School delayed by snow in Mead, Cheney

From staff reports

Another round of snow was expected to start falling in Spokane late Friday, the same day that many school districts in Spokane County delayed classes as a result of snow the night before.

The National Weather Service measured 4.2 inches Thursday night at its office on the West Plains based on a reading at 6 a.m. Friday. All of that fell before midnight, said Charlotte Dewey, a weather service meteorologist. Areas north of Spokane and Coeur d’Alene tended to receive more snow. Weather observers in southern Stevens County, for instance, were reporting 6 to 8 inches of snow, Dewey said.

Snow was expected to start falling again late Friday, Dewey said. The weather service predicted 3 to 4 inches more inches in the Spokane area through early Saturday afternoon. Pullman is expected to get a couple inches and Sandpoint 4 to 8 inches.

Slippery road conditions led many local school districts in Eastern Washington to delay the start of school on Friday.

In Spokane County, Cheney Public Schools and the Freeman, Liberty, Mead, Medical Lake, Nine Mile Falls and Reardan-Edwall school districts delayed classes. Riverside School District closed for the day.

Traffic cameras showed Interstate 90 moving smoothlyv through Spokane and Spokane Valley around 6:30 a.m. Arterials in Spokane appeared to be packed with ice and snow or slushy.

The snow began falling in the Spokane area around 4 p.m. Thursday, Dewey said. The Spokane International Airport reported 3.8 inches Thursday morning, all of which fell before midnight. Only a trace of snow was measured after midnight.