Coeur d'Alene's new 2011 precipitation and snowfall averages
At the end of each decade, I recalculate temperature, precipitation and snowfall data for the Coeur d'Alene area dating back to the inception of regular weather observations in 1895.
In this column, I will give my new updated precipitation (liquid) and snowfall averages, which will include such statistics from Jan. 1, 2001 to Jan. 1, 2011.
During the past 10 years, we've generally seen snowier, but not colder, winter seasons, cool and wet springs, cooler and drier summers and warmer fall seasons with widely-fluctuating precipitation and snowfall patterns.
In mid-February, I will issue my updated temperature averages, plus the various all-time record highs and lows for each month of the year dating back to 1895.
Here are the NEW monthly mean (average) liquid precipitation and snowfall statistics listed beside the old Jan. 1, 2001 averages:
PRECIPITATION
JAN. 1, 2001 JAN. 1, 2011
Jan: 3.61" Jan: 3.71"
Feb: 2.14" Feb: 2.17"
Mar: 1.99" Mar: 1.94"
Apr: 1.75" Apr: 1.77"
May: 2.21" May: 2.37"
Jun: 1.78" Jun: 1.93"
Jul: 0.96" Jul: 0.92"
Aug: 1.27" Aug: 1.23"
Sep: 1.58" Sep: 1.48"
Oct: 1.93" Oct: 2.22"
Nov: 2.97" Nov: 3.07"
Dec: 3.92" Dec: 3.96"
TOTAL: 26.11" TOTAL: 26.77"
SNOWFALL
JAN. 1, 2001 JAN. 1, 2011
Jan: 21.2" Jan: 21.4"
Feb: 11.5" Feb: 11.9"
Mar: 5.8" Mar: 6.3"
Apr: 0.9" Apr: 0.7"
May: Trace May: Trace
Jun: 0 Jun: 0
Jul: 0 Jul: 0
Aug: 0 Aug: 0
Sep: 0 Sep: 0
Oct: 0.2" Oct: 0.2"
Nov: 7.8" Nov. 8.7"
Dec. 19.3" Dec. 20.6"
TOTAL: 66.7" TOTAL: 69.8"
To answer a subscriber's recent question, I measure snow at my station on Player Drive in northwest Coeur d'Alene four times a day, every six hours.
NORTH IDAHO'S WEATHER REVIEW AND LONG-RANGE OUTLOOKS
By the time one reads this 'Gems' column, it will be Jan. 10, the exact midpoint of our normal snowfall season that ends June 30. Usually, we receive as much snow after Jan. 10 as before in a given season in the Coeur d'Alene area. But, every year is different weatherwise.
As stated in the first part of the column, our new seasonal snowfall average in town since 1895 has climbed to 69.8 inches, up 3.1 inches from the average Coeur d'Alene seasonal snowfall calculated on Jan. 1, 2001, a decade ago of 66.7 inches.
This should mean that we'll have another 35 inches of the white stuff during the second half of the season. But, due to rising snowfall levels and a slight warming trend in the North Country, I seriously doubt that we'll gauge more than 25 inches locally in the lowlands below 2,500 feet between now and June 30.
In the climatological record books, snowy Novembers and Decembers have usually been followed by less snow than normal in late January, February, March and April.
As of this Thursday, Jan. 6 writing, we had gauged a whopping 66.8 inches of snow already this winter, only three inches less than what we would normally receive during an entire season ending June 30, and the snows didn't even start until Nov. 21, just prior to Thanksgiving.
This winter's final total should be near my predicted 92.4 inches in Coeur d'Alene. But, if La Nina continues to strengthen in the Pacific and sunspot activity remains low, we could crack the century mark for the third time in four seasons. Only last winter during El Nino did we see far less of the white stuff than usual.
But, only time will tell. Stay tuned.
Cliff Harris is a climatologist who writes a weekly column for The Press. His opinions are his own. E-mail sfharris@roadrunner.com