Storm Leaves Region’S Highways Covered Motorists Slip And Slide On Roads Saturday

A storm that dumped another 5 inches of snow on the Inland Northwest left highways and roads across the region covered with compact snow and ice Saturday.

More snow or rain was expected overnight.

Motorists slipped and slid on the roads Saturday, though Idaho State Police reported no serious injuries from accidents.

With the recent snowfall, Coeur d’Alene has an accumulation of 10 inches on the ground, according to the National Weather Service. Kellogg reported accumulations of 9 inches.

Snow began falling again Saturday night, and winds of 15 to 25 mph were expected overnight, along with the possibility of rain.

“We could get some frozen precipitation,” said Tracy Cox of the weather service.

Highs today are expected to be in the 20s, but it will be mostly dry.

“It’s a good day to go out and finish any Christmas shopping,” Cox said.

Street crews worked around the clock to keep roads clear. Across the border, Spokane street crews struggled to keep up.

Spokane’s street department finished clearing the arterials Friday night, only to have to do it all over again Saturday after the snowstorm, said Terry Thompson, street department supervisor.

Downtown Spokane, however, was a slushy mess Saturday afternoon.

City crews normally use a chemical to melt the snow downtown. But because of “too much snow and a shortage of personnel,” crews planned to plow downtown streets Saturday night, Thompson said.

Across the region, winds caused drifting in several areas. Spokane County crews plowed, sanded and de-iced main roads and arterials. They also worked on hillside residential areas.

Interstate 90 and major roads including Highway 2 to Newport and Highway 195 to Pullman were bare and icy with compact snow in some spots. Hazardous road conditions caused several fender-benders and left several vehicles in ditches or on the side of the road.

The National Weather Service was expecting a cold front Saturday evening, which meant a continued chance of snow showers overnight. The bad news was, it came with the possibility of freezing rain.

“It’s not a serious storm,” meteorologist Charles Ross said, “but it could slicken things up.”

This week’s storms brought snow accumulation for the season to about 17 inches as of midnight Friday. With temperatures below freezing this month, little of the snow has melted, Ross said.

This may seem like a lot of snow, especially compared to the mild winters of the past three years, but this season’s total is nowhere near the 35 inches that fell from November to mid-December in 1996.

Although another snowstorm is expected Monday night, the rest of the week “looks tamer compared to this week’s weather,” Ross said. The next snowstorm after Monday’s isn’t expected until next weekend.

Chances are, Ross said, “we’re headed toward a white Christmas.”