Snow Hits Valley

WAITSBURG - Snow hit the Touchet Valley Monday morning and was expected to last through Wednesday evening worrying commuters and giving hope to kids that school will be delayed or canceled.

Meteorologist Robert Cramp with the National Weather Service said a winter storm warning is issued from 7 p.m. Tuesday to 7 p.m. Wednesday, meaning residents should expect snow and freezing rain through Thursday. Cramp said the area may see 3 to 6 inches of snow between Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.

High temperatures may be about 32 to 39 degrees and low temperatures may be from 25 to 32 degrees.

But if wind blows into the valley, that will raise the temperatures, Cramp said.

"A lot of it depends on how windy it gets," he said.

The snow and freezing rain mix may last through Thursday morning. But, warm weather is coming, Cramp said.

The snow will have the biggest impact on traveling and Cramp said school districts and transit buses will be concerned about getting people where they need to go.

On Monday, kids were out of school because of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. They happily donned snow pants, coats, gloves and hats and had a great time sledding in the snow. Most of the light dusting of snow in the area had melted by the end of the day.

A Warming Trend Beginning about Thursday afternoon, a warming trend will come through the area and possibly raise the temperatures to the 40s, Cramp said. But after the expected rise in temperatures that may start Thursday afternoon, Cramp said we won't be out of the woods yet snow-wise. There is still plenty of time left in our winter season for several strong storms to hit the area again. "We could easily get snow into February and March," Cramp said.

School Closures

School officials will be talking with highway offi- cials as well as staff members at the state, county and city level to decide whether to delay or close school for the day depending on how safe it is for children to get to school, said Doug Johnson, the superintendent of the Dayton School District.

Superintendent Dr. Carol Clarke of the Waitsburg School District said "most frequently we have 2-hour delays. In the past 8 years, there has only been cancellation due to weather."

The decision to delay or close schools will be made and communicated to local radio (1420, 103.5, 1240, 1290, 107.7, 1490, 89.7) and TV (KNDU, KVEW) stations. Also, delays and closures will be posted on the Waitsburg School District's website (www.waitsburgsd.org). If no announcement has been broadcast prior to 7:30 a.m., please assume that school will operate on its regular schedule, Clarke said.

Dayton is part of the flash alert system, which is an electronic notification system. With the system, the district can send out a notification regarding any closure or emergency information.

Parents can register to receive the notices on home phones, cell phones or email. The system is also networked to radio and TV stations in our area that can then provide the information on air, Johnson said.

"While we don't like to close, if it appears to be dangerous traveling we would take the necessary precautions," Johnson said. "We can always find days in June to come to school without snow and ice."