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Inland Northwest power outage information

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:06:57 PST

SPOKANE -- When severe weather rolls through the Inland Northwest and the power goes out, turn to KREM.com online and on your phone for the information you need to get you through.

We've put together a list of resources to report outages, find out what areas are affected, and what to do when the power goes out.

AVISTA UTILITIES'

1-800-227-9187

• Avista Utilities website

• Click here for outage map

KOOTENAI ELECTRIC'

Toll free' 1-877-744-1055

Report an outage' 1-800-240-0459

• Kootenai Electric Cooperative website

INLAND POWER AND LIGHT'

Toll free' 1-800-747-7151

1-877-668-8243

• Inland Power & Light website

VERA WATER & POWER'

509-924-3800

• Vera Water & Power website

MODERN ELECTRIC'

509-928-4540

After-hours emergency' 509-926-9800

• Modern Electric Water Company website

P.U.D. #1 OF PEND OREILLE CO.'

509-447-3137

(North County) 509-446-3137

(South County) 509-242-3137

• Pend Oreille Co. PUD #1 website

CLEARWATER POWER'

24-hour outage/emergency' 1-888-743-1501

• Clearwater Power Company website

NORTHERN LIGHTS ELECTRIC'

1-866-665-4837

• Northern Lights Inc. Electric website

Bundle up! Snow falls around the Inland Northwest

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:29:10 PST

SPOKANE -- A winter weather advisory is in effect for the Okanogan Valley until noon Friday. It includes the following locations' Omak, Okanogan, Brewster, Bridgeport, Oroville, Nespelem, and Disautel Pass.

A quick moving cold front will bring snow accumulations of 1 to 2 inches to the region today. The highest accumulations will fall from Malott to Disautel Pass on Highway 155, where 2 to 3 inches will be possible.

A winter weather advisory for snow means that periods of snow will cause primarily travel difficulties. Be prepared for snow covered roads and limited visibilities, and use caution while driving.

Snow is also in the forecast for much of the rest of the Inland Northwest as well. Expect 1 to 2 inches in the Spokane and Coeur d'Alene areas, and 2 to 3 inches to the north of those areas. Moses Lake, Pullman and Lewiston areas are expected to get less than an inch of snow accumulation from this storm.

Dense fog advisory for Central and Eastern Washington

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:57:17 PST

A dense fog advisory is in effect for portions of Central and Eastern Washington. Moses Lake, Warden and Fairchild Air Force Base have reported visibilities of a quarter mile or less.

For the Spokane vicinity, the area of concern is the west plains including Airway Heights. The dense fog advisory also includes the cities of Ephrata, Othello, Quincy, Ritzville, Grand Coulee, Odessa, Wilbur, Coulee City, Cheney and Davenport.

The advisory will end at 7 a.m. Friday.

Get out the shovel and gloves -- snow on the way

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:35:09 PST

SPOKANE -- Prepare for the first significant snowfall of the season Friday.

Meteorologist Jason Kadah says there could be between 1-2 inches of snow that fall around Spokane and Coeur d'Alene by late tomorrow evening.

Light snow showers will persist through the morning, but accumulation will be mostly during the afternoon and evening hours.

To the north of Spokane and Coeur d'Alene, those regions could see between 2 and 3 inches of snow. Mountain areas should expect between 4 and 6 inches of snow.

Snow is falling elsewhere around the Inland Northwest. A viewer in Cottonwood, Idaho, called KREM 2 News Thursday to report 7 new inches of snow fell overnight.

Ski season begins this weekend in the Inland Northwest

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:07:09 PST

LOOKOUT PASS -- Lookout Pass Ski Area will open for the 2009-2010 season this Friday, November 13. Lifts will operate from 9'00am to 4'00pm PST, this Friday, Saturday & Sunday.

The majority of the front side of the mountain with top to bottom skiing off Chair 1 plus the Beginner area will open. A spokesperson for the resort says eight runs have been groomed so far and additional trails will open as conditions allow. Exit 0 Terrain Park will also open with rails and features.

