Upper Columbia Basin storm history

Multiple collisions and slide offs were reported along Interstate 90 in Adams County due to fresh light snow accumulations melting and subsequently freezing to the road surface. A fatal accident was reported from the Ritzville area.

Moderate snow, slick conditions, and excessive speed was responsible for a ten car pile up along Interstate 90 seven miles east of Ritzville at 1246 PST. Eleven people were involved in the crash, four which were injured and one which died on the scene. Eight of the ten cars were …

Washington State Patrol reported a multi-vehicle accident occurred on Interstate 90, 11 miles west of Ritzville. The strong winds resulted in near zero visibility due to the blowing dust. This resulted in a five vehicle accident and 9 non-life threatening injuries. The collision …

Mesonet in the Washtucna area recorded a gust of 54 at 1630LST. Several other sites recorded gusts into the upper 40s to low 50s. Power outage in Wilbur affected 52 customers. Winds also broke 1 inch thick tree limbs and blew shingles off roofs in the Spring Canyon area East of G…

Near zero visibility on Interstate 90 at milepost 206 led to a collision, and a 1.5 mile backup of westbound lanes. Traffic closure lasted roughly 2 hours.

Dust storm reduced visibility to less than a quarter mile. Trained spotter reported unable to see roadway. A two car wreck along Highway 21 was attributed to incident. The area coverage of dust was between Highway 21, I-90, and state route 28. Locations included Odessa, Mohler, a…

Human caused wildfire started on July 17 and was contained on July 21. It burned 520 acres of crop and grassland along Interstate 90.

Observer estimated ten inches of snow four miles East of Sprague. WSDOT reported six inches in Sprague.

An observer near Almira reported 11 inches of snow at 0700LST. Grand Coulee and areas along US 2 including Hartline, Wilbur and Coulee City had reports of 8 to 11 inches. Odessa reported 5 inches. Ritzville and Lind had 2 to 4 inches.

Highway 2 between mileposts 198 and 200 was closed due to reduced visibility from dust storm. Several collisions were reported.

Farm equipment working a field sparked a wildfire that was quickly spread through grass fields by winds. It burned from August 4-6. It burned 2500 acres. Six homes and eight outbuildings were destroyed.

Farm equipment working a field sparked a wildfire that was quickly spread through grass fields by winds. It burned from August 4-6. It burned 2500 acres. Six homes and eight outbuildings were destroyed.

A strong winter storm brought moderate to heavy snow across the upper Columbia Basin. Snow began around 2200PST bringing 4 to 6 inches of snow overnight in locations such as Ritzville, Odessa, and Davenport. Due to the heavy snow and slick road conditions, there was a slide off o…

Two new all time record high maximum temperatures were set across the upper Columbia Basin on June 28th: Wilbur reached 110 degrees and Odessa 115 degrees. Due to the extreme high temperatures, local libraries for those without air conditioning across the area. There are no known…

Strong winds, with gusts from 40 to 55 mph, led to blowing dust and near zero visibility in Odessa. There were no reports of accidents in the area. Avista Utilities reported power outages in the Odessa area around the time of peak winds.

A CWOP site in Washtucna measured a 69 mph maximum wind gust.

Strong winds and dry conditions resulted in blowing dust and near zero visibility in southern Adams County. A National Weather Service employee reported blowing dust on US-395 south of Ritzville. There were numerous walls of dust across State Route 26, from Hatton Coulee to Othel…

The Department of Transportation closed an approximate 30 mile stretch of Interstate 90 in Adams County due to dangerous, life threatening travel conditions. There was near zero visibility from blowing dust across the interstate. Wind gusts reached 45 to 55 mph at nearby RAWS and…

Across the upper Columbia Basin many observation sites measured wind gusts from 40-50 mph. The peak winds occurred in northern Lincoln County at the Keller Ferry site. The ferry on State Route 21 was closed due to gusts of 60 mph and higher at the final crossing. There were no re…

A CO-OP observer in Wilbur recorded 4 inches of new snow accumulation.

A grain truck was blown over in a field, just north of Odessa. No one was driving at the time. The truck was empty and estimated to weigh 20,000 pounds. The wind gust speed is estimated based on the truck weight.

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.

Heavy, freezing fog created slick roadways which led to rolling cars, collisions, and blocked roadways. Many occurred on US Highway 2 and Interstate 90. Washington State Highway troopers responded to 63 crashes overnight December 25th and the 26th. There are no reports of injurie…

A member of the public reported near zero visibilities at Highway 17 and Leahy Junction due to blowing dust from strong winds.

The National Weather Service Spokane office reported that a dust plume decreased visibility to 1/2 mile in Ritzville near Interstate 90.

The Department of Highways reported State Highway 26 closed and multiple collisions due to blowing dust from strong winds.

Law enforce reported near zero visibility, 5 miles northwest of Washtucna, due to blowing dust from strong winds.

An air quality sensor in Ritzville recorded unhealthy air quality from September 12th through September 19th with spikes into the Very Unhealthy and Hazardous categories. A cold front passage brought showers and westerly winds which ventilated the area.

A trained spotter in Ritzville, Washington reported visibility less than a quarter mile due to blowing dust.

The Department of Highways reported US Highway 395 from Interstate 90 to State Route 26 was closed due to poor visibility and collisions due to dust.

The Washington Department of Transportation reported Interstate 90 closed from Ritzville to the Grant-Adams County line due to low visibility from dust and smoke. The blowing dust caused several collisions with one involving 9 vehicles.

The Washington Department of Transportation reported State Route 261 closed between Washtucna and Interstate 90 at Ritzville due to poor visibility from dust.

The Washington Department of Transportation reported State Route 21 closed due to poor visibility from dust and wildfire smoke.

The Washington Department of Transportation reported State Route 26 closed for 21 miles from US 395 to Washtucna due to poor visibility from blowing dust.

Strong local winds led to downed tree damage causing power outages in Wilson Creek.

Strong local winds led to power outages in Ritzville.

The COOP observer in Wilbur recorded 5.0 inches of new snow accumulation from this storm.

The COOP observer in Ritzville recorded 4.8 inches of new snow accumulation from this storm.

The COOP observer in Lind recorded 5.0 inches of new snow accumulation from this storm.

The COOP observer in Odessa recorded 5.0 inches of new snow accumulation from this storm.

A weather spotter in Electric City reported 7.0 inches of new snow accumulation from this storm.

A member of the public 1 mile northeast of Electric City reported an estimated 10.0 inches of new snow accumulation from this storm.

An observer 3 miles southeast of Grand Coulee recorded 5.2 inches of new snow accumulation from this storm.

An observer in Ritzville recorded 5.0 inches of new snow accumulation from this storm.

The observer at Odessa recorded 6.5 inches of new snow accumulation.

The observer at Ritzville recorded 4.2 inches of new snow accumulation.

An observer at Almira recorded 4.5 inches of new snow accumulation.

An observer near Grand Coulee recorded 4.0 inches of new snow accumulation.