Inland northwest bracing for winter storm

SPOKANE, Wash — For the first time in more than a month, much of the inland northwest is bracing for a winter storm, with the possibility of nearly a foot of snow in some areas.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch beginning at 10 pm Tuesday night. Heavy snow is possible with accumulations of four to seven inches possible in Spokane, on the Washington Palouse and into other parts of eastern Washington.

Up to 10 inches of new snow could fall in the mountains of northeast Washington.

The Coeur d’Alene area could see even greater accumulations throughout the overnight hours and into Wednesday morning.

The weather service expects difficult travel conditions for the Wednesday morning commute.

With the impending snow predicted, please plan ahead for your morning commute. Leave early, give yourself plenty of time to take it slow and increase following distances. #NoCrashesOnValentinesDay #SCSO #Spokane #SpokaneValley pic.twitter.com/mSGeiijdAh

— SpokaneSheriffOffice (@SpokaneSheriff) February 13, 2018

The last time the Spokane area received more than an inch of snow was on January 11th, when more than six inches fell.

The Kootenai County Office of Emergency Management suggested having a 72-hour preparedness kit at home and in your vehicle ahead of the storm. The kit should include items such as water, first aid kit, flashlights and batteries, a battery powered radio, warm clothing including hats, gloves, and boots, and blankets.

You can find the snow plow map for Spokane Valley here, and the City of Spokane’s snow plow map here.

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