‘Wintry mess’ forecast in area
Weather watchers expected significant snowfall in the region Tuesday evening
A wet storm packed with moisture from the Pacific Ocean was expected Tuesday evening to spin up from California, across Oregon and mix with cold air parked over north central Idaho and southeastern Washington.
The collision was forecast to create significant snowfall, according to the National Weather Service.
“This is a very good setup for heavy snow in the L-C Valley,” meteorologist Greg Koch at Spokane said Tuesday. “This is an event we don’t see very often.”
“It’s just a good setup for a wintry mess,” said Travis Booth at the agency’s Missoula, Mont., office.
Forecasters said the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley and the Palouse could get 5 to 8 inches of snow. Grangeville and other parts of the Camas Prairie could see 10 to 12 inches. The Clearwater River Valley from Orofino to Kooskia could expect 5 to 6 inches and parts of U.S. Highway 12 along the Lochsa River and up to Lolo Pass could see a foot of snow.
“If you don’t have to travel (Tuesday) tonight, it’s probably a good idea to avoid it,” Booth said. “If you are planning to travel, certainly prepare yourself for adverse conditions.”
Low-lying areas like Riggins and Slate Creek along U.S. Highway 95 likely won’t see much snow, Booth said, but freezing rain is possible.
Booth said wind gusts of 25 mph on the Palouse and near Alpowa Summit could complicate driving conditions.
“There will be a five-or-six-hour time frame tonight where we could experience some drifting,” Booth said.
As snow accumulated Tuesday evening, school districts in the area began to cancel classes for today, or plan two-hour late starts.
Garfield-Palouse Schools announced Tuesday evening its schools would have a two-hour late start, with buses operating on paved roads only. It also cancelled preschool and breakfast programs for the day. The Tekoa School District also announced a two-hour late start, with preschool cancelled but transitional kindergarten planned as usual.
The Salmon River Joint School District, Nezperce School District and Culdesac Joint School District announced Tuesday that school today was cancelled. A Nezperce Junior-Senior High School boys basketball game scheduled for today will be rescheduled.
