Heavy Snow — Upper Columbia Basin, Washington

2020-12-29 to 2020-12-30 · Upper Columbia Basin, Washington

Event narrative

In the Upper Columbia Basin, from Ritzville to Odessa, there were reports of 4 to 6 inches of new snow accumulation. Vehicles driving too fast for poor road conditions led to many collisions and slide offs along Interstate 90 and other state highways.

Wider weather episode

A widespread, winter system brought snow to much of Eastern Washington on December 30th and 31st. The initial snowfall began overnight into the early morning hours of the 30th which resulted in difficult morning commutes. Significant snow fell throughout Eastern Washington with the greatest totals up to 8 - 12 inches.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 933110. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.