Northwest snowstorm

With the Space Needle in the background, Lynne Wyllie tosses a snowball in a downtown Seattle park.  (Elaine Thompson / Associated Press)

Sledders, skiers, snowboarders and pedestrians take over a snow-covered street in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle.  (Elaine Thompson / Associated Press)

The Washington state Capitol is covered with snow on Wednesday in Olympia. A widespread snowstorm walloped western Washington on Wednesday, with the heaviest blow missing Seattle and hitting the Olympia area, causing accidents, closing schools and canceling flights at Sea-Tac airport.  (Rachel La Corte / Associated Press)

Collin Beritich shovels snow off the roof of the Frisko Freeze hamburger stand Wednesday in Tacoma. A winter storm blasted the Pacific Northwest Wednesday, dumping near-record snow in some areas, hammering parts of Oregon with winds as high as 110 mph and bringing much of the region to a standstill.  (Ted S. Warren / Associated Press)

A jogger runs through Wright Park in the snow on Wednesday in Tacoma.  (Ted S. Warren / Associated Press)

A crushed automobile is shown in a driveway of a home after a tree toppled Wednesday in Oregon City. Western Oregon woke up to rain and slush instead of significant snow accumulations, but a storm that moved in overnight left thousands without power. The winter weather brought 2 to 4 inches of snow to the region overnight, but temperatures warmed and it changed to rain, leaving a slushy mix on roads and trees.   (Rick Bowmer / Associated Press)