Lookout received 15" of snow over the weekend and a light layer of new snow Tuesday morning. The forecast calls for more snow through the week and lower temps. The base lodge will be in full operation with the Grill & Deli, Loft Pub, Rental Shop, Ski School, and Retail Shop open.

Early season conditions exist so ski and ride with care. Reduced ticket rates will be in effect and will be announced later in the week along with the extended operating schedule.

Two Western Washington ski areas to open this week

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 14:28:49 PST

CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN, Wash.- This seems to be another case of how you never know what's coming when talking about the weather. The climate forecast for a moderate El Nino winter, made earlier this year, was not very encouraging for those wanting an early opening to the ski season. But, it looks like that's what we're getting on Wednesday.

The Crystal Mountain Ski Resort reports it will partially open on Wednesday, and expand that opening on Thursday. Crystal reports 20-inches of snow at its base and two feet at higher elevations. You can see what the weather looks like on the area'sWeb cam.

"It's snowing like crazy." says area spokesperson Tiana Enger.

Further to the north, Mt. Baker, says it will be ready to go on Thursday with 40-inches of snow currently reported on the ground at Heather Meadows.

Any opening ahead of the four-day Thanksgiving weekend is considered a gift, and a major boost to the economic bottom line.

This is one of the earliest openings for Crystal in recent years.

Last season, the opener came much later - on December 16th. The year before, on December 1st, which isn't considered too bad. The 2006-07 season did come early on November 16th. The 2005-'06 season was one of the earliest at November 4th - but the season prior to that, was the drought wintter of 2004-2005.

Winter Storm Warning: Heavy snow in the mountains

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 17:15:07 PST

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for the mountains of the Idaho Panhandle and Northeast Washington. Another 4 to 8 inches of snow is expected through Saturday night as a second, fast moving storm arrives.

Total accumulations of 6 to 12 inches will be likely by early Sunday morning in the mountains above 3,500 feet. Gusty winds are expected Saturday night. Gusts of 30 to 40 m.p.h. will likely occur on the mountain ridges.

The Winter Storm Warning includes Schweitzer Mountain Road, Springdale-Hunters Road, Orin-Rice Road, and Flowery Trail Road.

Due to this early season winter weather event, people planning recreational activities in the mountains should consider that conditions could be potentially life threatening.

Strong winds Friday for the Inland Northwest

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 11:00:31 PST

WIND ADVISORY

A wind advisory is now in effect for the Spokane area, North Idaho, Washington Plaouse and Upper Columbia Basin until 7 p.m. Friday. A vigorous, wet cold front will result in windy conditions. Winds will blow from the south and southeast at 10 to 20 m.p.h. Through Friday, wind speeds are expected to increase 20 to 30 m.p.h. with sustained gusts of 45 m.p.h.

The wind advisory includes the following locations' Spokane, Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, Hayden, Worley, Moscow, Plummer, Potlatch, Genesee, Clarkston, Pomeroy, Pullman, Colfax, Rosalia, La Crosse, Oakesdale, Tekoa, Uniontown, Ritzville, Grand Coulee, Odessa, Wilbur, Coulee City, Cheney, Davenport and Rockford.

SEATTLE (AP) -- A weather system moving through the Northwest has brought high winds and heavy rains to areas of Western Washington and may have been a factor in one death.

At Shoreline's Hamlin Park north of Seattle, a 40-year-old man was killed Thursday evening when he was struck by part of a falling tree as he and his wife walked their dog. Shoreline Fire spokeswoman Melanie Granfors says windy weather may have contributed to the accident.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for the Skokomish River near Potlatch until Friday afternoon, with minor flooding forecast.

Winds gusting to 54 mph battered Whatcom County and scattered power outages were reported in many areas of Western Washington on Thursday.

The Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch from Friday evening through Saturday evening for the north and central Washington Cascades.

