SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - Roads in the Spokane area were slick and some lost power throughout the city Friday after a record-breaking 4.7 inches (11.9 centimeters) of snow fell in the region.
Avista Utilities reported more than 2,100 customers without power about 3 p.m. Friday, The Spokesman-Review reported.
Most of the outages were in central Spokane. Many outages were resolved within a few hours, but some in more rural areas of the county were taking more time.
The National Weather Service reported that snow began to fall mid-morning and accelerated to an inch-per-hour in some locations. The storm marks the second year in a row that Spokane has been hit by a significant October snow storm.
Friday’s snow easily broke the October 23 record which had been 0.2 inches. The snowiest October day on record was Oct. 22, 1957, when it snowed 5.9 inches (14.9 centimeters).
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, was projected to see between 4 and 6 inches of snow.
Washington State Patrol Trooper Jeff Sevigney said there were slowdowns and crashes throughout the greater Spokane region and he had urged motorists to drive slow or stay home if possible.
“Most of these collisions were caused by folks just going too fast for the conditions,” he said.
Any snow that sticks Friday night and Saturday morning will likely remain through the weekend and early next week with low temperatures Sunday and Monday predicted to be 11 degrees (-11.7 degrees Celsius) , which if happens would also set records.
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