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A half-foot of snow fell on Spokane Wednesday, snarling traffic, forcing cancellations and breaking a 71-year-old weather record for the day.
The snow started slowly and increased in the morning and early afternoon. He had left Spokane around 4 p. m. , when Spokane International Airport set a record with about 5. 8 inches recorded.
Wednesday’s snowfall topped the 3. 4 inches that fell on Jan. 17, 1953, said Daniel Butler, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. The typhoon also brought 6 inches to Mead, 7 inches near Dishman Hills and Cheney, 6. 5 inches to Deer Park and 3. 7 inches to Fairchild Air Force Base, according to reports obtained through the weather service.
A 12-vehicle crash forced the closure of eastbound Interstate 90 near Spokane Valley in the early afternoon, and slips, collisions and broken down cars slowed down the afternoon commute.
“The night is probably going to be a little worse than the morning,” Rachael Fewkes, a meteorologist with the Spokane Weather Service, said Wednesday morning.
One by one, many schools started delaying or canceling classes as the snow piled up.
Spokane Public Schools announced that after-school activities have been canceled due to deteriorating street conditions. The district made the announcement to parents via text message around noon.
Spokane’s buses were put on chains to be picked up Wednesday. The district will assess Thursday’s situation and ask bus carrier Zum to stand firm if necessary.
Like all other school districts in Spokane County, with the exception of Orchard Prairie, Spokane decided to hold categories Wednesday because the snow had been light overnight.
The National Weather Service in the Western Plains had accumulated only 0. 8 inches of snow as of 6 a. m. , but the situation deteriorated especially late in the morning.
Coeur d’Alene Public Schools and the Lakeland School District closed Wednesday due to the winter storm. Lakeland said the shutdown would allow time to repair pipes damaged by last weekend’s frigid temperatures.
Gonzaga University suspended classes and operations on campus at 3:30 p. m. m. , and Washington State University and Eastern Washington University suspended operations after 2 p. m. m.
Multiple crashes led to “massive” traffic delays on Interstate 90 but were resolved by 5 p. m. , according to Washington State Patrol Sgt. Greg Riddell.
Riddell said there were 12 injuries at a time Wednesday between Barker Road and Liberty Lake.
Within city limits, the Spokane Police Department recorded 19 collisions in an 11-hour period, spokeswoman Julie Humphreys said around noon. Nine of those collisions resulted in injuries and 4 were reported as hit-and-runs. When Spokane experienced its first snowfall in December, the city recorded 85 collisions.
No arterials had been shut down as of 12:10 p.m., but Humphreys said the police department was monitoring the snow accumulation.
Eastbound Interstate 90 was shut down around 1 p.m. between Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake from a 12-vehicle crash, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation. The interstate reopened at about 4:30 p.m., the state department said.
A twist of fate blocked the eastbound lane near U. S. Highway 2 around 7:45 a. m. Another crash blocked the westbound lane of Interstate 90 near the Latah Creek Bridge and took about two hours to clear. Hamilton’s off-ramp was also blocked for 20 minutes. losing a car stuck in the snow, according to the state Department of Transportation.
Some of the I-90 crashes resulted in minor injuries, none were life-threatening.
However, in northern Idaho, a 69-year-old woman in Clark Fork, Idaho, was killed when she went missing Wednesday morning on a snow-covered state highway 200 miles west of Hope, according to a news release from the Idaho State Police.
The woman, whose call has been released, drove off the road in a 2000 Nissan Pathfinder and crashed into a guardrail before rolling down a steep embankment and overturning.
The driver failed to put on his seatbelt and was ejected from the Nissan. He died at a local hospital. The ISP is investigating the accident.
A school bus slid into a ditch shortly before 3:30 p. m. at Post Falls High School,” said Post Falls Police Sgt. Ryan Dalke. A tow truck called to tow the bus. Dalke said there were no injuries and there were. I don’t know if there were any academics on the bus.
The Washington Department of Transportation reminds people to stay away from snowplows while running and to refrain from passing them on their right as a precautionary measure.
