The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory from 2:00 p.m. Friday through 10:00 a.m. Saturday.
Local meteorologists forecast Total snow accumulations of 2 to 5 inches across the valleys and lowlands. Above 3500 feet elevation, snow accumulations of 4 to 9 inches. Little to no snow expected for locations along the Columbia River.
Passes impacted are Sherman, Loup Loup, Blewett, Stevens, Disautel and Wauconda.
Just in time for any predicted accumulation of snow, Chelan County snow plow drivers are ‘at the ready.’
Meet Logan Fifer, the three-year Chelan County Public Works snow plow driver, who is on patrol anywhere outside of the city of Chelan.
"Driving a truck is one thing, but throwing in the whole sander and running a plow in front of your truck, at the weights they are," is the challenge that Fifer described while behind the wheel of a 30,000 pound snow removing machine. "I try not to use too much salt because we don't want our roads to get too saturated with salt. It's hard on people's cars; it's hard on the road itself."
After a fresh snowfall, plow drivers are out as early as 5 a.m.
"We're trying to stay ahead of it (snow accumulations) to make sure it's safe when everyone wakes up," said Fifer. "Making sure that if somebody's in need we can be available if you're stuck in a ditch when we're first taking off."
"Our elevation changes from the lake level, or even down all the way to the river, up to some of the mountain ranges that we get to, is drastic," Fifer cautioned drivers. "You look up at our mountains and we have snowcaps and we have nothing downtown. You may not see us working, but I can guarantee we're pushing snow up in the mountains."
Fifer and the snow plow crew remind residents to keep vehicles and garbage cans off the curb so they can keep your roads clear.
In Chelan, city public works crews are looking for innovative ways to best attack the snow and ice on roads.
"They're using less sand because it's ineffective and messy," said City Administrator Wade Farris. "There's a chemical they use which is the same one WSDOT (Washington State Department of Transportation) uses, and they use that strategically on hills and in curves where we really need it."
Real-time information on travel conditions on mountain passes can be found here.
Find out more about Chelan County road maintenance operations, and see a map of where crews are at work, here.
Additional information on the county snow removal program can be found here, and on the Chelan County Public works' blog, here.
You can view the latest Chelan County Connection podcast, highlighting the snow maintenance program, here.
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