SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane drivers should prepare for wet, slushy conditions as they hit the road on Friday morning. The first snow of the season fell overnight in Spokane and much of the Inland Northwest.
A few school districts have announced changes because of the snow, including Wellpinit Schools and Summit Valley School District, which are closed today because of the snow. Orchard Prarie School District also closed because of a power outage.
Click here for the latest closures and delays, or scroll down for the information.
Power Outages
Avista reported power was out to more than 1,700 customers as of 8:30 a.m. The outages were spread across the region with smaller outages stretching from the Loon Lake area into Country Homes, northwest Spokane, and the South Hill. There were also a handful of outages in north Idaho.
Inland Power reported an additional 600 customers without power. Most of those outages were in the Spokane area.
Kooteani Electric had 75 customers without power shortly before 9:00 a.m.
Road Conditions
Drivers will want to slow down in areas with heavier snowfall but the highways and main roads should be ok to drive this morning. Temperatures in Spokane on Friday morning were sitting just above freezing, so ice should not be a problem. Our crews were reporting conditions along the I-90 corridor between Downtown Spokane and Spokane Valley to be just wet, and not snowy through the morning.
The Washington State Department of Transportation has been out working throughout the night, plowing and treating roadways. I-90 on Friday morning was mostly wet, with slush in places.
KREM 2 did come across a truck that went over the guardrail on westbound I-90 near Finch Arboretum. Just before 7:00 a.m. there was a tow truck on the scene to pull the vehicle out. Traffic in the area was slow, but still moving.
Multiple crashes closed Snoqualmie Pass for several hours overnight, but it has since reopened. The mountain passes could get more than a foot of new snow.
Most of the region can expect 1 to 2 inches of snow on Friday morning before it warms up and turns over to rain.
School closures & delays
A handful of school districts announced closures, delays, or bus route changes on Friday morning.
- Orchard Prarie School District is closed because of a power outage.
- Summit Valley School District is closed because of the snow.
- Wellpinit School District is closed because of the snow.
- Reardan-Edwall School District is open but bus route 39 is canceled. The school district will also accommodate any student staying home today due to the weather.
- Sprague-Lamont Schools are open at the regular time, but there may be some bus delays.
Homeowners may also want to pay close attention to their trees. The heavy, wet snow, combined with leaves that have yet to fall, has many branches sagging on Friday morning.
Damaging Winds
The big concern later Friday and into Saturday is strong, damaging winds.
A High Wind Warning goes into effect starting at 5pm for the area, with wind speeds expected to be around 60 miles per hour. That is likely to cause tree damage and potential power outages.
The strongest winds are expected between 11 p.m. on Friday into the overnight hours on Saturday. High wind warnings continue until 11 a.m. on Saturday morning across eastern Washington and north Idaho.
Avista said they are prepared for the wind, but in the case of outages they may not be able to repair the broken power line until the storm is over, which could take up to 24 hours.
If people are affected by a power outage, they are encouraged to report it online or through their mobile device at www.myavista.com/outage or by calling (800) 227-9187.
Another cold snap arrives next week with more snow expected on Sunday. Temperatures might not rise above freezing all week.