And Now for the Annual Seattleites Can't Drive in Snow Film Festival

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Like Russian dash cam videos, clips of drivers sliding around on icy roads are a genre of entertainment unto themselves. With what may turn out to be an inch or two of snow currently making its way north toward Seattle, now's a good time to watch a few local selections and remind yourself that the scariest thing about snow in Seattle is the Seattleites who drive in it. Also: buses on hills. There's a big storm coming tonight and lasting through tomorrow—up to SIX INCHES of the white stuff.

Sliding Cars in Seattle Snow on 11/22/10

Location: John St. and 13th Ave. E

Soundtrack: Hard rock guitar

Highlights: good number of 180 degree spin outs; "Uh oh!" "Yikes!"; bus sliding on a diagonal, hitting a telephone pole and doing a 180 before being rescued by a slow-moving fire truck; comforting assertion that no one was hurt during the making of this video.

Seattle Drivers in Two Inches of Snow

Location: Boren Ave. and University St.

Soundtrack: Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass

Highlights: One Mini's struggle against the realities of icy, uphill parking; real-life use of tire-chains; neighbor helping neighbor; quality tire squiggles; did I mention Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass?





How Seattle Gets Buses Uphill in Snow

Location: 21st Ave. and E Union St.

Soundtrack: Play-by-play narration; excitement

Highlights: A wrecker pushes a bus up the hill. That's basically it.





Title: Snow Driving Fail

Location: SW 20th and SW Salmon Sts. in Portland [UPDATED: Portland is also a mess when it snows.]

Soundtrack: No music, just the horrifying ricochet of cars hitting other cars; sirens

Highlights: Without the uplifting sounds of Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass to cover the cries of distress and gut-churning crunch of metal on metal, the only highlight is my fervent wish that everyone got out of this okay.





Be safe out there. Even a light dusting can make the roads slippery. Check in with the National Weather Service Seattle for updates and WSDOT for road conditions. Here are some winter safety tips from King County and some sled suggestions from the Portland Mercury's Wm. Steven Humphrey.