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Record-breaking 7.5 inches of snow marks 13th-snowiest December day recorded in Spokane

James Packard, 16, pushes his bike through the snow along Seltice Way on his way home from visiting a friend on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. (Kathy Plonka/The Spokesman-Review)
By Rebecca White rebeccawh@spokesman.com(509) 459-5039

Some 7½ inches of snow blanketed the Spokane area by Wednesday afternoon, a record for the date that caused dangerous driving conditions and some spinouts on Interstate 90.

Valerie Thaler, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Spokane, said the area was predicted to receive between 4 to 6 inches by the end of the day.

But Mark Turner, another meteorologist with the weather service, said by about 4:30 p.m., 7.5 inches had fallen at the Spokane International Airport since midnight, beating the previous record of 5.4 inches in 1990.

That marked the 13th-snowiest December day in Spokane, with records going back to the 19th century. Turner said about another inch of snow would fall through the evening.

If at least another two-fifths of an inch fell, as predicted, Wednesday would elevate to the top-10 of snowiest December days on record, Turner said.

The dump of snow prompted the city to launch a full-city plow, with crews working 24 hours a day until they plow all streets in the city, according to a news release from the city.

Added crews from water and wastewater will pitch in for the plowing efforts, with more than 50 pieces of equipment expected to be out working, the release said.

Six-year-old Brouke (cq) Rowley, left, watches her mom, Kokoe Rowley, a barber at Dan’s Barber Shop on North Monroe Street, clear the sidewalk Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020, when several inches of snow fell in the morning and through the day. (Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review)
Six-year-old Brouke (cq) Rowley, left, watches her mom, Kokoe Rowley, a barber at Dan’s Barber Shop on North Monroe Street, clear the sidewalk Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020, when several inches of snow fell in the morning and through the day. (Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review)Buy a print of this photo

Most of the region around Spokane received between 3 and 5 inches of snow by around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.

At 11:30 a.m., the National Weather Service measured 5.5 inches of snow outside of its Airway Heights Office.

Other Inland Northwest communities also saw significant snowfall, with Rathdrum receiving about 4 inches in the morning and the Spokane International Airport reporting about 3.7 inches at 10 a.m.

Traffic accidents and slide-offs were reported throughout the Spokane region and on I-90 in the morning, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation’s Eastern Washington Twitter account.

Troopers had been too busy with crashes to pull together a precise number, said Jeff Sevigney, spokesperson for Washington State Patrol.

“Numerous, many, lots. None with serious injuries so far, but still way too many,” Sevigney said of the crashes.

In Spokane, by 3 p.m. police had recorded 18 noninjury crashes, five crashes with injuries and three hit-and-runs, Spokane Police Department spokesperson John O’Brien said.

O’Brien said there could be many more noninjury accidents police didn’t respond to because drivers exchanged information instead.

Sevigney said Washington’s Department of Transportation had been clearing the roads significantly given conditions, but people continued to “get overconfident. Then we slide off the road and hit things.”

“You just have to adjust your speed for the conditions,” Sevigney said. “Same story, new day.”