Weather trifecta of snow, rain and wind hits Spokane
Nov. 5—An autumn snowstorm made for a slushy morning commute Friday. By afternoon, light rain was falling as the region braces for a dangerous windstorm tonight.
"We are anticipating downed trees, broken branches and power outages," Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward said in a statement.
With many trees holding green leaves after an unusually warm autumn, the weight of the snow caused branches to snap and fall throughout the area. Avista reported dozens of outages that left more than 3,000 customers without power as of 3 p.m. Friday. Inland Power and Light reported more than 1,100 customers without power around 3 p.m.
The city said citizens should call 3-1-1 to report trees that are blocking roadways. If trees are caught in power lines, residents are asked to call Avista at 1-800-227-9187 and reply "Yes," when asked whether the issue is urgent. Downed power lines can be an emergency, and residents should call 911 in those cases, the city said in a press release.
About 3 inches of snow fell at the National Weather Service office on the West Plains as of 7 a.m., said meteorologist Steven Van Horn. Perhaps another half inch could fall before it fully turns to rain in lower elevations. Temperatures climbed into the 40s by mid-afternoon.
The big concern, however, is a windstorm due to arrive Friday evening .
The National Weather Service issued a high wind warning from 5 tonight until 11 a.m. Saturday.
The worst of the wind is expected between midnight and 3 a.m., with gusts expected to reach 60 to 65 mph on the West Plains along with many areas west of Spokane and south on the Palouse, Van Horn said. Winds in Spokane are expected to reach 55 to 60 mph. Winds are expected to be slightly less severe in the Coeur d'Alene area.
Residents should prepare for sustained power outages. Van Horn said the coming windstorm appears similar to ones in November 2015 and January 2021 that toppled trees and cut power for many days to tens of thousands in the Inland Northwest.
"These kinds of winds can topple trees and result in scattered to widespread outages," Van Horn said.
If power is out at an intersection, drivers should treat them as a four-way stop, the city said.
Meanwhile, the City of Spokane coordinated with homeless service providers to help people evacuate from Camp Hope, the tent city along Interstate 90 in East Central.
The city, Empire Health Foundation, Jewels Helping Hands and the Washington State Department of Transportation, which owns the land where Camp Hope sits, are offering "voluntary emergency evacuation transportation" to the city's new Trent Resource and Assistance Center at 6:45 p.m.
This report will be updated.
