Windy weather hits Spokane

High winds caused some problems around Spokane this evening. A cold front sweeping Eastern Washington this afternoon caused windy conditions in the Spokane area, with gusts reaching 52 miles per hour. In Coeur d’Alene gusts reached 43 miles per hour. As of 6 p.m., Avista was reporting outages around the area, including 665 on Spokane’s South Hill and 124 near Spokane Valley. Low-hanging power lines completely blocked Highway 195 near Hatch Road for about an hour, according to the Washington State Patrol. The road has since been cleared. Much colder air is expected to surge in after the cold front; Saturday’s low is forecast at 31 degrees and temperatures could drop to the upper-20s Monday. Rain and/or snow are expected tonight, Saturday, and Saturday night, but little to no accumulation is expected. A winter storm warning has been issued for Idaho’s Panhandle mountains. A strong cold front moving into North Idaho is expected to bring moderate snows in the mountains and windy conditions and could make travel difficult.