Heavy Snow — Spokane Area, Washington

2008-12-26 to 2008-12-27 · Spokane Area, Washington

Wider weather episode

A strong warm front brought heavy snow to much of Central and Eastern Washington. On the Palouse, gusty winds also contributed to poor visibility with blowing and drifting snow. This led to the closure of State routes 272 and 27. In Spokane, the weight of snow on roofs started to become a problem. After the snow had ended a woman from Rockford, 20 miles southeast of Spokane, suffocated to death after snow had apparently fell from her rooftop and buried her while shoveling snow. The weight of the snow at a hotel caused three historic ceiling tiles to crash to the lobby floor. A business in the Spokane Valley experienced a roof collapse. After this storm Spokane County declared a state of emergency. The Palouse also began to see roof collapses, with a couple reported in Colfax. Storm total snow accumulations ranged from four to eight inches with locally higher amounts. Some of the higher totals include 12 inches 15 miles north-northwest of Leavenworth. Ten inches were reported in Rosalia, seven miles south of Liberty Lake, and four miles west of Anatone.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 141321. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.