Roads turning icy in Tri-Cities. Threat of freezing rain continues

Roads turned slick in the Tri-Cities on Thursday as the sun went down.

By early evening police were being called out to wrecks in Finley, near Benton City and south of Kennewick as precipitation froze on roadways.

The Mid-Columbia was under a winter storm warning Thursday afternoon through noon Friday.

But at least in the Tri-Cities, the precipitation that fell was more rain than freezing rain through the afternoon Thursday, even though the temperature stayed just below freezing.

The National Weather Service predicted that would not be the case overnight.

An accumulation of 0.2 inch of ice was forecast for the Tri-Cities by daylight Friday.

More freezing rain could fall Friday morning, with additional accumulation of less than a tenth of an inch of ice, according to the weather service.

Roads were slippery Thursday morning outside the Tri-Cities.

Workers not essential to maintain safety and security at Hanford were told to stay home Thursday. Swing and graveyard shifts also were canceled for Hanford cleanup workers and at the vitrification plant under construction.

Energy Northwest and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory both sent workers home early Thursday, in anticipation of streets turning slippery.

A low pressure system is responsible for the precipitation Thursday through Friday, according to the weather service.

Temperatures are expected to warm some on Friday, with any freezing rain turning to rain by late morning in the Tri-Cities.

The high Friday could reach 42 degrees, increasing to 43 on Saturday.

After a month of mostly gray skies in the Tri-Cities, 2017 should bow out with mostly sunny skies Saturday and Sunday.

More sunshine is forecast for New Year’s Day.

The coming work week may not be as sunny, according to the weather service, but no precipitation is forecast at least through Thursday in the Tri-Cities.

Elsewhere in the state, snow flurries and freezing rain were reported on Interstate 90 in both directions over Snoqualmie Pass on Thursday night.

The heavy traffic and poor weather conditions were causing delays of 30 minutes or more between North Bend and Ellensburg, said the state Department of Transportation.

And the Oregon Department of Transportation issued an alert Thursday afternoon for drivers to watch for debris falling onto Interstate 84 in the Columbia River Gorge between Troutdale and Hood River.

Heavy rain Thursday and Friday was expected to bring 3 to 6 inches in the area affected by the Eagle Creek fire this year, state officials warned.

This story was originally published December 28, 2017 at 7:34 PM with the headline "Roads turning icy in Tri-Cities. Threat of freezing rain continues."