Several school districts cancel classes as blowing snow creates poor driving conditions on Palouse and west of Spokane

Windy conditions south and west of Spokane have created treacherous driving conditions.

State Highway 27 remains closed from Fairfield to Tekoa because of blowing snow, the Washington State Patrol reported. The closure began Monday. Road crews worked overnight to remove snow, but wind kept blowing it back on the road, the Washington State Department of Transportation said.

The Ritzville, Lind and Tekoa school districts announced that classes are canceled Tuesday because of poor driving conditions. The Odessa, Sprague-Lamont and St. John-Endicott school districts are on two-hour delays.

Wind gusts were reported as high as 24 mph overnight in Ritzville, said Laurie Nisbet, National Weather Service meteorologist. Wind in Spangle Tuesday morning was gusting as high as 18 mph.

Those wind speeds easily can push the snow that most recently fell in the Inland Northwest.

“The snow that we got on Sunday was so light and fluffy,” Nisbet said.

Winds at the Spokane International Airport were lower, only blowing about 8 mph Tuesday morning. The low temperature overnight at the airport was 11 with a wind chill of minus 2. It won’t get much warmer today, with a high of 14 expected.

The rest of the work week will be cold, Nisbet said. Thursday morning should be the coldest part of the week when the low is expected to be minus 3.