Deep Freeze

Pre-winter Snow & Ice Just TheBeginning Of A La Nina Year That Could See Flooding In The Touchet ValleyWAITSBURG - What has kids and skiers so excited worries local authorities and area residents who recall the infamous winter of 1996. This week's early snow indicates the beginning of a cold season that could be a great year for Ski Bluewood but disastrous for a Touchet Valley vulnerable to flooding from the Touchet and Coppei rivers.

Almost a foot of snow fell earlier this week in Walla Walla and Columbia counties, thwarting drivers, closing

Freeze

or delaying schools, and prompting valley residents to think twice about their Thanksgiving travel plans. It was followed by freezing temperatures with more precipitation in the forecast for the weekend.

Meteorologists and emergency managers predict this could be the worst winter in more than half a century, producing snow packs and temperature swings like the area saw 14 years ago.

"We're looking at a La Nina winter, which brings more precipitation and colder temperatures," said Jon Mittelstadt, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pendleton. "The outlook is for major snow pack, which is good news for ski resorts and water resources people, but it does set up the possibility for flood conditions." Gay Ernst, director of Emergency Management for Walla Walla County, said when the ground freezes and a sudden rise in temperatures

mixed with rain melts a thick snowpack faster than the soil can absorb the runoff,

flooding is inevitable, particularly in January, February or March. No such conditions are imminent in the next few weeks as the snow pack in the Blue Mountains is just beginning to build.

But Waitsburg city officials aren't taking any chances. On Monday, they warned business owners on Main Street to anticipate

adverse conditions and planned to send out 72-hour emergency preparedness instructions to all households as they did last year. "As large amounts of snowfall can lead to flooding, the City is asking you to prepare for a flood at present time, rather than waiting for an actual flood to occur," officials wrote in a letter to the downtown businesses. "This is not to say that a flood is imminent this year, but that we want your business

to be protected," the letter went on. "As many of us remember all too well, the flood waters ran very high through the downtown corridor during the flood of 1996." The letter encourages downtown business owners to purchase plastic sheeting from the city to protect their buildings against flooding. In Dayton, Mayor Craig George said businesses will not receive the same flood warning, but emergency management leaders and elected officials are preparing for the possibility of severe weather and flooding. At the city's regular levee meeting this fall, leaders discussed pre-positioning of sandbags on pallets to be ready, George said. "Though you have to be careful where you store them so they don't freeze."

Other preparation included the big emergency management workshop last Wednesday, attended by heads of nearly all local and a few regional first-responder units as well as elected officials and emergency management professionals (see story on page 12).

While government officials were looking ahead to what the early snows could mean for their communities, many had their hands full dealing with the first cold weather of the season.

Walla Walla County officials reported more than 35 fender benders in the county, some of them in the Waitsburg area.

Kyle's Toys & Towing in Dayton responded to an equal number of tow calls, including a Sheriff's patrol car and a fully loaded semi truck on Highway 12 near the Tucannon Road turnoff. "It's been crazy," owner Kyle Anderson said, his office and shop the scene of feverish automotive winterization

work mixed with emergency tow requests from throughout Columbia County. Some members of his crew worked almost around the clock to keep up with demand for their company's services. "It's nasty out there," said Anderson, whose crew responded mostly to drivers who slid off the road rather than serious accidents. But that could change as driving conditions worsen by the weekend when temperatures are expected to rise and snow may turn to freezing rain, turning roads into ribbons of ice.

"It's the driving I'm worried about now," Ernst said about her agency's immediate

challenges, which also include concerns about snow or ice-induced power

outages and physically harsh conditions for independent seniors in the area. Drivers quickly adjusted their gear to the new conditions. Walla Walla's well-staffed Les Schwab Tire Center on Isaacs quickly booked up on Monday.

On Tuesday, the AgLink (formerly the Columbia County Farm Bureau) shop in Dayton reported booking through next Tuesday and the Shell garage on Main Street too was swamped with tire changing and other requests.

The early snow, however, bodes well for the new owners of Ski Bluewood, who hope they can open the mountain for skiing on Wednesday, Dec. 1. There's about two feet of powder on the slopes but not enough compact snow for a good base. Although there may be enough snow before Wednesday, Kelly and Mike Stephenson said not everything is in place yet to kick off the new season. A final lift inspection was barely completed and there still is training on the schedule along with renovations to the lodge. "We are very excited about the snow," Kelly Stephenson said, recommending skiers check the mountain's website: www.bluewood.com regularly for updates.