Fresh snow in the Tri-Cities. Travelers should check road conditions

Fresh snow coated the Tri-Cities early Wednesday morning, but the worst of the storm system hit east of the Tri-Cities.

Up to a half inch of new snow fell in parts of the Tri-Cities.

Both the Benton and Franklin county sheriff’s offices were warning drivers to watch for slick roads early in the morning.

The new covering of snow topped ice on roadways in some areas, and conditions could cause problems with stopping and slowing, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office warned on social media.

More rain and snow is possible later in the day in the Tri-Cities, according to the National Weather Service. There had already been one snow flurry by mid morning.

But any additional accumulation should be less than a half inch.

There were no reports of school delays or closures in Benton or Franklin counties.

But that was not the case in Walla Walla and Columbia counties.

Walla Walla had 3 inches of new snow by 5 a.m., according to initial reports.

The Walla Walla, Prescott, Waitsburg and Dixie school districts had a two-hour delayed start Wednesday. Dayton schools were closed due to the snowy roads.

The Tri-Cities should get a break from fresh snow Thursday and Friday.

But the weather service if forecasting a 30 percent chance of snow on Saturday and a 50 percent chance on Sunday.

Interstates 84 and 90 closures

Interstate 84 in Oregon from near La Grande to 7 miles east of Pendleton closed to eastbound and westbound traffic at 7 a.m. because of what the Oregon Department of Transportation called “severe winter driving conditions” and dense fog near Cabbate Hill and Meacham.

The closure was later extended to Ontario, Oregon, before the interstate reopened about 11:30 a.m.

Travelers were warned that they still should expect packed snow, icy spots and fog in places between La Grande and Pendleton.

The weather service said snow was falling just after midnight at Meacham on Interstate 84 at a rate of about an inch an hour. At 6 a.m. it reported 13.5 inches of new snow at Emigrant Springs near Meacham.

Interstate 90 closed eastbound near Cle Elum about 1 a.m. because of multiple collisions on snowy roadways. The interstate reopened about 3:30 a.m., according to the Washington state Department of Transportation.

A winter weather advisory at Snoqualmie Pass on I-90 remains in effect until at least 1 p.m. Wednesday.

This story was originally published February 20, 2019 at 7:17 AM.