Schools, universities, county offices, roads closed due to weather
While some may have welcomed the soft sound of rain on roofs and windows, less frigid temperatures and clear rain instead of burdensome snow Wednesday morning, the dramatically rising temperature was not necessarily something to celebrate.
Freezing rain in the early morning hours gave way to the liquid sort by 10 a.m., but the slippery damage was already done, thoroughly glazing sidewalks and roadways, creating dangerous conditions for walking and driving.
The University of Idaho, Moscow Department of Labor Office, all county offices and all school districts throughout Latah County canceled daily operations, many encouraging patrons to stay off the roadways. In Whitman County, Washington State University also closed down, as did numerous school districts, including those in Pullman, Colfax, Colton and Garfield-Palouse.
At least one roadway – U.S. 95 near Lewiston – was closed for nearly two hours as police worked to remove a semi-trailer that was completely blocking the roadway. The Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport was also temporarily shut down in the morning hours as crews worked to clear ice from its runway.
Dan Carscallen, clerk of the North Latah County Highway District, said district workers had been “hammering away” at the ice since early Wednesday morning, but drivers would be better off staying off the roads for now.
“They’re slick,” he said. “We’re on that edge where anything that hits the ground starts freezing. We’re doing our best to peel the ice back. The less people on the highway the better.”
While road conditions were no kind of wonderful, the Latah County Sheriff’s Office reported vehicles sliding off the road were the only problems it had seen, with 10 slide-offs between 8 p.m. Tuesday and 1 p.m. Wednesday.
Mark Storey, Whitman County public works director/county engineer, was advising people to stay off the roads – especially rural ones – unless absolutely necessary. He said ice storms like this come around every 10 to 15 years.
As of noon Wednesday, Storey said three county snow plows had slipped into ditches.
“I suspect it will be better (today), but undoubtedly … some roads are still going to be very nasty,” Storey said.
The weather also led to the postponement of WSU President Kirk Schulz’s first State of the University Address, which was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, and the UI’s Martin Luther King Jr. celebration and keynote address. Neither event has been rescheduled yet.
Roughly 1,500 Palouse-area residents, including some in Genesee and Colfax, also lost power for much of Wednesday morning. Power had been restored by early afternoon.
The next week will bring with it warmer temperatures but hazardous weather conditions as an abundance of precipitation – both rain and snow – in combination with melting snow is expected to heighten the risk of flooded streams, roadways and ditches, according to the National Weather Service. The NWS has issued a flood advisory, upgraded from a previous flood watch, for minor flooding in poor drainage areas for Whitman and Latah counties until 2:15 a.m. Friday.
Today’s forecast calls for rain before 4 p.m., followed by an 80 percent chance of rain and snow mix. Accumulation is expected to amount to less than half an inch, with a high temperature of 38 degrees and winds 5-10 miles per hour.
The temperature is expected to drop slightly on a mostly-sunny Friday to a high of 33 degrees during the day and a 25 degree overnight low as the clouds move back into place.
Saturday is expected to be mostly cloudy, with a high near 32 degrees and 30 percent chance of snow. Overnight temperatures are expected to drop to 26 degrees with a 20 percent chance of snow.
Sunday’s forecast calls for a 60 percent chance of snow and high around 32 degrees during the day and a 50 percent chance of snow and overnight low around 24.
While city officials in Pullman were not anticipating major flooding, they were preparing for the potential of localized flooding on both private and public property by making sandbags and fill material available to residents. Those interested can pick up sandbags at the Maintenance and Operations Facility located at 615 NW Guy St. between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Via DN