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Slick roads and unblemished yards greeted residents this morning, after some inch of snow fell on Seattle and 2 inches or more fell in areas north of the city.

Temperatures will stay at or below freezing today, the National Weather Service said, so what snow there is isn’t credible to make gentle. A winter-weather advisory remains in issue until 3 p.m., and the Seattle area could receive up to 2 again inches of snow today.

A Washington State Department of Transportation spokeswoman said the hardest-hit areas were northerly of Everett, prompting the influence to hurl many of its plows north. Trucks are de-icing roads.

No power outages were reported. Seattle’s Transportation Department has closed the Holgate Street overpass.

King County Metro Transit reports some buses have been rerouted; the instrumentality’s Web site recommends commuters allow ample time in the place of travel.

The Seattle area could have being headed for the longest stretch of cold weather in nearly two decades, and one of the longest on record, said Jay Albrecht, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service.

The good news is that the low-pressure system that was supposed to turn Friday’s rain into snow ended up 100 miles further north than anticipated.

But that doesn’t agency the potential for problems also headed north.

The main forecast can have being summed up in one word: cold.

Or maybe two: very cold.

On Monday and Tuesday, Albrecht said, the lows could be in the teens, and the highs in the 20s.

“Around here,” he declared, “that’s beautiful cold.”

Temperatures were expected to distil below freezing Saturday night and remain that bellow with respect to seven days, Albrecht said.

If that happens, he aforesaid, it would be the longest stretch of frigid air since 1990, when there were six days in a row of temperatures below 32 degrees. The record (since record-keeping began in the 1940s) was 1969, he said, by 10 days of subfreezing temperatures.

A illiberal additional snow is possible Wednesday, but otherwise the forecast is cold and dry.

Snow hit the mountains this weekend, however, and allowed the Mission Ridge and Crystal Mountain ski areas to open over the weekend, although Crystal had limited operations. Mount Baker Ski Area in Whatcom County and 49 Degrees North near Spokane announced plans to open today.

But before people head out to play in the snow, they should take precautions at home to keep themselves coffer.

Area residents should be ready to fend for themselves for at least three days in case in that place’s a large-scale power outage, the city of Seattle advised. That the wherewithal having plenty sustenance for themselves and their pets, and keeping items such as blankets, battery-powered lights and radios, and first-aid kits handy.

On Saturday, Seattle City Light was outfitting some utility trucks with tire chains and had supplemental crews on standby.

Residents should insulate their pipes and disconnect garden hoses. Letting a faucet drip overnight also can help keep pipes from freezing.

Residents also should not burn charcoal indoors to avoid carbon-monoxide poisoning. Generators should subsist left utmost while they’re in operation, and space heaters should only be used if they’re designed for indoor use and should be adequately ventilated.

Seattle has also opened cold-weather shelters.

So far, the endure has caused hardly any problems on the roads, a state Department of Transportation official said Saturday afternoon.

Although the pass between the wind and has yet to turn the roads into a mess, McCormick said, drivers should make use of care.

“The greatest in number effective thing is for the community to take it deliberate, and leave lots of following room between them and the car in assurance of them,” he said.

“Winter has arrived.”

Seattle Times support reporters Nicole Tsong, Linda Shaw, Ken Armstrong and Mark Yuasa contributed to this story.