Heavy snow falls on Inland NW mountains

A winter storm warning for the mountains of North Idaho this morning was allowed to lapse as the first major snowfall of the season began to taper off. The winter storm warning had been in effect this for Shoshone and eastern portions of Kootenai, Benewah and Latah counties in North Idaho above 3,500 feet. Transportation Department cameras at Lookout and Fourth of July passes on Interstate 90 showed snowfall this morning. The National Weather Service said mountain areas by early today had received up to 19 inches of snow, including a site 11 miles east-northeast of Hope. Sixteen inches of snow was reported near Clarkia in Shoshone County and 11 inches was reported near Tiger in Pend Oreille County. Snow showers were expected to continue in the mountains throughout the day. Snoqualmie Pass in Washington was mostly bare and wet this morning. Washington’s Department of Transportation on Monday moved up the date for allowing studded tires by one week. Idaho and Montana allow studs starting on Oct. 1. In the valleys of Spokane and Kootenai counties, forecasters are calling for a high today of 45 degrees with a 40 percent chance of showers under cloudy skies. Breezy winds from Sunday and Monday are continuing with gusts today to 23 mph. Gusts to 39 mph were recorded at Spokane International Airport on Monday. A break from the stormy weather over the past several days is expected on Wednesday before more rain arrives in valley areas on Thursday. A large low pressure area has set up just off the coast of the western U.S. A new storm system is expected to drop southward into California and Nevada this week, leaving the Inland Northwest in a calmer weather pattern for the next few days. At 7 a.m., it was 36 at Spokane International Airport, 38 at Felts Field, 37 in Coeur d’Alene and Deer Park and 38 in Pullman.