Snow, Sleet Give Travelers The Slip Airport Suffers Ripple Effect Of Midwest Storm; More Snow Predicted

Freezing rain and cooling temperatures will continue to hamper travelers on the roads and in the air as a winter storm moves into the area this week.

On Monday, travelers battled a treacherous mix of sleet, snow and freezing rain, which caused dozens of accidents on area roadways. No one was seriously injured.

Early in the day, passengers at Spokane International Airport were on edge as chain-reaction flight delays and cancellations slowed travel across the country.

The delays were caused by storms that dumped as much as 22 inches of snow on parts of the Middle West over the weekend. Rain and freezing temperatures from Missouri to the Eastern seaboard made travel a nightmare.

While only 0.11 inch of precipitation fell Monday at the Spokane airport, the Inland Northwest is bracing for a nasty winter storm of its own this week.

Computer forecast models are calling for snowfall on Wednesday night and Thursday morning followed by a risk of arctic cold by the end of the week, said National Weather Service forecaster Robin Fox.

Nighttime lows probably will drop into the teens. Snow showers are expected off and on for the next several days.

The mix of sleet, snow and freezing rain around the area Monday was caused by a pocket of milder air about 3,000 feet above the ground.

The National Weather Service in Spokane reported a temperature of 33 to 34 degrees at an elevation of about 5,000 feet, which allowed the precipitation to melt and then refreeze on the ground.

The worst of the cold air is expected to drift out of the Yukon into Montana and the central U.S. Only part of the frigid mass of air should penetrate the Rocky Mountains and sweep into the Inland Northwest.

And while declining temperatures will quickly turn Monday’s sleet into snow, local law enforcement officers are warning of hazardous travel and Spokane International Airport spokesman Todd Woodard reminds air travelers to check in early and often.

“The smartest thing they can do is plan ahead and stay in touch with the air carriers,” he said.

WHOM TO CALL Travelers can call the following numbers for flight and road condition information: Air Canada: (800) 488-1800; Alaska Airlines: (800) 426-0333; Big Sky Airlines: (800) 237-7788; Delta: (800) 221-1212; Horizon Air: (800) 547-9308; Northwest: (800) 225-2525; Southwest: (800) 435-9792; United: (800) 241-6522. Idaho road conditions: (888) IDA-ROAD; Washington: (800) 695-ROAD; Montana: (406) 728-8553.