Last week many parts of western Washington received a whole year's worth of snow in a single day, but now the biggest concerns are the aftereffects of the storm.

The county budget has a contingency fund set up every year to allow for all the work supplies to keep the county roads safe and it is likely enough for this storm, said Snohomish County spokesperson Christopher Schwarzen.

It requires a large amount of storm activity to take a toll on the budget, like there was in 2008 when four weeks of various snow, flooding and ice problems forced a large expenditure, Schwarzen explained.

Flooding is another concern after a big snowfall, and the biggest cause of flooding afterward is debris blocking storm drains.

"As soon as that snow on the road melts, we turn from plowing the roads to clearing debris that is on the side of the road. We also ask residents very early on 'hey, when you are able to get safely out and you're shoveling your sidewalk, take a look at that storm drain that's outside your driveway and make sure the water can run off'," said Schwarzen.

For rivers to flood there has to be a sustained rainfall for a period of weeks and right now the river levels are low, so Schwarzen says there is not much to worry about there.

The weight of the snow and ice is another potential after-the-storm danger that is sometimes overlooked.

A Snohomish County press release urges homeowners of flat-topped structures like mobile homes, car ports or boat marines to safely remove snow and water from roofs to prevent structure collapses.

Trees can be weakened and a greater threat to fall after carrying too much snow and ice as well.

"If the snow's too heavy it'll snap limbs and they'll drop and hit roads, trees, or knockout power lines. But when the weather turns warm again that ground that was hard and frozen gets oversaturated and soft, so trees that were damaged from ice that didn't go over have the potential to be uprooted and fall," said Schwarzen.

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