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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

More snow coming, before a turn to rain

While a small band of snow did sweep over Spokane early Tuesday morning, meteorologists say its just the first leg of a two-pronged attack.

Later in the morning, around 10 or 11 a.m., the National Weather Service predicts as much as 1 to 3 inches of snow accumulation in areas near downtown Spokane, and possibly more than 3 inches on the South Hill and West Plains. That’s a far cry from the less half an inch Spokane residents woke up to before starting their morning commute.

“It’s just the beginning of what we’re expecting today,” said Weather Service meteorologist Greg Koch at the Airway Heights office. “There is another more significant band in the Columbia Basin that will arrive in Spokane.”

Not to fret, however. Koch said it will warm after the snow falls, bringing with it strong gusts of wind in the late afternoon that will push temperatures into the upper 30s and lower 40s. With that, the snow will melt and a switch to rain in the afternoon.

“That usually eats up the snow pretty quickly,” Koch said.

By the morning commute Tuesday, some snow and ice hung around on residential roads, while arterials were mostly bare and wet. The City of Spokane Twitter account reported at about 6:30 a.m. that snow plows were out on arterials and school routes city wide, focusing on deicing and sanding where needed.

On Interstate 90, Washington State Department of Transportation traffic cameras showed freeway lanes showed no snow accumulation on the freeway, only standing water.

Still, the small storm did lead to some setbacks. The Lind-Ritzville, Freeman, Washtucna and Royal School Districts all reported a two-hour delay Tuesday morning. Spokane Public Schools and Spokane Valley school districts were running on time.

This story is developing.