Weather conditions in Coeur d’Alene neighborhoods have cancelled Friday’s classes for Coeur d’Alene School District. Though the snow day is joyous for some, Friday’s closure is affecting the region’s blood supply to hospitals. Inland Northwest Blood Center had a blood drive planned for Coeur d’Alene High School on Friday, but with no students to donate, they're under the amount they need for the day.

“High schoolers contribute almost 25% of our supply,” Elizabeth Giles, Inland Northwest Blood Center, said on Friday morning. She’s hoping residents are able to make it out to their Coeur d’Alene location to donate the supply that is needed.

“We need 200 units a day and we haven’t seen that many donors for the past week,” Giles explained. “We’re the sole provider to all our hospitals.”

Two other mobile blood drives had to be cancelled as well today. That means they’ve lost the opportunity for about 250 units.

They have yet to reach a critical level in their supply, but if anything drastic were to happen at area hospitals, the low supply could be an issue.

“We’re trying to prevent this before it becomes critical,” Giles added.

Even though North Idaho is experiencing low snow levels, back country drivers are stumbling upon an unexpected hazard as they joyride through forest service roads. Trail heads remain clear and open, but the farther they trek into the forest, they find snow and it’s deep.

It’s becoming a hassle for the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office and their search and rescue crews to help stuck drivers who didn’t expect their vehicles to break the crest of deep snow. Sgt. Ryan Higgins says they’ve had to rescue about ten people already this year.

“Last weekend we had a couple of gals, late teens, get stuck driving around in a Subaru Wagon, getting into snow too deep for them,” Higgins explained.

During the calm winter weather, Higgins says average citizens are driving their vehicles along these forest service roads. At some point they’re unable to turn around or get out once they’ve broken through the snow crest.

“We get these calls late at night and then we have to call search and rescue,” Higgins said.