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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Snowy surprise greeted Spokane on Friday morning

By Mathew Callaghan The Spokesman-Review

Traffic moves across the Stevens Street bridge Friday during a spring snow storm in Spokane.

The Inland Northwest woke up to a blanket of snow Friday morning and the storm system that surprised many didn’t stop all day.

The Spokane International Airport received 4 inches of snow through 4 p.m. on Friday, breaking the record for the day which had been 3.4 inches from 2020. More snow continued to fall after 4 p.m., said Dan Butler, National Weather Service meteorologist, and likely would fall until early Saturday.

Butler said Friday’s snowfall was a bit of a surprise because the storm moved farther north than had been expected.

The weather service received reports of 8 inches falling closer to the Hayden Lake area, said Steven Van Horn, a weather service meteorologist . North of Spokane, in the Deer Park area, Van Horn said 5 to 7 inches, depending on the area.

One report recorded 10 inches in Huetter, adjacent to Coeur d’Alene.

The Cascades were hit hard.

Snoqualmie Pass on Interstate 90 was closed Friday night after getting more than 40 inches of snow this week, including more than 20 on Friday.

Stevens Pass also was closed. It got 23 inches Friday, taking the total for the week to more than 60 inches.

Van Horn said the snow should start rapidly melting Saturday, as the temperatures are expected to reach the mid-40s.

In some of these areas that will pick up pretty significant amount of snow, it might stick around for a couple of days,” Van Horn said. “It might not melt completely until like Sunday, definitely by Monday.”

To start the week, Monday is supposed to be in the 50s, while the following day is forecasted to reach the low 60s.

Highs in the 60s are expected in Spokane Tuesday through Friday.

Butler warned that avalanche dangers are high on the east slopes of the Cascades and in many mountain areas in the Silver Valley and Boundary and Bonner counties.

Christy Hauschild and her daughter Elsie play with their dog Nellie while enjoying Friday’s snow near their home in Spokane.