This weekend’s cold snap and ongoing winter storm have caused dicey road conditions and school cancellations after months of minimal snowfall.
A winter weather advisory on the Palouse remains in effect until 7 p.m. tonight, according to the National Weather Service in Spokane. The warning, updated at about 5 a.m., indicates an additional three inches of snow will likely accumulate.
“Plan on slippery road conditions,” the advisory states. “Slow down and use caution while traveling.”
With an estimated eight inches of fresh snow already on the ground and plenty still on its way, the University of Idaho cancelled classes and events on its Moscow campus Tuesday.
Moscow School District also announced the closure of schools due to the poor road conditions, although online instruction will still take place, according to Superintendent Greg Bailey.
Police logs indicated four traffic accidents occurred within the city on Monday, including one call reporting a snowplow hit a parked car. So far, there haven’t been any severe accidents or slide offs, according to the Moscow Police Department.
Plow operators have been out for the last several days, completing anti-icing applications before the snow even began to fall, according to Deputy City Supervisor Tyler Palmer.
“It’s certainly more challenging than our typical storm when it snows continually like this,” Palmer said. “We’ve had every piece of equipment we have thrown at it so we can try to keep people moving.”
With over 185 miles of street to maintain, the city focuses on clearing the highest volume roads first, before moving to arterial, collector and side streets.
A full berm removal process began over the last few days to remove the accumulation of snow cast aside by plows in the downtown area. According to Palmer, this involves blowing the snow into trucks which then haul it away.
“We’re in the middle of a full plow right now,” Palmer said. “We’ve gone through several full plows of the city at this point.”
More information about the removal process can be found on the city’s website, along with a video explaining the procedures that go into making Moscow’s roads as safe as possible in snowy conditions.
The forecast calls for an 80% chance of precipitation and snow lasting until 5 p.m., with a 40% chance of snow later this evening, according to the National Weather Service.
Freezing fog and wind gusts as high as 22 mph are also expected. High temperatures will be in the 30s with lows in the 20s this week.
The latest road conditions can be obtained by calling 511.
Angela Palermo can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @apalermotweets