So, Puget Sound residents, how much surprise snow did you get? A bit from the Seattle-PI:

The Weather Service, he said, has received reports of nearly a foot of snow in parts of Bothell and Monroe. Near Shoreline and up to Lake Forest Park, about two inches of snow fell, he added.

The area around South Everett received eight inches of snow and Mill Creek had over 10 inches of the white stuff.

(From: Weather to clear by Thursday afternoon )

My sweetie and I got home last night and noticed patches of snow already on the edges of the drive. Then as we wrapped up dinner an icy mix came down, followed by very determined snow. I sat by the fireplace in my reading chair keeping an eye out through the window on the snowy handrails leading down our front walk's stairs. It didn't look like anything to worry about. Maybe a quarter of an inch of snow on the handrails.

Less than an inch? Pish-posh.

Ends up that handrail accumulation is not a good metric to use in the future. The handrail is sheltered by a Douglas Fir and a Red Western Cedar. When I went out with Bella for a walk before bed I was impressed that we were nearly four inches of snow already and it was still coming down.

We're well over five inches and seem to be damage free, though Bella and I found a large cedar bough on the ground down by the front-edge of our property that had snapped off due to snow load.