SPOKANE — The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch Monday for large parts of the Columbia Basin. A winter storm watch means that conditions are favorable for a winter storm event that is a threat to life or property, according to the National Weather Service website, but that the event’s occurrence, location and timing are still uncertain.

The alert, which goes into effect Tuesday afternoon and will last until Wednesday evening, covers the northern part of Grant County as well as all of Douglas County and most of Adams and Lincoln counties. The alert calls for possible accumulations of anywhere from nine to 16 inches of snow north of U.S. Highway 2, and accumulations of two to five inches south of the highway. Affected municipalities include Grand Coulee, Ritzville, Waterville, Odessa, Harrington and Coulee City.

Travel could be very difficult in those areas, the NWS wrote, and the Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning commutes could be affected.

The NWS also predicted occasional light snow during the day Tuesday before the heavy snow flies in the evening.

For more information, visit www.weather.gov.