More snow, single digit temperatures to keep Tri-Cities on ice

This week’s forecast for the Tri-Cities is starting to sound familiar — more snow possible, followed by highs in the teens.

Isolated snow showers were possible overnight, increasing through Tuesday morning in the Tri-Cities, according to the National Weather Service. About 1 to 3 inches of accumulation were expected.

Pasco, Richland and Kennewick school districts announced Monday night that school would start two hours late Tuesday. Check for updates and other school delays or closures at bit.ly/snowdelays.

The weekend snowstorms brought about 5 inches of snow to the Tri-Cities, as measured at the Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco. The weather service puts the accumulation on the ground at 8 inches before warmer weather Monday started to melt some of it.

For the winter season, the Tri-Cities has had about 20 inches of snow total, according to the weather service.

Between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning more snow is possible, but the likelihood of precipitation drops to 30 percent.

Thursday and Friday should be mostly sunny, with only a slight chance of snow forecast for Saturday and Sunday, according to early predictions.

Tri-City weather will be not only drier, but also colder.

The low Tuesday night could be about 12, dropping to 5 or 6 degrees on Wednesday and Thursday nights.

Highs are forecast to drop to about 20 on Wednesday and then into the teens on Thursday and Friday. The high may not be back to about freezing until Sunday, according to the weather service.

As the winter weather wears on, so do local road crews.

The city of Kennewick estimates it has spent about $15,300 on snow removal materials. That excludes labor costs, which won’t be calculated until the city’s first payroll of the year.

Nine days into a two-year budget, the city said it’s not yet fretting about running through its $115,000 budget for snow and ice control materials. Keeping arterial roads passable is a top priority, and will proceed even if it means dipping into lower priority budgets, said Evelyn Lusignan, spokeswoman.

Arterial roads are the city’s top priority, but road crews field requests from the police and fire departments to clear high-accident zones.

Kennewick has nine trucks equipped with plows or blades for snow removal.

Richland too makes snow removal on arterial roads its top priority, followed by minor roads and hilly areas, collector streets, and school zones. It has five snow plows and one grader.

Pasco city officials could not be reached Monday.

Regional road conditions improved some on Monday.

Highway 241 north of Sunnyside reopened Monday evening after snow drifts that had blocked the road were cleared by the Washington State Department of Transportation. Interstate 90 near Snoqualmie Pass was bare with spots of snow, slush and ice Monday evening.

The Oregon Department of Transportation reported that state highways in eastern Oregon were open, but some roads, including the Tollgate Highway, had 12-feet-high snow berms.

The sketchy weather in the Mid-Columbia wreaked havoc with public meeting schedules.

The Mid-Columbia Libraries Board rescheduled its Monday meeting to Tuesday. The board meets at 12:30 p.m. at 405 S. Dayton St., Kennewick, to adopt a tax levy and authorize a property tax increase.

Mid-Columbia Libraries branches and most Tri-City schools were closed Monday. Hanford workers, other than those considered essential, did not report for the day shift, but most swing and night shift workers were back on the job Monday night.

The Better Business Bureau cautions area residents to be on guard against scammers who prey on victims of snow-related incidents after the big storm. Common “after-disaster” scams involve auto, home and yard repairs and cleanups.

The bureau advises people affected by the storm to double-check their coverage with their insurance companies and to avoid being pressured into making quick decisions. Shop around, be wary of door-to-door vendors, get repair estimates in writing and to pay no more than one-third of the amount due before repairs are complete.

This story was originally published January 9, 2017 at 11:09 AM with the headline "More snow, single digit temperatures to keep Tri-Cities on ice."