The Pacific Northwest is reeling from record-setting snow Thursday, as a winter storm dumped more than a foot of snow on the region and packed winds of 100 miles an hour.

Schools from Oregon to Seattle closed, and driving was often treacherous at best. In Seattle, some 50 city buses were unable to navigate the slushy roads.

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn said the city can only do so much to alleviate the problem.

"We have a certain number of snow plows and salt spreaders," McGinn said. "They've been going out and hitting the priority routes."

"You know we're not Chicago or Buffalo with hundreds of plows," he added. "So we focus on the priority routes, and we have very close communication with metro as well."

On Washington's I-5, state crews had a hard time keeping up with the falling snow. News photographers found numerous cars spinning and sliding off the interstate.

The storm also brought the first snow of the season to Boise, Idaho.

"I kind of wanted to hole up in the house, but that wasn't really an option," one Boise motorist said. "I only got stuck once and a good Samaritan and my husband helped me out."

"I must be out of my mind for standing here doing this because the wind is blowing pretty hard," she said. "You know, we all got bills to pay. No matter how cold it is, we all got bills to pay."

The storm forced many to think outside the box, like one bus commuter turned unicyclist.

Though many of Seattle's hilly streets were drivable, they became a winter playground for the young at heart.

Meanwhile, forecasters predict the city's crazy weather is not over yet.

The National Weather Service says another storm expected Friday could cause flooding.