Snow, ice cause slick roads, delayed flights, tardy school buses
Snow is making roads slick Monday morning in most parts of the Inland Northwest, but moderating daytime temperatures is turning a lot of it to slush
Roads and passes
The City of Spokane said it has 12 deicers and a sand truck working arterials, hills, emergency and STA bus routes this morning.
Spokane County crews working in shifts completed plowing of main arterials and secondary arterials and were focusing efforts Monday on known icy spots, including intersections that are slippery.
“The big push today is secondary arterials,” said Martha Lou Wheatley-Billeter.
The county had crews of about two dozen drivers over the weekend. The group is planning to undertake a full residential street plowing, starting first with hilly areas.
Wheatley-Billeter said the crews are hurrying to beat the arctic freeze expected this week, which is “almost like trying to plow a glacier.”
County crews were applying a mix of sand and dry deicer in icy spots, some of which were reported to road crews by sheriff’s deputies on patrol, county officials said.
Spokane Valley crews made their way across major thoroughfares and were concentrating on remaining arterials and hilly residential areas. A full residential plow is undertaken only when conditions warrant it.
In Coeur d’Alene, crews worked 12-hour shifts over the weekend and plowed all streets, including residential streets, within the city’s goal of getting the work done in 30 hours.
Crews were starting a second plowing of all streets on Monday.
In Post Falls, crews were expected to finish plowing streets by noon on Sunday.
Spokane Valley crews were still working on clearing snow and ice there.
Mountain passes are slick this morning. Chains are required on Stevens and White passes. Snoqualmie Pass on Interstatte 90 was requiring traction tires for a combination of snow, slush and ice.
Snow tires are advised for Sherman Pass, and oversized vehicles were prohibited.
In North Idaho, Lookout Pass on I-90 was snowy with very slick conditions, according to the Idaho Transportation Department.
Slush was reported on Fourth of July Pass on I-90.
At lower elevations, slush was reported on I-90. U.S. Highway 95 south of Coeur d’Alene had packed snow in patches.
Electricity
Electrical power was not being interrupted. Avista Utilitlies had a handful of outages while Inland Power and Light Co. had no outages.
Kootenai Electric Cooperative in North Idaho also had no outages Monday morning.
Flights
Some flights from from Portland to Spokane International Airport have been cancelled this morning. Some flights from Spokane to Portland and to Boise have been delayed or cancelled.
Seattle-Tacoma Airport is reporting numerous delays and some cancellations.
Schools
Spokane Public Schools elementary school students who take the bus will be picked up 30 minutes late this morning. Pickup for middle school students has been delayed by an hour.
The district said slippery roads were to blame.
Although students who take the bus will be late, Spokane schools will start on time. The district said high school and Odyssey students will be picked up at their normal time.
Meanwhile, some Whitman County school districts announced two-hour delays. They are: Pullman, Garfield-Palouse and Steptoe.
In Idaho, the Kellogg School District announced it would close today.
Later this week
It’s about to get cold, with overnight temperatures dipping close to zero.
The forecasted low in Spokane is around 6 degrees Monday night and 4 degrees on Tuesday night.
Forecast models are showing a chance of more snow on Thursday, but the main brunt of storm energy is expected to go to the south of the Spokane area.
Mountain Snowpack
Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park reported 8.5 inches of fresh snow over the weekend with 35 inches of snow at the summit.
Schweitzer Mountain Resort had 44 inches of snow on top and 24 inches on the lower slopes.
Lookout Pass had 44 inches of new snow over the weekend with 84 inches now piled up at the summit.
Silver Mountain Resort had 22 inches of new snow over the weekend with a total of 40 inches at Kellogg Peak.
49 Degrees North resort had only about 5 inches of new snow, but is reporting a summit depth of 36 inches.
Elsewhere
Winter weather swept into many parts of the nation over the weekend.
Driving Tips
Experts said to slow down and anticipate stopping or turning well in advance.
Driving like a granny is the safest way to proceed.
Going under the speed limit by at least 5 mph on arterials and probably 10 to 20 mph on the freeway is smart.
Do not follow closely or unsafely pass plow and deicer trucks.
Make sure your vehicle is ready for snow and cold with traction devices, extra clothing, extra food, extra water, a flashlight, charged cell phone, flares or other emergency markerts, ice scraper, snow brush, etc.
Car batteries are prone to dying in the cold. Also, make sure antifreeze levels are adequate.
Proper tire inflation is important for good traction.
All-wheel and four-wheel drive vehicles may get good traction, but they don’t stop any faster than regular driving vehicles.
Allow extra stopping distance.
Cold weather tips
Make sure your home is sufficiently weatherized.
Old pipes near exterior walls and foundations are prone to freezing. Keep a cupboard door open and allow a light thin stream of water to flow overnight when temperatures approach single digits.
Frozen pipes may be thawed with a hair dryer. Never use a propane torch to thaw icy pipes. That has been the cause of fires over the years.
Make sure pets and outdoor animals have fresh, ice-free water.
Be sure to have emergency supplies such as flashlights, batteries, a battery-operated weather radio, extra food, extra water. Consider what you would need if the home’s electrical supply is cut.
Also, do not use solid or liquid fuel heaters in an enclosed living space. Carbon monoxide can build up and is potentially fatal.