Gusts to 55 mph whipping Tri-Cities. Snoqualmie Pass shut down until Sunday

The Tri-Cities was under a wind advisory until 9 p.m. Friday, with gusts as high as 55 mph forecast.

Sustained speeds of 25 to 34 mph were forecast by the National Weather Service into the early evening, dropping to 17 to 22 mph overnight. Overnight gusts of up to 33 mph were forecast.

Fortunately, warmer weather on Friday was melting and compacting the snow, said the weather service.

“This limits the potential for blowing and drifting of snow,” it said in a discussion of wind advisories issued for throughout the lower Columbia Basin and the Blue Mountain foothills.

“The main impacts will be sudden gusts that will cause difficulty driving for high-profile vehicles and loose objects that may become airborne,” it said.

Outdoor holiday decorations not yet taken down could end up in neighboring yards. And power outages are possible, the weather service said.

Friday was forecast to be the warmest day in the Tri-Cities through at least Thursday, with a high of 47 expected in the Tri-Cities Friday.

The high is expected to cool to about 40 on Saturday and then into the 30s through at least next Thursday.

Overnight lows are forecast in the 20s Saturday night through Tuesday night.

No more snow is expected in the next seven days in the Tri-Cities, but the community on Friday was still dealing with the snow and ice from the latest storm.

The Kennewick station that relays snow totals to the weather service reported a maximum of 5 inches of snow on the ground over the past week, with some individuals around the Tri-Cities reporting slightly more snow.

Snowfall at the Kennewick station so far this snow season has totaled 6.3 inches. The average fall and winter snowfall total there since 2000 has been 8.1 inches.

The North Franklin School District remained closed on Friday. The Columbia School District in Burbank, the Prosser School District and the Kiona Benton City School District started class two hours late.

Ben Franklin Transit continued to have some disrupted service due to snow and icy roads.

Changes were announced until noon on Route 20 at Grosscup Boulevard and 62nd Avenue in West Richland; on Route 110 at Canyon and Steptoe in south Richland; and on Route 123 at Gage Boulevard and Kapalua Avenue in south Richland.

Washington state travel

Travel across the state of Washington remained nearly impossible on Friday, with snow or flooding closing the roads that link the Tri-Cities and Seattle.

Interstate 90 is not expected to open across the Cascade Mountains until Sunday. A 70-mile stretch from North Bend to Ellensburg is closed.

Stevens, White and Blewett passes also remained closed on Friday.

Conditions have been too dangerous for road crews to work in in some areas as snow and debris continue to slide onto highways, the Washington state Department of Transportation said.

The department expected to spend Friday addressing avalanche issues and then spend Saturday plowing and treating roads, removing snow from signs, and clearing trees and debris from roadways.

“We recognize the importance of these corridors but nothing is more important than the safety of our crews and the public,” the department said.

To add to travelers’ problems, a 20-mile stretch of Interstate 5 in Lewis County between Grand Mound to south of Chehalis was closed because of rising flood water from the Chehalis River Friday morning.

That meant driving the Columbia River Gorge, now that Interstate 84 has reopened east of Portland, and then heading north on I-5 to reach the Seattle area was not an option. There are no good detours for the closed stretch of I-5.

The Washington state Department of Transportation did not expect flood waters to recede until Sunday, it said Friday morning.

But after water stopped rising by noon Friday, it began to open the interstate.

The start of spring semester classes at Washington State University Pullman has been delayed because of the cross-state road closures.

Classes on Monday and Tuesday have been canceled in Pullman, but classes will be held as scheduled at WSU Tri-Cities.

This story was originally published January 7, 2022 at 11:47 AM.