Snowstorm causes slippery roads in the Inland Northwest Thursday

A winter storm made for slippery roads in the Inland Northwest during Thursday’s morning commute.

The Spokane Valley Fire Department reported it responded to multiple crashes, and the Washington State Patrol reported backups on Interstate 90 due to a crash on the westbound offramp at Lincoln Street. WSP also said that a semitruck jack-knifed on I-90 near state Highway 904.

Snow began to fall in the Spokane area between 5 and 6 a.m. and stopped around 9:30 a.m., said Ken Daniel, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

By afternoon, Washington State Patrol had responded to dozens of accidents, according to tweets from trooper Jeff Sevigney.

The Spokane International Airport reported 2.6 inches of snow.

Snow melted with a high of around 42 degrees Thursday afternoon, close to the highs expected for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, said Jon Fox, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Spokane.

For the next couple of days, meteorologists see a slight chance of snow with mostly cloudy skies, Fox said. Some snow showers were predicted east of Spokane into North Idaho, Fox said.