A moist storm parked offshore and icy air from Canada combined to dump heavy snow on much of Eastern Washington, and even some Western Washington lowlands were coated yesterday...
A moist storm parked offshore and icy air from Canada combined to dump heavy snow on much of Eastern Washington, and even some Western Washington lowlands were coated yesterday.
The National Weather Service advised residents to prepare for more of the same through today.
The Pacific storm was spinning bands of moisture into the region from the southwest, with accumulations of nearly a foot in the inland Northwest possible by this afternoon.
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Six inches of snow was measured at Spokane International Airport at noon yesterday, less than 24 hours after the storm moved into the region. Another 5 to 6 inches were expected in the valleys, with more in the mountains by this afternoon, the weather service said.
Warnings of heavy snow were issued for areas north of Interstate 90 from Wenatchee to Spokane in Eastern Washington, with snow watches for lesser amounts in areas south of the freeway.
In Western Washington, areas north of Seattle anticipated additional snowfall and icy winds after commutes were snarled Thursday and yesterday.
As much as 4 inches of snow fell, with another inch expected through this morning in lowland areas from Everett north, the weather service said.
A mixture of rain and snow was forecast for Western Washington later today, with low temperatures in the upper 20s.
Another storm arriving next week could bring pipe-bursting temperatures to both sides of the state, the weather service warned.
“This could be some of the coldest air we’ve had over us in a number of years,” University of Washington meteorologist Cliff Mass said.
Thursday, snow and icy roads snarled traffic across parts of south and central Puget Sound.
“We had more collisions than we had troopers to investigate them,” said State Patrol Trooper Johnny Alexander, whose district includes Pierce and Thurston counties.
Law-enforcement agencies in the Spokane area responded to about half as many as the 150 collisions reported Thursday in Alexander’s district.
By yesterday’s morning commute, drivers had slowed and the number of reported accidents dropped dramatically, Spokane County sheriff’s spokesman Cpl. Dave Regan reported.
Most schools remained open on both sides of the state.