Winter Slips Back Into Region, Surprising Drivers Sudden Storm Makes Roads Hazardous; Power Lost In Mead

Motorists slid, crashed and abandoned their cars on slippery roads all over North Idaho and Eastern Washington on Saturday night.

“You’d think it was the first snow of the winter instead of the last,” said Laurie Madden, a dispatcher in Bonners Ferry, who reported seven minor accidents during the day.

Idaho State Police troopers reported several cars sliding off the road and a “ton of abandoned vehicles,” one dispatcher said.

“They just leave,” he said of the motorists. It’s happening “everywhere. You name it, wherever there is snow or slick roads.”

One car smashed into the median on Interstate 90 at the Port of Entry, the Idaho State Police reported. The driver, whose name was not available, was arrested for driving while intoxicated.

The ISP closed Lookout Pass at 8:30 p.m. Kootenai, Benewah and Bonner County dispatchers also reported cars sliding off roads, starting about 5 p.m.

The National Weather Service reported snow and rain began in North Idaho about 3 p.m. Snow began falling about 5 p.m. in Spokane at the Spokane International Airport.

About 2,000 people in Mead, north of Spokane, lost power at 8:42 p.m. when downed trees hit power lines, said Kelly Conley, a spokesperson for Washington Water Power. Power was restored at 10:16, Conley said.

In Washington, four people were taken to the hospital about 7:30 p.m. when a van rolled off the road on U.S. Highway 195 south of Spangle. Three or four other cars smashed into the van, WSP reported.