Snow will be replaced by rain and temperatures above freezing for the next week, he said.

“If there is snow, it will melt off quickly,” Haner said. “We’ll be back to a typical springtime around here.”

That wasn’t the case earlier in the week as a snow and cold air over much of the county pushed back any thoughts of spring. 

Whidbey Island’s very own snowstorm struck Wednesday afternoon and overnight, dumping various amounts of white stuff onto local communities. Other snowstorms blew over parts of Skagit, Snohomish and King counties.

“It developed over the island, and pretty much dissipated in place,” Carl Cerniglia, anther meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said Thursday.

Some areas of the island were hit hard, while others escaped with a dusting.

Up to six inches of snow were reported in Langley and four inches south of Greenbank, with only skimpy accumulations in Clinton and Scatchet Head, and two inches in Freeland, Cerniglia said.

But as much as nine inches were reported west of Oak Harbor, and seven inches in parts of Camano Island overnight Wednesday, Cerniglia said.

Where snowfall was heaviest, it mounted rapidly. Four inches accumulated in the Langley area within two hours, beginning shortly before 4 p.m. City hall and the Langley Library closed early, along with some shops, as residents and visitors hurried to beat the buildup. A community meeting to discuss a possible change in the form of Langley’s government from council-mayor to council-manager was also canceled, and will be rescheduled for sometime in March.

Meanwhile, temperatures dropped into the teens and low 20s overnight, creating slick roadways for motorists. Highway 525 remained passable Wednesday night and Thursday, although the going was dicey on side roads in South Whidbey.

Drivers apparently were prepared for the storm, however; no traffic mishaps were reported Wednesday night or Thursday morning.

“It was really quiet,” Island County Fire District 3 Deputy Chief Jon Beck said Thursday. “Everyone took their time. We were fortunate.”  

Beck said the only incident other than routine medical calls was a tree that fell across Coles Road outside Langley.

Beck said Friday morning that there were still no traffic incidents reported, as most of the main roads continued clear and dry, although temperatures remained below freezing.

Despite the snow, classes were held in the South Whidbey School District during the snow, although schools started late on Thursday. 

Nearby, sledders young and old swooped down the slopes at South Whidbey Community Park on Thursday afternoon.

In Langley, businesses were operating normally on Thursday afternoon after the snowstorm the night before, said Marc Esterly of the Langley Chamber of Commerce.

He said that the annual Mystery Weekend in town, which features a mock murder for visitors to solve, will continue as scheduled with little if any expected dip in participation.

“Most of the people are strong followers of the weekend, and come regardless of the weather,” Esterly said. “A little rain shower wouldn’t hurt.”

On the plus side, the late-winter snow was a boost to area merchants with leftover inventories of snow-related items.

Ace Hardware in Freeland had already packed away its remaining winter items when the latest storm arrived.

“We were glad we could bring our ice melt out again,” said Kari Gerow, store manager, who arrived at work early Thursday morning to set up a new display of winter-related items in the windows. 

“We had all the ice melt, shovels and sleds anybody needed,” she said.