As Bitter Cold Exits, Drivers Could Face Hazardous Roads

Wed., Dec. 23, 1998

By Mike Prager mikeprager15@gmail.com (509) 459-5454

The National Weather Service is calling for snow and ice over the Christmas holiday weekend in the Inland Northwest.

Driving conditions will be dicey throughout much of Washington, Idaho and Oregon, forecasters said.

At least two waves of Pacific moisture are expected to stream ashore and slowly scour out the arctic cold gripping the region.

The first wave late Thursday should bring light amounts of snow to Eastern Washington and North Idaho, forecaster Robin Fox said.

“I think there’s a better than 50 percent chance we’ll have a white Christmas,” she said.

A second wave of milder air is expected to dissipate what’s left of the ground-hugging cold, but not before a possible spell of freezing rain late Friday and Saturday.

Then on Sunday, a Pacific cold front should turn any lingering precipitation back to snow.

For motorists, the smartest move might be to travel early Thursday and again on Sunday when snowfall is expected to subside, forecasters said.

There’s a chance of heavy snowfall initially in the Cascade Mountains and the southeastern slopes.

How much snow will fall in the Spokane region remains iffy. Forecasters are waiting for new computer forecasts today to pinpoint the timing of the storms.

Fox said she expects mountain passes to remain open during the holiday weekend.

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