Storm may help odds for white Christmas

Fri., Dec. 24, 2004

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

The chances for a white Christmas are improving, thanks to a low-pressure area that intensified in the Bering Sea in the past couple of days that’s pushing a potential snowstorm toward the Northwest.

“It’s on its way south,” Todd Lericos, forecaster for the National Weather Service in Spokane, said Thursday.

The storm had reached northern British Columbia by Thursday afternoon, but was expected to stall over northern Washington on Saturday.

As much as an inch of snow is forecast for the Coeur d’Alene area and 1 to 3 inches of snow is expected in the lower elevations from Deer Park northward. The mountains of North Idaho and Eastern Washington could see 5 inches of snow, including at Lookout Pass on Interstate 90, Lericos said. Lesser amounts, or no snow at all, are predicted in areas south of Spokane.

Snow is also expected in the Cascades, and could hinder travelers Saturday and Sunday, Lericos said.

Thursday’s forecast was a change from the outlook earlier in the week, when it appeared there was only a small chance of snow on Saturday night and Sunday. Lericos on Thursday increased the chance of snow to 55 percent in Spokane and 60 percent in Coeur d’Alene during the day on Saturday.

Temperatures throughout the weekend are expected to run from about 30 degrees today to 35 on Sunday in the Spokane area, with overnight lows only a few degrees cooler because of widespread cloud cover that will reduce nighttime cooling.

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