Some stores running out of shovels, salt ahead of two chances for lowland snow

People are scrambling to get ready ahead of the first round of snow expected Sunday evening, with more coming later in the week.

>>Snow will continue to hammer mountains; bitter cold with more snow next week

The Snowpocalypse of February 2019 is still fresh in people’s minds as they shopped for salt and shovels over the weekend.

“First time shovel buyer,” said Miranda Brown, who lives in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. She and many others packed McLendon’s Hardware in White Center on Saturday.

“The lines have been all day, we’ve been calling for backup all day because of lines,” said Christina Konateh, who works at McLendon’s Hardware. “People were so unprepared last year, so I feel like that’s why everyone is going so hard,” she said.

The store just got a new shipment of shovels, and that brought in the crowd.

“There’s a run on them outside, people were lining up,” Brown said.

RELATED: WSU asks students to ‘stay put’ if it’s unsafe to travel back to campus

People hemmed and hawed over the shovel selection, but almost everyone left armed with one - or more.

“Two shovels better than one, right?” said Liv Rysemus with a laugh. She stopped by from the Seatac area.

Some shoppers came to McLendon’s after failing to find what they needed at the West Seattle Home Depot.

Several Home Depot locations in the Seattle area said they were out of both salt and shovels but were expecting another shipment Monday, ahead of the second round of snow expected later in the week.

“I waited too late last year to get it,” said Miranda Monahan. “I ended up getting sand and boy does that make a mess tracking it into your house,” she said.

In 2019, every store in the Seattle area ran out of shovels and salt. People were purchasing table salt and small garden shovels to make do. Now they’re not taking any chances. Some also shopped for things like pipe covers to prevent pipes from freezing over with the cold snap coming.

People say the scramble to get ready is actually pretty fun – and hope the chance for a snowstorm pans out.

“I’m excited because I love snow,” Monahan said.

McLendon’s expects another very busy day Sunday.

© 2020 Cox Media Group