Spokane7
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November 22, 2010 in City, Idaho
Blizzard warning issued for Spokane region
Christopher Mingeaud, left, struggles to get his son, Benjamin Mingeaud, 3, up a small sledding hill Monday, Nov. 22, 2010, at Manito Park. Mingeaud runs a lawn care business and took a break from snowblowing to take Benjamin sledding in the new layer of snow.
(Full-size photo)(All photos)
A blizzard warning has been issued for the Spokane region.
The National Weather Service originally predicted severe winter weather would hit the region starting at 7 p.m. and continuing until 10 a.m. Tuesday. The agency later bumped up the warning to start at 2:55 p.m. today.
New snowfall during the storm will measure 3 to 6 inches, the agency forecasts. Brisk north wind up to 25 mph will accompany the snowfall after 7 p.m.
Some gusts near Sandpoint, Bonners Ferry and Omak could reach 40 mph.
At 2:20 p.m. today, the Washington State Department of Transportation said it closed Interstate 90 eastbound 5 miles west of the Cascades summit due to severe weather and multiple spun-out vehicles and collisions. The agency and the Washington State Police are working to clear the roadway.
The closure is at milepost 47 near Denny Creek.
The blizzard warning applies to the Upper Columbia Basin, including Spokane, Ritzville, Grand Coulee, Odessa, Wilbur, Cheney, Davenport and Rockford. A map on the National Weather Service website shows the blizzard warning extending south to Pullman, north to the Canadian border and east into the Idaho Panhandle.
Road conditions will be icy with reduced visibility, the Weather Service cautioned. High profile vehicles may have trouble negotiating slick highways against the wind.
Although snowfall is expected to taper off Tuesday morning, increasing winds will likely lead to areas of blowing and drifting snow.
Snowfall totals for Monday and Tuesday are expected to be 6.2 inches in Spokane, 5.9 inches for Coeur d’Alene, 1.6 inches for Colville, 6.4 inches for Pullman and 4.0 inches for Ritzville.
Snow cover may shield young winter wheat from damage, and it may help protect ornamental garden plants that are sensitive to below-zero temperatures and wind.
A new snow storm is being forecast for Thursday evening into the weekend. “This frontal system is going to attack our region in two phases,” said forecaster Greg Koch. Snow would initially fall Thanksgiving night and again on Friday night and Saturday.
Even more snow is likely next week as December arrives, Koch said.
A deep low pressure area was forming along the Washington coast today beneath a sharp curve in the jet stream, which is flowing out of Alaska and Canada. The surface low which is producing the snow is expected to migrate along the Oregon-Washington border tonight, creating a strong pressure gradient between the low and arctic cold air moving southward with unusually high air pressure.
As the low moves to the south and east, it will draw cold arctic air behind it. Lows should reach the single digits tonight and then drop to below zero on Tuesday night.
Temperatures will begin to moderate on Wednesday night and Thursday, but still remain in the single digits and teens.
Wind chill tonight could reach minus-12, forecasters said.
Man dies following early Saturday accident 
spokanecougar on November 22 at 9:52 a.m.
LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IS SNOW!!!!
I LOVE IT!!!
I hope this winter is like two and three years ago, last winter SUCKED!
libmark on November 22 at 11:34 a.m.
Yay! Bring it on — I’ve been waiting so patiently to start complaining about the weather.
Charlie on November 22 at 1:52 p.m.
Just put a new spark plug in the snow blower, I’m ready.
andjusticeforall on November 22 at 1:54 p.m.
WOOOOHOOOOO! I LOVE THE SNOW!! SPO COUGAR IS RIGHT!
LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(but drive safe you crazy spo drivers haha)
hcamper on November 22 at 2:04 p.m.
But keep in mind this region has some of the worst weather forecasters ever. 2 years ago we received 3 feet when the forecast was for 3 inches. Better safe than sorry, I know. I’d be happy with a nice, moderate winter with a white Christmas.
johnclarke on November 22 at 2:23 p.m.
clearly those forecasters are liberals. We can’t do anything right.
Be safe out there people !
Loudin on November 22 at 2:52 p.m.
More snow for tomorrow! Woo-hoo! I didn’t have anything planned, but if the kids are home from school, we get to play “The Shining!” Okay, no…I won’t axe-murder the family. However, I most likely will be running my snowblower while smiting the clouds w/my fist.
Loudin
PS (for local <30 something males): It’s still (STILL) not cool to wear a parka w/jorts when it’s 20F. Man up and put some pants on, idiots.
Teseract on November 22 at 2:56 p.m.
Everyone check their antifreeze in their cars. -3 to -8 degrees is enough to freeze coolant in your car if the antifreeze mix is weak. Unless you like destroying your engine and your radiator. :)
MrNatural on November 22 at 3:11 p.m.
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/
Hey All…give this link a look…
misjustice on November 22 at 3:20 p.m.
NOAA rocks, Mr. Natch!
; )
Aren’t these conditions, snow cell mixed with subzero temps, eerily similar to the ones that produced the Big Dig?
MrNatural on November 22 at 3:26 p.m.
