SPOKANE, Wash. — A combination of compacted snow and freezing temperatures turned many Spokane roads into an icy mess on Tuesday morning.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) had crews out overnight working on major freeways and highways and for the most part, they are wet but clear. However, getting out of your neighborhood could be difficult as those roads have not been treated with deicer.
Several school districts, including West Valley and Mead school districts, have delayed the start of school. Others have canceled classes because of the difficult driving conditions.
School Closures for Tuesday Nov. 8
- Lakeland School District
School Delays
- Freeman School District: 2-hour delay
- Mead School District: 2-hour delay
- Omak School District: 2-hour delay. No AM Preschool.
- Orchard Prairie School District: 2-hour delay
- Reardan-Edwall School District: 2-hour delay
- St. George's School: 2-hour delay
- Tonasket School District: 2-hour delay
- West Valley School District: 2-hour delay. No AM Preschool, no AM classes at Dishman.
Bus Changes
- Central Valley School District: Snow bus routes are in effect for a few hilly, elevated areas: 207 middle and high school only, 212 elementary only, and 238 all routes
Continue to check this article for more school closings and delays around the Inland Northwest.
Road Conditions
Drivers should be prepared for ice as they head out on Tuesday morning. Any roads that were not treated have frozen after Monday's snow.
WSDOT had crews working overnight on I-90 and other major highways. A new crew came in at 4 a.m. to continue the work. WSDOT reports I-90 in Spokane and Spokane Valley is bare and wet on Tuesday morning.
On Monday night, several semi-trucks jackknifed on I-90 in Spokane, blocking traffic and delaying the evening commute.
Power Outages
As of Tuesday morning, Avista reported more than 1,200 customers still without power. That is down from Monday afternoon when more than 6,100 customers were affected.
The remaining outages are mostly in the areas of Kettle Falls and Lake Roosevelt.
Winter weather is here and the extended forecast keeps the cold temperatures around all week.
To put the arctic blast in context, High temperatures near freezing is what we expect to see in Spokane in late December or early January. In that time, overnight lows average in the 20s. So, the teens in the days to come are every bit as cold as they will feel.
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