Strong winds Friday for the Inland Northwest

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 19:10:51 PST

Rain is expected to develop later Thursday night. Temperature will be around 40 degrees.

Overnight, it will be rainy and windy with winds coming from the Southeast between 15 and 25 miles per hour. The lows will stay well above freezing.

Tomorrow, expect rain and wind with a high around 49 degrees. Strong wind gusts up to 45 miles per hour.

WIND ADVISORY

Powerful storm moving into Western Washington

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 15:47:43 PST

SEATTLE – A strong cold front is moving through the Northwest Thursday, bringing high winds and heavy rains to Western Washington and snow to the Cascades.

"Gusty winds have developed north of Everett this morning and will spread over the remainder of the interior later this morning and continuing this afternoon," said KING 5 Meteorologist Rich Marriott. "The cold front will move through early this evening followed by much cooler showery air and decreasing winds."

A wind advisory is in effect through Thursday night for the northern interior and Admiralty Inlet. Marriott says from Everett northward, winds will reach between 15-25 mph with 30-40 mph gusts. From Everett southward and areas along the coast, winds will reach around 10 mph.

Rain will be heavy off and on Thursday afternoon and evening, says Marriott. Flood watches are in effect for Whatcom and Mason counties.

Rainfall amounts from the storm are expected in the 3-5-inch range for the Olympics, 2-4 inches for the Cascades and about an inch in the interior lowlands south of Seattle.

Marriott said the Nooksack River in the Cascades could flood and the Skokomish River in the Olympics is expected to reach flood stage Friday.

"If flooding does occur, it will be minor," said Marriott.

Showers will be off and on through Thursday night. Friday night, Western Washington could see showers and some thunderstorms.

Marriott said snow levels will drop to about 2,500-3,000 feet Thursday night and Friday with 4-8” of snow possible in the Cascade passes.

Along the coast, Marriott expects very big waves with swells reaching 23-28 ft.

"Another front will give us a rainy and cool day on Saturday," said Marriott. "Sunday will be a break with a little sun and only a few showers. Next week looks wet off and on and cool."

Snow, go away: Tom Sherry gives the big '09-'10 winter forecast!

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:48:43 PST

SPOKANE -- With the sudden appearance of a few flurries in the Inland Northwest Thursday, the question on everyone's mind right now is, "Will this winter be as bad as last year?"

KREM 2 Chief Meteorologist Tom Sherry says, "Not by a long shot."

According to Tom, this is going to be an El Nino winter for the Northwest -- which means above average temperatures in the lowlands, good snowfall in the mountains, and decent precipitation elsewhere.

For the 2009-2010 winter, Tom Sherry is calling for above average temperatures, with between 30 and 40 inches of snow in the lowlands.

This comes after the Inland Northwest had two of the snowiest winters on record back-to-back. The 2007-2008 winter saw 93.5 inches of snow in Spokane, and last winter we had 97.5 inches of snow.

First significant snow could fall tomorrow

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:01:14 PST

SPOKANE -- The first significant snow of the season could fall on Thursday in the Inland Northwest.

Two to four inches of snow is expected to fall Thursday morning until Thursday night for the higher elevations of the Northern Panhandle of Idaho, the Northeast Mountains of Washington, the Okanogan Highlands and the Okanogan Valley.

A winter storm watch, which was issued early Wednesday, is canceled. It is now a winter weather advisory. Significant accumulations are no longer expected in the valleys. Most valley accumulations will be an inch or less with most of it accumulating on grassy surfaces. Local accumulations of 2 to 4 inches are expected to fall over the mountains.

This advisory includes Bonners Ferry, Priest River, Sandpoint, Rathdrum, Colville, Deer Park, Chewelah, Newport, Kettle Falls, Republic, Inchelium, Wauconda, Sherman Pass, Omak, Okanogan, Brewster, Bridgeport, Oroville, Nespelem, and Disautel Pass.

Snow will change to rain by Thursday evening.