After weekend snow closed roads, Inland Northwest now bracing for cold snap
Coming on the heels of approximately 5 inches of snow across Spokane and Coeur d’Alene over the weekend, the National Weather Service issued a wind chill advisory from 11 p.m. Monday until 10 a.m. Tuesday.
The National Weather Service reports temperatures across the Inland Northwest were expected to fall into the single digits, with some places below zero, while the wind chill will make temperatures feel between 5 and 15 degrees below zero, the advisory said.
Wind chills are expected to continue Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, and single-digit temperatures at night are forecast for most of the week.
The weather service also issued a winter storm warning for the region Monday, saying winds could gust up to 40 mph. The windy conditions caused snow to blow across roads, reducing visibility.
Interstate 90 between Vantage and Kittitas closed in both directions Monday morning due to blowing and drifting snow, the Washington state Department of Transportation said. Westbound lanes reopened at 10 a.m. and eastbound lanes at 11 a.m.
Other closures included state Route 21 from Odessa to Lind, state Route 27 from Fairfield to Tekoa and state Route 261 near Washtucna from Interstate 90 to state Route 26.
Monday’s cold snap comes after several inches of snow blanketed the Inland Northwest. Over the weekend, the weather service said, 4.6 inches of snow fell at Spokane International Airport, while five inches fell in Coeur d’Alene and nearly a foot fell at Loon Lake.