Thousands sent home after freezing rain pelts Tri-Cities. Eastbound I-90 closes for hours

Workers at the Hanford nuclear reservation site and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland were being sent home early on Tuesday ahead of freezing rain forecast in the Tri-Cities region.

Employees at the PNNL Richland campus and those who work nearby at the Hanford site were told to go home no later than 10 a.m., unless they are essential to safety and security.

Hanford workers were told to leave in two waves to help alleviate some traffic congestion, some at 11 a.m. and others at 11:45 a.m. Those with jobs essential to maintain safe and secure conditions remained at the 580-square-mile site adjacent to Richland in Eastern Washington.

Swing and graveyard shifts also were canceled for Tuesday.

Hanford employs about 11,000 people, and PNNL employs about 5,300 workers, the majority in the Tri-Cities.

Most Mid-Columbia schools held class as usual Tuesday. However, the Prescott School District in Walla Walla County announced it was sending students home early Tuesday and was canceling afternoon and evening activities.

The National Weather Service forecast an 80% chance of rain, snow and freezing rain in the Tri-Cities area by early afternoon Tuesday, but little or no ice accumulation. It issued a winter weather advisory from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Trooper Chris Thorson of the Washington State Patrol advised Tri-Cities area residents to stay home if possible.

If you do drive, slow down, increase following distance, avoid unnecessary lane changes and be particularly cautious on bridges and overpasses, he said.

City road crews were already treating some intersections and roundabouts in the area in hopes of reducing the slippery conditions.

And the Washington State Department of Transportation issued an alert just before 12:30 p.m. that chains were required for all vehicles except all-wheel drive vehicles on Interstate 90’s Snoqualmie Pass.

Then multiple crashes closed the eastbound lanes over the pass for several hours Tuesday afternoon and evening.

This story was originally published November 22, 2022 at 11:12 AM.