RITZVILLE, Wash. — Update: The westbound lanes are open. Eastbound I-90 is still partially blocked, but people are able to go eastbound through one open lane.
A dust storm causing zero visibility and multiple crashes has closed I-90 and Highway 261 near Ritzville, according to the National Weather Service and the Spokane Regional Transportation Management Center.
I-90 is closed in both directions through Ritzville due to poor visibility and multiple crashes, according to SRTMC. The closure began around 2:46 p.m. Thursday and is in place until further notice.
Highway 261 is also closed from milepost 59 near Harder Road to the I-90 junction in Ritzville due to poor visibility and crashes, according to SRTMC. That closure began around 2:06 p.m. and is in place until further notice.
The National Weather Service in Spokane reported zero visibility from a dust storm in the Ritzville area and said multiple crashes were blocking the roadway.
The weather service expanded a blowing dust advisory into the upper Columbia Basin. The advisory remains in effect until 7 p.m.
Drivers should expect significant delays in the area.
This is a developing story.
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