Coeur d'Alene area roads are looking better than they were earlier today, but conditions are still quite hazardous out there. Rain is expected later today, followed by a drop back down to freezing temperatures and more snow tonight. Drive safely!

Interstate 90 - Veterans Memorial Bridge

We keep a close eye on Coeur d'Alene Lake's temperature, with readings from the United States Geological Survey taken in the lake near the Spokane River. But daily readings don't really give a feel for the wide range of temperatures the lake experiences over the course of a year. Last summer we showed you a chart of the lake temperatures from August 2011 - July 2012.

This is a chart of the lake's temperatures throughout all of 2012, a time during which the lake ranged from a near-freezing low of 37^o (on January 20 and February 25) to 74.6^o on July 20.

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
505 AM PST MON JAN 7 2013

...SNOW THIS MORNING WILL BRING HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS TO
EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO...

IDZ002-WAZ036-072000-
/O.CON.KOTX.WS.W.0001.000000T0000Z-130107T2100Z/
COEUR D`ALENE AREA-SPOKANE AREA-
INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...COEUR D`ALENE...POST FALLS...
HAYDEN...WORLEY...SPOKANE...CHENEY...DAVENPORT...ROCKFORD
505 AM PST MON JAN 7 2013

...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM PST THIS
AFTERNOON...

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 6 INCHES.
LOCALIZED ACCUMULATIONS UP TO 8 INCHES IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS
AROUND COEUR D`ALENE.

* ELEVATION: BELOW 2000 FEET...INCLUDING DOWNTOWN SPOKANE...WILL
HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO CHANGE TO A RAIN/SNOW MIX BY LATE
MORNING. ELEVATIONS ABOVE 2000 FEET SHOULD EXPERIENCE A MIX TO
RAIN ABOUT NOON TIME.

* TIMING: SNOW WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES THIS MORNING.

* LOCATIONS: COEUR D`ALENE...POST FALLS...HAYDEN...WORLEY...
SPOKANE...CHENEY...DAVENPORT...ROCKFORD.

* IMPACTS: THE HEAVIEST SNOW WILL FALL PRIOR TO...AND DURING THE
MORNING COMMUTE. MOTORISTS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR HAZARDOUS
DRIVING CONDITIONS THROUGH AT LEAST MID MORNING.

* WEB PAGE: FOR A DETAILED VIEW OF THE HAZARD AREA VISIT
HTTP://WWW.WRH.NOAA.GOV/WRH/WHV/?WFO=OTX

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS
OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL MAKE
TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE.

Link to warning.