More snow coming; it's not over
Matthew Weaver/Columbia Basin HeraldColumbia Basin Quiltworks and Bernina owner Bob Arnold clears the Ash Street sidewalk alongside his business of snow Monday morning.
Most snow in 10 years
COLUMBIA BASIN - More snow is anticipated throughout the week as Columbia Basin residents coped with the winter weather Monday.
John Livingston, Spokane-based meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said there was "considerable" snowfall in the Columbia Basin, the Palouse and the Spokane area.
The snow was the result of a combination of systems which plagued California for several days and another system which entered the region from the Gulf of Alaska, he said.
"The systems stalled and left a good band of snow across the area for most of Sunday, from Saturday evening into Sunday," Livingston said.
The Wenatchee area and Okanogan Valley did not receive snowfall.
The Columbia Basin never warmed up, Livingston said, which created freezing rain across the Columbia Basin Saturday evening, until things cooled off enough to change it to snow on Sunday.
Four to 5 inches of snow was "pretty common" throughout Grant and Adams counties, Livingston added, while Tri-Cities and Hanford received about 7 inches and the Spokane area reported anywhere from 10 to 12 inches. Some Idaho Panhandle valley locations received 15 to 20 inches, he added.
More snow is anticipated this week. Livingston expected another storm possible Tuesday, with 2 to 4 inches expected in Spokane and 1 to 3 in the Columbia Basin area. Other snowstorm systems are expected Thursday and Saturday.
"We're not really looking for any kind of a big warm-up or anything, so it should be mostly snow throughout the area," Livingston said.
Livingston advised residents follow general guidance of emergency response teams and the Red Cross, being prepared for power outages or allowing plenty of extra time or preparing for hold-ups while traveling.
"Everybody encourages folks to look out for each other," Livingston said. "If you have a neighbor who is elderly, infirm or such, make sure they're making it through."
Grant County Farm Bureau president Aaron Golladay said the snow impacts area farmers in a variety of ways.
"If you're a wheat grower or a farmer who had a crop you seeded in last fall that you're overwintering, it's a good thing because it gives you some insulation from the cold," he said. "If you're not one of those guys, it's pain."
The snow can require snow removal from potato storage and haystack yards, Golladay explained.
"The cow guys probably didn't want to see it, because this is going to force them to (see) feed hay and hay prices are up big," he said. "The dairy guys will tell you it's more of a mess when this melts than anything else."
A lot of people have discussed how bad the winter this year has been, Livingston noted.
"Certainly, this is the snowiest winter we've had in about 10 years, going back to 1996, 1997, but in the big picture … it's not that unusual," he said.