“Give them plenty of room to work,” the transportation branch said in a social media post. “We have to make erratic manoeuvres when it comes to removing snow from shoulders, ramps, blood spots, etc. “
Those Spokane snowplow crews worked around Wednesday, keeping arterial roads and hills a priority, according to news from the City of Spokane. A “full crew” worked through the night and will move to a “city-wide snowplow” as arteries and back roads clear and snowfall subsides.
Citywide operations mean crews will work 24/7 until all city streets are cleared of snow. A citywide snow removal to be successful on the 2200 kilometers of lanes is expected to take approximately 3 days once the snow stops and depends on weather conditions.
“The day shift crews have been focused on main arterials and hills today and the night crew will continue that work as needed,” street director Clint Harris said in the release. “Once those routes can sustain safe travel conditions, crews will start moving into secondary and residential areas.”
Snow response priority starts with arterials and hills; then secondary routes, including schools and hospitals; and third, residential areas. The routes often include applying materials such as sand and deicer.
The order for snow removal from residential roads, as well as the progress of the snowplows, are posted on the City’s website in my. spokanecity. org/streets/maintenance/snow-removal/.
Vehicles should be parked on the odd addresses side of the street in residential areas to assist plows.
Spokane County public works crews are looking to make major arteries transparent in unincorporated spaces in the county and will most likely not be able to access secondary arteries until Thursday. Department spokeswoman Martha Lou Wheatley-Billeter said Wednesday’s continued snowfall meant crews had to work continuously. Use emergency routes and primary arteries that are prioritized for winter storms.
Wheatley-Billeter said crews are working 12 hours a day, more than 70 graders, de-icing trucks and snow plows to clear the state’s largest county road network. Residents can track progress through the department’s snow plow tracker on its website.
“It takes time to get through all of this,” Wheatley-Billeter said. When it’s still snowing and we have to go back to the old roads, people want to understand that we’re not going to get to the old roads. “residential spaces very quickly. “
With freezing rain forecast for Friday night and Saturday morning, Wheatley-Billeter asked citizens to help painting crews in their cleanup efforts by making sure typhoon sewers near their homes are clean.
“These drains want to be cleared of snow and ice, or any curtains like leaves that have accumulated,” Wheatley-Billeter said. “This rain has to go through somewhere, otherwise it’s going to get to the intersections and freeze over. “
Drivers need to be aware that despite the more productive efforts of county, city and state transportation teams, the roads won’t be bare or dry, Wheatley-Billeter said. Those who drive prepare accordingly by giving themselves enough time to reach their destination. and enough space while driving.
Wheatley-Billeter also asked drivers to leave enough room on the road for snow plows, deicer trucks and graders and to try to pass on the right side.
“If after a scraper, a plow or a de-icer, you see symptoms that tell you, ‘Stay 50 feet back,'” Wheatley-Billeter said. “There’s an explanation for that. It’s a matter of safety.
Spokane Valley city spokeswoman Jill Smith said work crews were directed Wednesday to plow primary arteries, hillsides, schools and emergency areas. Smith said the procedure went smoothly and there were no issues to report.
The Spokane Valley Department of Public Works began using magnesium chloride, liquid defroster and salt within a 200- to 300-foot radius of intersections, lighting fixtures and symptom prevention Tuesday afternoon, Smith said. The same procedure began Tuesday night for entire sections of the hillside. roads.
Smith reminded members of the Spokane Valley network that they are guilty of shoveling snow from sidewalks near their homes and businesses.
Although Wednesday’s typhoon disrupted the day for many, milder weather is expected for the foreseeable future.
Thursday is expected to be partly sunny in the morning and cloudy in the afternoon, with a 1- to 2-inch chance of snow Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, Butler said. A light freezing rain can be imagined on Friday. Light rain is expected on Saturday and warmer temperatures are expected to persist for some time. Highs in Spokane from at least Sunday through Wednesday are expected to reach the upper 30s or lower 40s.
This story is told through Alex Duggan, Garrett Cabeza, Nick Gibson and Jonathan Brunt.