The weather has gone bonkers over the past few days, during which Whidbey has seen it all at once — rain, sunny skies, hail, strong winds and even a thundersnow.

Due to road conditions on the South End and central parts of the island, schools were closed or delayed Tuesday.

The weather’s tantrum began Sunday. That afternoon, South Whidbey Fire/EMS rescued a sailboat that was struggling against the waves whipped up by high winds. The two passengers on the vessel, which was initially headed towards Oak Harbor, lost control of the sails and were able to safely return to the Langley Marina only by following the department’s marine rescue vessel, according to Chief Nicholas Walsh.

Between Sunday and Tuesday morning, South Whidbey Fire/EMS responded to over 20 weather-related calls, including reports of trees blocking the roads or falling onto power lines due to the wind. At about 4:20 a.m. Tuesday, crews assisted a vehicle that fell into a ditch due to icy road conditions.

Despite some property damage, Walsh said no injuries were reported.

Early Monday morning some residents on South Whidbey were shaken out of their beds by the sound of what they thought was a bomb or a loud crash. It was no other than the sound of a “thundersnow” — a thunderstorm that occurs with temperatures cold enough that the rain turns into snow.

Atmospheric Scientist Cliff Mass said thunderstorms aren’t particularly dangerous or uncommon on Whidbey, which is located in the Puget Sound Convergence Zone, a meteorological phenomenon that forms when air flow splits around the Olympic Mountains and converges over Puget Sound.

Central Whidbey Fire and Rescue has also responded to some calls of trees blocking the roads or falling onto the power lines, but did not report any injuries or significant property damage.

Tuesday morning, residents on South and Central Whidbey woke up to a winter wonderland and below freezing temperatures, with some areas covered in 6 inches of snow, prompting the Coupeville School District to announce a two-hour delay start of classes, while South Whidbey School District canceled classes and the Jazz Band’s trip to Vancouver, B.C.

Oak Harbor, on the other hand, only had little sprinkles of white. North Whidbey saw minimal snow but strong winds, with Naval Air Station Whidbey Island recording a wind gust at 59 miles per hour coming from the northwest on Monday.

Captain Chris Swiger from North Whidbey Fire and Rescue said crews responded to eight weather-related calls Sunday, which involved trees and branches down hitting power lines. He said North Whidbey gets winds like this about two to three times every year.

Lt. Ed Klaszky from Oak Harbor Fire Department said Sunday felt like a normal day in Oak Harbor, and the crew responded to two weather-related calls involving a power line and a communications line.

Swiger advises the community to stay away from power lines that fall on the ground, as the electricity can travel through the ground, particularly in wet conditions, and to call 911.

Photo by Cecelia Dance

Columbia Beach was covered in snow Tuesday morning. (Photo by Noah Person)