Snow in brief
Avalanche centers in the West issued warnings Tuesday as new storms lined up following a system that buried many areas in heavy snow. A search was under way Tuesday for three snowmobilers missing in the Colorado mountains. Heavy snow Monday pummeled mountain areas from Washington to northern Arizona as two storms converged, one from hard-hit California and another from the Gulf of Alaska, meteorologists said.
“It’s very unusual,” said Doug Abromeit, director of the U.S. Forest Service’s National Avalanche Center in the central Idaho town of Ketchum. “Typically the storm is not this widespread.”
Interstate 90 at Snoqualmie Pass was closed Tuesday because of high avalanche danger.
The freeway was expected to remain closed at least until early today, possibly longer.
Three snowmobilers have been missing since Sunday in the mountains of Colorado’s Summit County, west of Denver.
Boy pulled from shed
A 10-year-old boy escaped serious injury after the shed he was playing in collapsed under the weight of snow Tuesday evening in Rathdrum.
A neighbor pulled the boy from the metal shed before emergency crews reached the scene, in a mobile home park at 5725 W. Highway 53 near Meyer Road.
The boy had a minor foot injury but didn’t seek medical treatment, said Lt. Pat Riley, of the Northern Lakes Fire District.
Riley estimated the shed had more than 2 feet of snow on its roof.
Curb your CdA garbage
Waste Management workers Tuesday left notice for some Coeur d’Alene residents to move garbage and recycling bins to their front curbs.
About 20 percent of the city’s customers leave their bins in alleys to be emptied, but trucks can’t navigate alleyways because of the snow.
Waste Management District Manager Steve Roberge said residents should put the receptacles where workers can easily access them.
Keep snow out of streets
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office is asking residents and businesses not to push snow into public streets.
Doing so could bring disorderly conduct charges, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
“While we sympathize with the amount of snow that property owners have to deal with this year, their solution can’t be to dump it on public streets,” Sgt. Martin O’Leary said in a news release.
Deputies responded to at least two calls Tuesday in which snow had been pushed into roadways and was obstructing traffic, according to the release.
Snow affects STA service
Spokane Transit Authority is warning riders that buses may not be able to make some stops on hilly terrain and that some routes may be adjusted to respond to traffic concerns and road closures.
Delays of 20 to 30 minutes are possible, according to a news release. Buses will be added to routes as resources allow.
Paratransit services are still running, but STA encourages riders who cancel their plans to notify STA as soon as possible to help free resources for others.
If weather conditions continue to deteriorate, STA may be forced to implement additional measures, according to the release.
Go to www.spokanetransit.com for updates.