Downpours wash out two Spokane County roads

Two rural roads in northwest Spokane County were closed overnight as the result of damage caused by thunderstorms that stalled near a range of hills just north of the Little Spokane River. Spokane County officials today said that Hazard Road from Austin Road to Bernill Road and Ballard Road from Austin Road to Hazard Road will be closed until repairs can be made. County crews spent Monday night and early Tuesday cleaning up debris left from the storms, but the damage to the closed roads was much more severe, said Martha Lou Wheatley-Billeter, county spokeswoman. Thunder clouds can gather and intensify around mountain peaks, and nearby Lookout Mountain rises to 3,114 feet. Thunderstorms that began on Monday evening brought varied rainfall amounts to the region. Five inches of rain fell at Hayden, Idaho, which was the greatest amount reported in the region, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters earlier on Monday issued a flood watch and then flood warnings for parts of the region. They said the slow-moving nature of the storms would allow heavy rain to accumulate and cause flooding. Two inches of rain were reported at the Coeur d’Alene Airport, and about an inch of rain fell in Deer Park. By comparison, Spokane International Airport had only 0.06 inches of rain.