Cold snap is over, but more snow on the way

Inland Northwest residents woke up to another round of snow Friday morning, with more expected this weekend as temperatures gradually warm up, according to the National Weather Service Spokane.

The weather service issued a winter weather advisory for Friday.

As of late Friday morning, just over an inch of snow had fallen at the Spokane International Airport, according to Rachael Fewkes, meteorologist at the weather service. She said most of the rest of the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene metro area received a trace to about a one-half inch of snow.

By 4 p.m., snow measurements did not change much at the airport, but the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene area had accumulated 1 to 2 inches since Thursday night, with slightly higher amounts north of Coeur d’Alene.

The snow appeared to cause some havoc on Interstate 90 in the Spokane area with a handful of crashes, including one fatality near Evergreen Road that caused traffic backups, according to state agencies.

The next snow system will move in Saturday night and last through Monday afternoon, Fewkes said. That system is expected to drop 2 to 4 inches of snow in Spokane, she said.

Higher elevations to the south such as Rockford to the Palouse could see 4 to 5 inches, and Lookout Pass is looking at 7 to 9 inches , Fewkes said.

Joey Clevenger, meteorologist at the weather service, said each snowfall over the weekend might not amount to much, but will build up to a few inches.

Fewkes said light snow is forecast on and off next week.

After a frigid work week, temperatures will get a bit warmer, starting with a high of 31 Saturday and warming up to the mid-to-upper 30s all of next week, according to the weather service. Lows will stay in the 20s at least through the middle of next week.