Blowing snow closes roads near Worley

Posted: Friday, Feb 08, 2008 - 09:50:04 pm PST
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By LUCY DUKES
Staff writer 

COEUR d'ALENE -- Drifting snow made 90 percent of the roads around Worley impassible Friday, slowing down emergency response and forcing the Worley Highway District to stop road-clearing work until conditions change.

Snow-blowing wind with gusts in excess of 36 mph also forced the closure of a three-mile portion of Highway 95 at the Highway 58 junction north of Worley. To the west in Washington, Spokane County declared the southern and western portions of the county a disaster area and closed down all roads there.

The Kootenai County Office of Emergency Management issued a safety advisory on the impassible roads around Worley at 10:40 a.m. on Friday, and conditions remained difficult throughout the day.

"I think at this point, it's an inconvenience," said Quanah Spencer, spokesman for the Coeur d'Alene Tribe. "I think it delays everybody's ability to get out and get some things done."

Spencer said in the afternoon that the Tribe had released its employees to go home, and that several activities had been interrupted by the impassible roads.

The section of Highway 95 was still closed by evening.

"The guys are out there plowing, they look back and it looks like they've never been there," said Idaho Transportation Department information officer Barbara Babic.

The ITD had manned barricades up. There have been intermittent road closures at the south end of Kootenai County this winter, but none were closed for long durations, Babic said.

Blowing snow was also a problem for the Eastside Highway District, said road supervisor John Pankratz.

Harrison Flats roads were partially passable, he said. The upper end of Alder Creek Road is closed from Marie Creek Saddle Road to the top of the Fourth of July Pass, but that is because there is too much snow right now to move with the highway district's trucks, he said.

No residents are trapped.

The Lakes and Post Falls highway districts reported no drifting snow.

Lakes supervisor Jim Wuest said roads are open, though some have been reduced to one lane as a result of the recent snows. He requested people call their highway district if they notice excessive water running on the roads.

"If we don't catch it soon enough, there could be a lot more damage," he said.

All the roads in the Post Falls Highway District were clear, said Mike Monett, assistant supervisor for the highway district.

On Friday, the district prepared for melting snow.

"I think we're going to be in good shape unless it starts pouring down rain," he said.

A measure of relief should come soon for the highway districts battling blowing snow, said National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Fugazzi.

Over the coming day, winds should die down to about 20 mph on the Palouse, he said. Winds blew 20-30 mph in the Coeur d'Alene area on Friday, and winds are stronger on the Palouse because of the terrain. He did not have a measurement of wind strength in the Worley area.

"Tomorrow it doesn't look like we're going to have very much wind," he said.

Warmer temperatures have kept snow from blowing in many areas by melting a crusty layer that holds down the snow. However, in some areas the winds were so strong the crust did not keep snow from blowing, he said.

"There are places where the wind has been so fierce the crust doesn't really matter much," Fugazzi said.