Tow truck driver Mirza Akram did everything he could for stranded drivers the past two days -- dragging cars off the ice, helping teens put on chains and calling 911 when one woman stuck in traffic thought she was having a heart attack.

"I spent my whole night until 2 o'clock in the morning on Interstate 90 at Eastgate," Akram said during another shift Thursday with the Safetow company. "I spent the whole day out there today in West Seattle and South Seattle. The streets are pretty bad."

This week's weather wasn't the coldest or snowiest to ever hit Seattle, but it continued to cause headaches for Thursday commuters and for police and transportation crews trying to keep the roads clear.

Temperatures in Seattle were expected to warm today into the high 20s or mid-30s, with sunshine and without snow. Saturday's regional temperatures should reach 32 to 39 degrees.

		DAN DELONG / P-I
	Friends Dillon Jackson, left, Ethan McConaghy and Eric Dunn, all age 12, enjoy a wild ride down Southwest Charlestown Street in West Seattle on Thursday.

With many roads still wet, weary state troopers warned morning commuters about the possibility of more ice today.

Between 3 p.m. Wednesday and noon Thursday, troopers responded to 227 collisions in King County, Washington State Patrol Trooper Jeff Merrill said.

On a normal day, troopers might see 30 or 40, Merrill said.

On Thursday, one driver slid into a state trooper's patrol car after hitting an icy patch on Interstate 405 while trying to exit at Northeast 85th Street. An 8-year-old in the driver's backseat was injured by broken glass, Merrill said.

The trooper had stopped to investigate a three-car collision, Merrill said.

Troopers impounded 67 cars abandoned during the snowfall, and fielded numerous calls from people trying to track down their vehicle, he said.

"Our biggest problem this morning is people trying to track down cars without knowing their license plates," Merrill said.

About 2,800 Seattle City Light customers started Thursday without electricity after a tree fell on power lines. It blinked out around 8:30 a.m., sending a collective "not again" buzz through the community where many were in the dark for days last month.

This time, Gina DeSantis-Coats was prepared. She was without power for 40 hours last time.

"When I heard another storm was coming, I went and got two cases of Duraflames, batteries, and food that doesn't have to go in the refrigerator," she said.

Seattle City Light had power restored in West Seattle by early afternoon.

Seattle Public Schools closed Thursday, giving children the day to sled or build snow forts. District spokeswoman Teresa Wippel said the school year has been extended six days now from June 20 until June 26.

"This is the fourth weather-related closure this school year," Wippel said, noting that it has been at least 10 years since schools have been closed so many days because of weather.

Operations were back to normal Thursday at Sea-Tac Airport and at Boeing Field. Wednesday's snows caused momentary delays but no lasting backups.

So long as the weather remains dry, airline passengers shouldn't have any trouble flying out of Sea-Tac during the cold snap, said Bob Parker, a spokesman for the airport.

"Just pure cold weather is generally the best weather you can fly in," Parker said Thursday. "It usually makes for a smooth flight."

Thursday night's temperature in Seattle was not going to break any record. The coldest Jan. 11 on record occurred in 1963, when the thermometer at Sea-Tac Airport dipped to 12 degrees.

The coldest day on record at the airport was Jan. 31, 1950 -- when it was zero degrees.

As his classmates shuffled past swaddled in dark wool and bright nylon, 21-year-old David Chong strode through the University of Washington's Red Square on Thursday wearing only a black baseball cap, an undershirt and a pair of black-and-white surfer's shorts.

He hadn't set out to shock anyone when he underdressed himself Thursday morning, said Chong, a Rainier Beach resident studying nursing. Chong said more clothes would have meant less sleep -- the latter a higher priority, he said.

"Anything for an extra minute of sleep," said Chong, glancing at his thong-clad feet.

Akram, the tow truck driver, expected another busy shift late Thursday. He started at 9 a.m. after getting home at 3 a.m. from Wednesday's mess.

He saw morning drivers trapped on ice or stuck because their alternators failed while they plodded along in traffic, Akram said.

He was happy that he didn't get called to impound cars, although he did tow plenty of abandoned vehicles for customers who called Thursday morning, he said.

He was towing a car on Interstate 90 through Eastgate in slow traffic when a woman pulled up next to him and begged him to tow her.

He pointed out that he already had a car in tow and that her vehicle appeared to be moving.

He drove about 15 feet before she pulled up again crying, asking him to call 911 because she felt like she was having a heart attack, he said. Medics came, but he's not sure if she had a cardiac event or a panic attack.

Merrill, of the State Patrol, said he didn't recall any calls for weather-induced panic attacks.

"I didn't hear any thing about people having panic attacks other than the troopers who were working," he said.

The freeze again disrupted bus service in some areas

"Wherever the cars are getting stuck, the buses are getting stuck," said Linda Thielke, a spokeswoman for Metro Transit.

Bus tires were chained for the afternoon commute and chains were expected to be needed again this morning.

Thielke advised bus riders to expect slower service and to dress warmly for the wait. Some buses were only slightly off schedule, but in hilly areas, delays were significant

"Be patient. Don't wait for your bus on a hill slope, wait at the top of the hill or on an arterial," Thielke said.

Today's weather for the Seattle area is expected to be cold, clear and dry, said Johnny Burg, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

Seattle-area temperatures today are supposed to be higher than Thursday night, possibly ranging from 27 to 34 degrees. Saturday's regional temperature will be between 32 and 39 degrees.

The snow and following freeze drove many commuters to seek sanctuary in downtown Seattle hotels. And many of the large hotels were full.

Among them was the Red Lion Hotel on Fifth Avenue, where hotel guest service agent Desmond Sneed said everyone from corporate business travelers to work-a-day commuters arrived looking for shelter Wednesday.

But all 297 of the hotels rooms were booked, as has been the case most dark, stormy nights this winter.

"We stay pretty busy throughout the year because we're centrally located," Sneed said. "But this season has been really, really busy because of the weather."

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