SANDPOINT — A snowstorm that dumped at least a half a foot of snow on Bonner County kept emergency responders of all stripes task-saturated on Tuesday.

Law enforcement and firefighters spent much of the day responding to slide-off and rollover crashes, in addition to numerous downed power lines throughout the county.

The fallen snow’s moisture content — and the resulting weight — felled trees into power lines and across roads, in addition to gumming up roadways.

The 1000 block of Glengary Bay Road was completely blocked by downed trees. A large tree fell across the 6600 block of Bottle Bay Road, which blocked both lanes of travel.

Another tree fell across the 22,300 block of Dufort near Priest River, which entirely blocked the route. The Bonner County Sheriff’s Office urged motorists to avoid the area and seek alternative routes. Later, a truck hit a low-hanging power line in the 1500 block of Dufort, causing the line to dangle above the road.

A tree took out a power line in the 1800 block of Lower Pack River Road, while a tree fell across the 1400 block of Rapid Lightning Road, which also blocked the route.

A tree fell into the road in the 1000 block of Highway 57 in Priest River, which drew Avista crews to the area. Motorists, however, were reportedly speeding around the corner and endangering workers, according to the Sandpoint Police Department’s Facebook feed.

Downed trees also blocked Trout Creek Road, the 1000 block of Ontario in Dover, the 1500 block of Wrenco Loop Road and the 2400 block of Lakeshore Drive in Sagle.

“Once again it is that time of year. With the recent snowfall and the temperature it has created some very slick and hazardous conditions almost instantly,” Sandpoint Police said in a Facebook post.

In Sandpoint, crews spent much of the day out in snowplows and graders as Tuesday’s storm began, continuing their efforts throughout the day. Designated emergency routes were plowed multiple times throughout the day, City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton said in a press release.

After going home for a “much-needed rest,” Stapleton said crews were set to return at 2 a.m. to begin a city-wide plow. Work will begin in the downtown core, where on-street parking is prohibited between 2-6 a.m. between Nov. 1-March 1 to facilitate snow removal. 

Plowing will continue on emergency snow and commercial access routes and continue onto residential streets. 

 All vehicles parked on city streets must be cleared of snow for visibility within 24 hours of any storm and residents are asked to move vehicles to off-street parking locations whenever possible. 

“Snow removal is a partnership between residents, business owners and the city,” Stapleton said. “We appreciate the help and support of our residents and business owners in keeping our city accessible during the winter months, particularly for seniors, children and those with disabilities.”

Avista reported widespread outages, with as many as 90-plus reported because of the downed lines. More than 4,100 customers were reported affected Tuesday night. Northern Lights reported approximately 75 outages with about 6,160 customers affected.

Staff writer Caroline Lobsinger contributed to this story.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee. Caroline Lobsinger can be reached by email at clobsinger@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @CarolDailyBee.