…now that you mention it mj…yeah. The forecast discussion is looking for periods of snow long into next week as well and not enough warm up to melt accumulations…guess I’ll be wearin my mukluks to see Harry Potter…
Teseract on November 22 at 3:31 p.m.
I just walked out to move my truck to a closer parking garage, and it’s very cold and ominous out. It reminds me of “The Shining” just as it started to snow…
west on November 22 at 4:05 p.m.
cool….blizzard! Just like Montana gets all the time…we don’t have that bad of weather, wind chills etc..Great Falls MT has 13 inches of snow on ground now and -20 tonite with windchill pusing -40. No biggy over there, schools are all open etc.. we just are not that tough, I guess in Spokane.
misjustice on November 22 at 4:38 p.m.
I just came in from tucking in the Benz and the wind is blowing in from the east, carrying with it sneet, and the cold is sagging down from the north. I think we’re in for an old fashioned noreaster!
So glad that I got the first batch of snow cleared away today.
Batten the hatches, folks!
: 0
dukkandpooh on November 22 at 5:01 p.m.
Now if I could just win that last snowblower from Tom Sherry! LOL
hawken on November 22 at 5:53 p.m.
I just came in from plowing 5 inches with my 99 Jeep Wrangler…
Then I “tucked in” my Dodge 1 ton pickup… 2010 Motor Trend “Truck of the Year”,,,, unanimous.
Both made in America.
I did leave the snow plow hooked up to the Jeep…. more coming they say….
Albert on November 22 at 6:03 p.m.
I just came in and from plowing 5 inches of snow with my Yugo and the snow shovel tied to the front of it. Then I securely tucked in my Edsel just to be sure. I did leave the snow shovel tied to the front of the Yugo.
zelda on November 22 at 6:07 p.m.
Let’s hear it for my favorite weather forecaster at the Spokane NWS — Fugazzi! Pelatti is good, too. http://www.wunderground.com/DisplayDisc.asp?DiscussionCode=OTX&StateCode=WA&SafeCityName=Spokane
Kris Crocker is the best on local TV.
hawken on November 22 at 6:12 p.m.
The snow shovel might work better if you take off your Yugo.
I’m thinking that it must be difficult to keep it in contact with the ground, without any hydraulics.
As for the Edsel…. that things built like a tank!
hawken on November 22 at 6:14 p.m.
Can one even hook up a snow plow to a “Benz?”
misjustice on November 22 at 6:32 p.m.
People that own a Benz would never desecrate that fine German engineering by “hooking” up a plow to it. Well, maybe in North Idaho but NIMBY! Besides that, there are other means available to clear snow…such as squires with snow blowers as their trusty steeds.
@ Albert, you made me chortle! Snort and outright laugh, even…thanks!
hawken on November 22 at 6:37 p.m.
Should be people “whom” own a Benz… “That” refers to an object… “Whom” refers to a person.
As for Northern Idaho…. I wouldn’t know…. I live in Spokane County… where I just plowed 5 inches of snow with my Jeep.
hawken on November 22 at 7:28 p.m.
The “self proclaimed enlightened”,,,, “the self proclaimed educated”,,,, “the self proclaimed elite”,,,, “the liberal left”,,,,
…”whom” don’t even understand basic, High School English 101?
The liberal left that so many follow?
No wonder that we’re in the trouble we’re in as a Republic!
Ed Byrnes on November 22 at 8:33 p.m.
First and foremost be careful out there, frostbite…well it bites :-)
Now…YIPPEEEEE!!!!!
My Utah friends have been skiing steep and deeps around Alta for a couple of weeks and the wind blowing snow in town tonight brought back so many fond memories of fine powder days there, and here for that matter. The Inland Northwest has the powder without the crowds so don’t tell anyone how great it is here :-)
Last season was fine if you were willing to hike and knew where to hike to, though I must say I am really excited about how this winter is already shaping up.
Two words of caution if you like to ski or ride the powder in the trees: (1) don’t do it alone because tree wells are basically like partially hidden holes that can suck you over your head in deep snow (and you could go head first into one), and (2) one way to avoid these is to avoid cutting your turns too close to a tree. We actually lose more skiers and riders to tree wells than we do to avalanches around here.
If you go into the back country dig a snow pit, especially up in the Bitteroot Mountains, there was just enough melt-freeze action before this storm system arrived to create a deeply hidden crust covering some sugary temperature gradient snow, so if a slab does break it will probably break deep. If you can easily break free a slab of snow with your shovel in the pit try to imagine what that slab would do to you if it were say 40’ wide and 50’ long.
Enough lecturing, go play safe and happy Thanksgiving.
Ed
misjustice on November 22 at 8:48 p.m.
@ ebyrnes; with this added snow it’s going to be a great kick off to the ski season this Thanksgiving holiday! Shred ‘em!
; )
Utah and Colorado are currently under blizzard conditions also!
IamMennace on November 23 at 2:20 a.m.
As I sit here in shorts & t-shirt burning the midnite oil, I take a moment to reflect on winters past when I was a child and had to endure snow, ice, and freezing temps in Spokane. Boy, I sure am glad it’s you and not me plowing snow. Good Luck with that mess.
Mennace