Winter arrives early across state
Published 9:00 pm Friday, October 12, 2001
Associated Press
SPOKANE — Spokane residents woke up to an unseasonably early snowstorm Friday as wet, cold weather pounded the state.
Enough snow fell below the 5,000-feet elevation in the Cascade Range that Mount Rainier National Park officials closed the road to Sunrise and were warning motorists heading to Paradise to be ready for winter driving conditions.
The moisture was welcome in a year when the Northwest has suffered from drought, but was not nearly enough to return water conditions to normal, the National Weather Service said. The snow in Spokane melted shortly after it hit the ground.
Spokane does not normally receive a measurable amount of snow until Nov. 14 on average, said Jonathan Fox of the weather service office in Spokane.
"We’re about a month early," Fox said. "This is kind of an anomaly and doesn’t necessarily mean we are in for a bad winter."
More than 4 inches of snow fell in Wauconda in Okanogan County on Friday.
Mountain passes through the Cascades were mostly bare and wet Friday, though Chinook Pass east of Mount Rainier had slush in places. Sherman Pass on Highway 20 had compact snow and ice.
The weather service issued a heavy snow warning for northeastern Washington and the Idaho panhandle on Friday, with snow levels falling to around 5,000 feet. Locations above 5,000 feet were expecting 3 to 6 inches of snow.
The forecasts prompted the state Department of Transportation to allow studded snow tires beginning Friday, instead of the usual Nov. 1.
Rain and winds buffeted much of the state as a strong Pacific front moved into British Columbia. The wind knocked down branches and caused power outages in parts of Whatcom County.
Wind speeds of 100 mph were forecast on the summit of Mount Rainier, where the snow level had dipped below 5,000 feet as early as Tuesday, giving 5,420-foot Paradise its first dusting of the season.
People planning to visit Paradise this weekend should carry tire chains and make other preparations for winter conditions, Mount Rainier officials said.
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