The last snowfall of 2019 is not going quietly into this good night.

At least 3 inches of wet overnight snow knocked down power lines and disrupted service to some Kootenai Electric customers in the Coeur d’Alene area.

“Unfortunately, wet snow can impact power lines more than your average snow,” Melissa Newcomer of Kootenai Electric told The Press on Tuesday. “Wet snow has a tendency to weigh down trees more easily, weigh down power lines and disrupt power easier. [Tuesday morning’s] storm was a good example of that.”

Kootenai Electric reported five outages that were promptly fixed Tuesday morning, but crews were still working to fix three outages impacting 91 customers as of 3 p.m.

“We’ve got a handful of outages still,” Newcomer said. “Right now, we have two outages south of Coeur d’Alene, down by the lake, and we have one near Hauser impacting customers there. While we’ve had a handful of outages today, crews have been very efficient in getting power restored.”

Avista reported an outage northeast of Medimont impacting another 81 customers. While crews estimated the Medimont outage would be fixed by nightfall, the utility company also reported just after 3 p.m. that 4,115 customers were without power in the Priest River and Sagle areas, where as much as six inches fell during their New Year’s Eve storm.

“When storms like this happen, they’re a good reminder to stay prepared,” Newcomer said. “We regularly suggest people have storm kits ready, just in case. We suggest people have an emergency plan in place, and we recommend people follow the American Red Cross website to get ideas on how to better prepare themselves.”

Those kits include non-perishable food, water, a flashlight, extra batteries, a hand-powered radio, medications and first aid, as well as blankets and tools, among other items. The site also provides a fact sheet detailing helpful information about household goods; for example, the site lists how long certain foods typically remain fresh in a powerless refrigerator.

“Having information can help during those difficult emergencies,” she said.

Newcomer added that her best advice is to assume any downed power line is live, and to call the utility company immediately.

Kootenai Electric customers wishing to report a power outage or a downed power line can call (877) 744-1055. Avista customers can call (800) 227-9187 to report an outage.