In brief: Heavy winds forecast for region

A high-wind warning was in effect Thursday night throughout the region, and authorities warned motorists that wind-blown rain or snow could make driving hazardous.

Some snow fell Thursday afternoon at Fairchild Air Force Base, but Spokane and most of northeastern Washington got rain.

It was a different story in North Idaho. By 4 p.m., Idaho State Police troopers were responding to numerous crashes in Bonner and Boundary counties. Heavy snowfall was making roads slick, and whiteout conditions compounded the problem, officers said.

Spokane air travelers experienced delays, and at least four flights were canceled because of heavy weather in Portland, where airlines were temporarily grounded Thursday night, and in Seattle. Spokane International Airport spokesman Todd Woodard said some small cargo aircraft bound for Portland or Seattle diverted to Spokane.

The National Weather Service issued a high-wind warning for Eastern Washington and North Idaho, starting at 7 p.m. and continuing through 10 a.m. today. Meteorologists said sustained southwest winds of 40 mph and gusts up to 60 mph – enough to cause property damage – were likely.

The same storm was expected to bring up to 14 inches of snow at elevations above 3,500 feet and perhaps 1 to 3 inches at lower elevations.

BOISE

Infection may be duck deaths cause

Officials still don’t know why as many as 2,500 mallards have died in a bizarre cluster along a southeastern Idaho creek bed, but preliminary test results indicate a bacterial or fungal infection could be to blame, a state game official said late Thursday.

More tests are now planned on water and grain, said David Parrish, supervisor for the Magic Valley region of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

“We have some preliminary results,” he said in a telephone interview. “It could be some type of bacterial infection or a fungal-related infection. But we haven’t confirmed that for sure.”

The ducks mysteriously began dying last week around Land Springs Creek, near the remote town of Oakley, about 180 miles southeast of Boise. On Thursday, state workers cleared the last remaining duck carcasses from the area in pickup trucks. They brought the bodies to a nearby incineration site.

COOPER SPUR, Ore.

Weather slows Mount Hood search

Rescue workers searching for three lost climbers on Mount Hood, Oregon’s highest peak, braved a fierce storm that packed yet more snow and 80 mph winds on Thursday. And they were once again foiled in their efforts to find the men.

An attempt to use small, unmanned planes carrying devices that can detect body heat was stymied when lenses fogged up.

The flights reached about 6,500 feet, 500 feet above a staging area set up by rescuers, said John Blitch, leader of the Colorado nonprofit group Aracar that provided the planes. The planes will be kept outside to acclimate them for a later attempt, he said.

Blizzard conditions smacked against the mountain on Thursday. The National Weather Service said winds at the 9,000-foot level reached 60 to 80 mph.

Some rescue workers planned to remain at camp in hopes that the weather would break, allowing them to reach the summit of the 11,239-foot mountain. One climber is believed to be holed up in a snow cave near the top, and the other two are thought to have tried to descend for help.

Also Thursday, authorities said a cell phone belonging to the climber believed to be in the snow cave was on briefly as recently as Tuesday. But for more than two days the phone has not responded to engineers’ signals, sent every five minutes.

Compiled from staff

and wire reports