ I'm from Seattle and we still drive better in the snow than Texan. I now live in TX and had to experience that during this snow storm.

[@RichardJohnson-cg2ix]

Ever heard of studded tires or chains??

[@TheAngiPants]

Not really viable when it happens once every few years....

[@brightspacebabe]

❤️from Austin Texas. Me, I just stayed home all week.

[@carlabarrick8538]

Slow down and stop going downhill!

[@SeattleTrafficCams]

Slow down, sure, but it's difficult/impossible to travel Seattle without going down at least a few hills.

[@carlabarrick8538]

@@SeattleTrafficCams I've been an adult driver living in Seattle and the East side since 1993 originally from the Midwest with lots of hills.. It is possible and not to turn into a instructive response, there are sensible precautions you can talk before and during a storm.

[@TheAngiPants]

@@carlabarrick8538 that's the thing! So many transplants who don't know to take alternate routes around the sides of the hills. Im native and also do a fine job of navigating in snow (thanks Alaskan parents), but I cant blame people who aren't anticipating the ice layer under the snow.