Snow, downed trees cause Kent schools, road closures
Published 12:08 pm Friday, March 13, 2026
The Kent School District closed schools early on Friday morning, March 13 for the rest of the day due to deteriorating weather conditions and increasingly unsafe travel throughout the area.
Students already had the day off for a Teacher Workshop Day, but teachers still had to report in the morning. The district canceled the workshop later in the morning and sent teachers home.
The closure includes all school buildings and the Administration Center, according to a district website post. The district canceled all afternoon and evening sports, activities and events for March 13.
Fallen trees close roads
The city of Kent Public Works Department reported two trees had fallen on roads Friday morning.
• The southbound lane on Lake Fenwick Road South at the road to the boat launch area was closed temporarily due to a fallen tree in the roadway. The tree fell at about 9:30 a.m., but crews had the lane back open by 10:30 a.m.
• Full road closure on SE 240th from 144th Avenue SE to 148th Avenue SE for a fallen tree. Traffic control will be in place. Please use caution when driving near crews working in the roadway. The tree fell about 9:30 a.m. and as of about noon, the road had not yet reopened.
State troopers kept busy
Washington State Patrol Trooper Rick Johnson reported on X that trooper were busy all morning.
“Snow, rain, downed trees and whole lot of collisions have kept troopers busy,” Johnson said. “If you’ll be out driving, make sure you slow down and leave extra space between vehicles.”
Weather forecast
Here’s the National Weather Service forecast for the rest of the weekend in Kent:
• Friday afternoon: Rain, possibly mixed with snow. Areas of fog. High near 41. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
• Friday night: Rain, possibly mixed with snow before 8 p.m., then a chance of rain between 8 and 11 p.m., then a chance of rain and snow after 11 p.m. Patchy fog before 9 p.m. Low around 34. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
• Saturday: Rain and snow likely, mainly before 11 a.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 46. Light south wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
• Saturday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31. Light east southeast wind.
• Sunday: A slight chance of rain and snow before 11 a.m., then rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 47. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
• Sunday night: Rain. Low around 40. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
