SEATTLE — A winter storm dropped 3 to 8 inches of snow on eastern Washington and northern Idaho on Saturday, closing some highways and causing numerous traffic accidents.
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said 125 collisions were reported in the county between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. None of the wrecks involved serious injuries.
Drivers who weren’t involved in crashes were nonetheless delayed on many roads, including the state highway to Mt. Spokane State Park, The Spokesman-Review reported. Both lanes of that road were temporarily closed because of downed trees.
Fourth of July Pass on Interstate 90; Highway 195 between Spangle and Plaza; Highway 195 from Colfax to the Idaho state line; and northbound Highway 395 also were closed for several hours Saturday because of accidents and bad conditions.
In Spokane, Mayor David Condon declared a “stage 1” snow condition, meaning crews would be working around the clock to clear city streets.
The Idaho State Police also reported a high volume of crashes and slide-offs in north Idaho due to Saturday’s “treacherous winter road conditions.” The agency asked motorists to restrict travel on north Idaho highways to emergencies only.
Meteorologist Matt Fugazzi with the National Weather Service said eastern Washington and the Idaho panhandle saw “very localized but very intense snow showers move through,” with 3 to 8 inches of snow falling from Spokane to Coeur d’Alene.
Meanwhile, western Washington saw snow dustings in some lowland areas, and the Cascades were weathering snow showers.
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