SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane saw two inches of snow starting early Thursday morning, making for a slick commute for drivers.
Some drivers experienced lengthy backups on the South Hill on Thursday.
The City of Spokane, in an effort to start work on the roads early and get ahead in time for the morning commute, held night plowing crews late and brought in some morning crews early to cover any gaps in coverage, according to city spokesperson Marlene Feist.
"We learn from things in the past, but we were out, we had crews come in early to cover it because the snow didn't start until about three in the morning," Feist said.
The city used deicer, sanding and plowing trucks to treat roads, Feist said. The sanding and deicing trucks also have plows on the front.
The city is currently plowing school zones and artierials, according to Feist.
City procedure is to apply deicer to roads that carry the majority of vehicle traffic, according to Feist, who also said Spokane has about 750 miles of arterial roads.
Photos: Snow falls around the Inland Northwest on Thursday
Crews usually do a full city plow if there is four or more inches of snow, but Feist said the city could decide to do a full city plow if they think conditions will worsen.
For Thursday, Feist said the city expects rain to help melt snow in the afternoon, so a full city plow is not planned at this time.
Feist said there have not been any reports of especially bad road conditions, but drivers did slide off the roads on Spokane's South Hill. Snowfall last week also led to adverse conditions throughout the Spokane area.
There haven't been any reports of places with especially bad conditions, Feist said, while last week's snow brought reports of adverse conditions on the South Hill.
Spokane County crews
Spokane County crews were also out early Thursday morning to take care of roads, according to county spokesperson Martha Wheatley-Billeter.
County crews sanded, plowed and deiced emergency routes and major arterials, according to Wheatley-Billeter. She also said crews are trying to treat "secondary arterials" before any more snow comes through the area.
If more snow does come, the county will go back to clearing emergency routes and arterials, according to Wheatley-Billeter. Spokane County has more than 5,000 miles of road lanes to clear.