Local residents react to wild weather
Photo by JOSH MCDONALD A Saturday crash resulted in the Pinehurst Post Office needing to board up their front window.
Photo by JOSH MCDONALD The front of the Silver Valley Worship Center after a plowing accident resulted in its front awning collapsing.
Photo by JOE WEIHERT Firefighters with Coeur d’Alene and Kootenai County Fire and Rescue attempt to put out the buring semi-truck on Interstate 90.
Photo by JOHN MILLER Crews with Shoshone County Fire District No. 1 respond to a truck sliding into a snow plow on Interstate 90. Just one of many accidents that occured over the weekend.
Courtesy photos These photos were taken from the front porch of a Pinehurst home just prior to the winter storm beginning and Saturday morning.
We all know the old adage about North Idaho…
If you don’t like the weather here, just wait 15 minutes.
From Valentine’s Day until Sunday evening, North Idaho gave us her best, as she showed how 50-degree spring weather can turn back into a wicked winter in the blink of an eye.
Silver Mountain Ski and Snowboard Resort reported 40 inches of snow piled up on the mountain over the weekend. Lookout Pass reported almost 30 inches in the same time span.
So as skiers and snowboarders rejoiced, many motorists and residents of the Silver Valley muttered foul utterances under their breath as they slipped down the road.
Snow, rain, hail, sleet, wind, thunder, lightning, ice, and just a little bit of sunshine certainly made for confusing and treacherous road conditions. Accidents dotted the highways, but the accidents weren’t isolated to just the interstate. Several structural incidents from sliding and plowing occurred, such as a collision at the Pinehurst Post Office and a plowing accident that gave the Silver Valley Worship Center a face-lift.
Comments like, “It can stop snowing any time,” or “HOLY SNOW,” were common across Facebook as residents aired their frustrations.
Established folks who have been in the Silver Valley for years commented on how they felt about the situation as well.
“I really didn't think it was bad at all,” Heidi Wood wrote. “We normally get two or three storms a year that are comparable. It was just a drastic change after having such an unusually warm January.”
Wallace attorney James McMillan was more terse in his response, but cited specific examples of worse winters.
“Still not as bad as 96-97 or 2008-2009,” McMillan wrote.
Jamie Sedlmayer is new to Shoshone County, but not to North Idaho, said that she has enjoyed her first Silver Valley winter so far.
“First year over here in the valley and I love all this snow,” Sedlmayer wrote. “In Cda I didn't love the snow as much but out here the plow crews are amazing and everyone knows how to drive in this weather. One of my favorite things is that in Cda, Hayden, and Post Falls they pretty much plow you in, but in Smelterville they not only do a good job plowing our roads, they come by just to remove any snow berms they may have created in our driveways. It's pretty awesome.”
Matt Miracle, a Silver Valley transplant who came to Idaho after growing up in the Midwest (primarily Michigan) said, “It felt like a midwestern winter storm. The biggest difference was that as windy as it was, over there it gets a lot windier.”
The Shoshone News-Press is working to get an estimate of all the vehicle incidents that occurred over the weekend, but the Monday holiday has delayed this process.
Several accidents near Fourth of July Pass caused traffic to back up many times. This includes a fiery semi-truck rollover on Friday near milepost 18.2, east of Coeur d’Alene. This one incident caused westbound vehicles to backup all the way to Wolf Lodge for several hours.
If the most recent weather forecasts are correct, we could be seeing even more snow coupled with freezing temperatures toward the end of the week.
Jeremy Groves, Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office captain, warns that drivers need to have their guards up due to constant changing conditions.
“Ice snow and rain can come at anytime and slower traveling speeds are always recommended.”
Part of having your guard up while driving in these conditions also involves giving yourself more time to get to your destination. Since slower driving speeds and unexpected accidents are a very real possibility, leaving early can help ensure that you get where you’re going on time.
Even with slower speeds though, drivers can still find themselves losing control of their vehicle. If this happens, Groves stresses that you should not over break or lock up your breaks if possible.
“Once breaks become locked up or excessive breaking occurs,” he states, “it prevents the driver from being able to maintain steering or control of the vehicle.”
In the event of heavy snowfall, Shoshone County Fire officials ask residents that live near fire hydrants to clean them off so that they can be accessed in an emergency.