This winter has been pretty calm. But after several days of blue sky, the city plows are ready to hit the streets Wednesday morning. "We are prepared throughout the winter season to be able to respond to snow and ice as it comes into our region," said Marlene Feist, the city's street department spokeswoman.
Feist says her crews are prepared to be out all night, but for handyman Steven Lawrence, the snow would be a change of pace. He hasn't needed his shovel or snow blower much at all this winter but has been sweeping the sidewalks a lot and was happy to be doing it. “I was hoping to get away with this without doing it again. But it's not looking like it. Again I think we'll have a couple more shots to play in the snow, and I don't want to play in the snow," said Lawrence.
Lawrence is a busy man. He sweeps and shovels an entire block on any given day. But during big storms, he brings in a crew to help him with snow that falls overnight. But he wishes that this storm would just pass and leave nothing behind, "I'm not looking forward to it. I'd prefer sunshine," added Lawrence.
So far this season, Spokane has received 32.9 inches of snow, which is about 4 inches lower than the average total snowfall to date.
The last significant snowfall in Spokane was over a month ago when school buses and cars were getting stuck. The city is ready for this storm, having its de-icers, sanders, and plows ready to roll. "This is winter weather in Spokane. We expect winter to continue into February despite our really nice weather spell, so our crews are prepared and ready to go and attack the snow," added Feist.
For information about city snow removal click here.
(story: Peter Maxwell, Reporter, KHQ.com; photo: KHQ.com)