SPOKANE, Wash. — Snowy and icy roads are snarled the Wednesday morning commute following an Inland Northwest snowstorm.
The National Weather Service said it received many reports of slide-offs and car crashes due to snow and ice on the roads. Drivers were asked to use caution while driving and give themselves extra time to reach their destinations.
According to KREM morning weather anchor Evan Noorani, some light, isolated snow showers were pushing through some of eastern Washington and North Idaho. Accumulations are coming in at trace amounts. Freezing fog, especially in the low valleys, could also create problems during the morning commute.
At about 6 a.m. on Wednesday, Trooper Jeff Sevigney with the Washington State Patrol tweeted, “It snowed again…We’ve been too busy already.”
Plows with the state Department of Transportation were working to clear I-90 in the Spokane area.
KREM reporter Kierra Elfalan reported that drivers were sliding on the roads as snow continued to fall in Post Falls at about 6 a.m. Elfalan said snow and fog are also making for poor visibility on I-90 headed toward Coeur d’Alene.
A dozen schools around the Inland Northwest were delayed or closed on Wednesday due to icy roads and snow.
On Tuesday, troopers in Spokane County and six others around eastern Washington responded to nearly 40 crashes during the snowstorm. No one was seriously injured in any of the crashes.
Sevigney also said his vehicle was struck as he investigated a crash on Tuesday.
Police in north Idaho also reported multiple crashes and slide-offs on Tuesday.
The current snow depth is sitting at 16 inches, according to Noorani. This breaks a record of one foot set in 1969. At this time last year, Spokane's snow depth sat at zero inches.
Winter weather is completely clearing out by Thursday and temperatures are warming into next week, Noorani said. Next week, Inland Northwest residents can expect partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid-50s.
