By Kevin Hanson, The Courier-Herald

Like most everyone throughout the south Puget Sound region, Plateau residents seemed to weather the recent cold and snow without tragedy.

Frosty conditions set in prior to the start of the new year, bringing an unusually large amount of snow and temperatures that dipped into the 20s (and, in some areas, even lower). When the sun came, it was just enough to cause melting, which created icy roads.

The city of Enumclaw fared pretty well, according to Les Johnson, community development director. During a Monday morning staff meeting, he said, department heads reported "all city functions were operating normally." Street crews had sanded the major intersections and the state Department of Transportation had addressed the three highways serving the city (state routes 410, 164 and 169).

Mark Bauer, city administrator, confirmed there were no major difficulties.

"For this type of a snow/ice event, there were fewer problems than in the past," Bauer said. It appears drivers are being more cautious, he said, because emergency crews seemed to be responding to fewer accidents than usual.

A spokesman for the Enumclaw office of the Washington State Patrol said there were plenty of accidents reported since winter weather hit, but nothing too serious.

One potential problem, Bauer said, could crop up if the cold weather were to persist. The city's natural gas supply is already being taxed, he said, and could be seriously stretched if the high demand continued. The city's supply pipelines can provide a fixed amount of natural gas; if the demand became too great, Bauer said, those near the end of the system could have limited supplies.

Kevin Hanson can be reached at khanson@courierherald.com