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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Winter storm warning in effect until 4 a.m. Tuesday

“I told him I’d take him to the dog park today,” said Miri Halliday of Post Falls about her dog Dozer at SCRAPS Dog Park in Stateline on Monday. (Kathy Plonka / The Spokesman-Review)

Another inch or two of additional snow may fall Tuesday night on the first official full day of winter.

The December solstice arrived Monday evening, bringing an end to a wintry late autumn period.

Monday’s winter storm dropped 4.7 inches of new snow at the National Weather Service’s office on the West Plains by 6 p.m.

A winter storm warning on Monday was set to expire at 4 a.m. Tuesday.

The next storm, which is expected to bring 2 to 3 inches of snow in the Spokane area, will arrive around 10 p.m. Tuesday, said Bob Tobin, National Weather Service meteorologist.

So far this fall and winter, Spokane has received 15.3 inches of snow, just shy of the 17.6 inches of snow that fell during the entire season a year ago.

Some major roadways in the Spokane urban area stayed bare and wet through much of Monday but gained a layer of slush during the evening commute. It caused snarls in some places, including Grand Boulevard, where many cars struggled to gain traction just before 5 p.m.

Spokane city officials declared a stage 1 snow event, which means that plowing will be done on all arterials, hills and bus routes. Vehicle owners need to move their cars out of the way of plows by 10 p.m. In residential hill areas, vehicles can be moved to the side of the street with addresses ending in odd numbers.

Sidewalks must be clear of snow in 24 hours.

Spokane County road crews have been working around the clock, concentrating on county priority 1 roadways. All county trucks and plows were being used.

Snoqualmie Pass on Interstate 90 was closed to eastbound traffic Monday afternoon due to heavy snow and collisions but reopened later.

Then, the pass was closed in both directions around nightfall to allow for avalanche control.

Travel conditions were good during the day on Monday on Lookout and Fourth of July passes in North Idaho. Lookout Pass had a layer of slush but good traction.

Snowfall rates are expected to ease on Wednesday and Thursday, when showers could bring light accumulations, forecasters said.

A relatively dry period is expected on Friday and Saturday along with cold overnight temperatures of 4 degrees on Friday night and 10 degrees on Saturday night.

Mountain snowpacks are continuing to receive heavy snow, helping reverse the drought from earlier in the year that was caused, in part, by a lack of mountain snowpack last spring.

A late afternoon report from Mount Spokane showed that 15 inches of new snow fell in the previous 24 hours and 21.5 inches of snow fell in 48 hours.

A resident living near Loon Lake reported 9 inches of new snow Monday morning with more falling through the day. Newport, Washington; Rathdrum and Hayden had reports of 6 inches of new snow on Monday morning.

The city of Spokane had 53 pieces of equipment working to remove snow on Monday.

Travelers likely will experience continued slippery roads until later on Thursday when the chance of additional snow drops to 20 percent.

Drier conditions are expected on Christmas through the weekend, but Sunday could bring another winter storm.