Oregon Public Broadcasting

While cities west of the Cascades recover from the ice storm, flooding and mudslides, the Inland Northwest is getting more of what residents have been expecting for a while: a wintry white layer of snow. And forecasters say there's another round on the way.

The Inland Northwest's weather appears to be making up for lost time. After an unusually dry and warm start to winter, the National Weather Service predicts storms could dump up to a foot of snow in some parts of eastern Washington this week.

Forecasters were anticipating a wet Pacific storm system to drop as much as half a foot of snow in the Wenatchee area, and for several inches of flakes to fall in the upper Columbia Basin, in Spokane and in the Idaho panhandle. Music to the ears of local ski resorts.

"So, active weather pattern," says Bob Tobin, a forecaster for the National Weather Service. "If people were complaining they didn't see enough winter, they sure are getting a dose this week, that's for sure."

But Tobin cautions travelers: a storm system from the south on Tuesday could usher in a bout of freezing rain. That could hit in the Wenatchee Valley and along the Columbia River.

On the Web:

Eastern Wash and Northern Idaho forecast:

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/otx/

Copyright 2012 Northwest News Network

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