Thousands without power following Northwest storms

SEATTLE – Tens of thousands of people were without power in Washington state and there were concerns about flooding as snow turned to rain in many parts of the Pacific Northwest.

The National Weather Service reports that Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has received 20.2 inches of snow so far in February, the snowiest month in more than 50 years. Warming temperatures on Tuesday brought relief, but also new concerns as heavy tree branches snapped and contributed to power outages and closed some roads.

About 11,000 Seattle City Light and 72,000 Puget Sound Energy customers were without power. The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for northwest Oregon and parts of Washington through Wednesday morning.

The main east-west highway across Washington state – Interstate 90 – was closed across Snoqualmie Pass in the Cascade Mountains due to severe winter weather and avalanche danger.

Another 5 inches of new snow fell in the Spokane, Washington, region overnight, turning the streets into a slippery mess and prompting numerous school districts to cancel classes for the day.

Eastern Washington University and Gonzaga University cancelled classes on Tuesday, but Washington State University reopened for school. Officials reported more than 100 traffic accidents in the Spokane area on Monday.

Spokane and much of northeastern Washington remained under a winter storm warning on Tuesday, with 3 to 6 inches of new snow expected to fall in the region, the National Weather Service said.

“Travel could be very difficult,” the Weather Service said Tuesday morning.

In Oregon, an overnight crash due in the Columbia River Gorge that involved three semi-trucks closed interstate 84 eastbound and left only one westbound lane open.

The Portland metropolitan area woke to heavy rain but conditions in the gorge were extremely treacherous, with icy roads, snow and a huge storm that has dumped several feet of powder on Mount Hood over the past few days.

There were reports of local flooding around Portland and in southwest Washington state after several inches of rain fell across the region in 24 hours. Columbia County, Oregon, officials issued a statement warning drivers of flooding on Highway 30 between Portland and Rainier, Washington, and small mudslides were reported north of Portland.