A month-by-month 2011 North Idaho weather review
January 2011
Temperatures were a bit warmer than usual last January across the Inland Empire. Jan. 16 saw a record high of 51 degrees on Player Drive in Coeur d'Alene. The month's lowest reading was 6 degrees on the 11th. Total precipitation during January was above normal at 4.43 inches. The 16.8 inches of snow that we received pushed our 2010-11 seasonal total to 79.3 inches, nearly 10 inches more than we normally measure for the entire season ending June 30 of 69.8 inches since 1895.
February 2011
February of 2011 was the snowiest month of the entire year at a whopping 26.2 inches. It was the seventh-snowiest February on record since at least 1895. It pushed our 2010-11 seasonal snowfall to 105.5 inches at month's end in Coeur d'Alene. The total precipitation for February 2011 was 5.08 inches, much above normal. We set a record low of minus-4 degrees on Feb. 22, which broke the previous record of minus-3 degrees for the date in 1922. The warmest reading last February was a mild 49 degrees on the 12th.
March 2011
Thanks, at least in part, to a cool and wet "La Nina" sea-surface temperature event in the Pacific Ocean waters, last March was the second wettest on record since 1895 with a healthy precipitation total of 5.02 inches. Only March of 1916 was wetter at 5.37 inches. We measured 7.9 inches of snow during the 31-day span which pushed our 2010-11 seasonal total to nearly double normal at 113.4 inches. Temperatures last March were cooler than normal. We had a high of 58 degrees on March 31 and a low of 23 degrees on March 12. It was even windier than usual during much of March 2011.
April 2011
Last April was likewise much wetter than normal and quite snowy as well. Temperatures averaged more than 6 degrees below normal. The 3.72 inches of liquid moisture during the 30-day span was more than double the normal of 1.77 inches. Our 2011 annual precipitation reached a whopping 15.83 inches. Our seasonal snowfall soared to 121 inches, likewise double normal. No additional snow, however, was gauged during May or June.
May 2011
May of last year was another cool and wet month locally across North Idaho and the rest of the Inland Empire, part of the third-coldest spring on record since at least 1895. Rainfall during May of 2011 was 3.92 inches, which pushed our annual total to a much above 19.75 inches by Memorial Day. A 'trace' of snow was noted on May 24, which likewise had a record low maximum reading for the date of just 50 degrees. The month's warmest temperature was 81 degrees on May 14. The lowest minimum was a frosty 31 degrees on the 2nd.
June 2011
Last June likewise was cool and wet across our part of the country. We measured 2.12 inches of precipitation. That pushed our annual total to 21.87 inches, nearly seven inches above normal for the first half of 2011. There were many days during June of 2011 when the afternoon highs remained in the cool 50s and lower 60s. The warmest day was June 22 with 86 degrees. It was a chilly 38 degrees on June 9 with light frosts reported in the Twin Lakes area.
July 2011
We finally enjoyed our first "Sholeh Day" above 90 degrees on July 7. The month of July also turned drier than usual with just .77 inches of precipitation, .63 inches falling in a single wet day on July 13. The warmest afternoon last July was 93 degrees on the 30th. The coolest morning was 45 degrees on the 1st. Overall, July of 2011 was 1.8 degrees cooler than normal in town.
August 2011
August was very warm and much drier than usual with only .31 inches of precipitation gauged during the entire 31-day span. All of this moisture fell on the final day of the month. The previous 30 days were bone dry for the first time since at least 1895. There were 10 days during August of 2011 with highs in the 90s. Our warmest afternoon of the summer of 2011 was 97 degrees on Aug. 28, the final day of the rainless 2011 North Idaho Fair and Rodeo. August's coolest morning was 46 degrees on the 20th.
September 2011
September's average high of 80 degrees was six degrees warmer than usual, even topping July's average maximum of 79 degrees. There were a record number of "Sholeh Days" at or above 90 degrees in Coeur d'Alene this past September. From Sept. 5 through Sept. 12, every afternoon was in the 90s, a new record for September warmth in town. The month's warmest day was 94 degrees on the 12th. We finished the summer of 2011 with a near-normal 22 "Sholeh Days" at or above 90 degrees, this despite a very chilly start to the season. The month's coolest reading was 36 degrees on the 29th.
October 2011
October of 2011 was a delightful month weatherwise across North Idaho. Temperatures and precipitation were both near-normal during the 31-day period. The warmest afternoon was 79 degrees on the first day of the month. The chilliest morning was Oct. 27 with 26 degrees and the first "killer frost" of the fall of 2011. Total October precipitation was 1.94 inches.
November 2011
Last November was certainly a month of 'wide extremes' weatherwise (and otherwise). The first third of the month was totally dry and milder than usual with afternoon highs reaching the lower 50s at times. The second third of November 2011 was colder than usual with 10.9 inches of snow in Coeur d'Alene and upwards of 3 feet of the white stuff in the nearby mountains that allowed the area ski resorts to open early. The last third of November was wet and mild. All the snows below 3,000 ft. melted. Our current six-week winter snow drought began on Nov. 22 and hasn't ended yet. We finished the month of November with 3.89 inches of liquid precipitation, well above the normal of 3.07 inches since 1895.
December 2011
Last December was the driest such period on record in North Idaho until a couple inches of rain (not snow) and mild temperatures arrived during the last week of the month. We did see a white Christmas (barely). We finished the month at 2.10 inches of moisture and a 2011 final precipitation total of 31.62 inches, well above the normal of 26.77 inches.
NORTH IDAHO WEATHER REVIEW AND LONG-RANGE OUTLOOKS
As of Thursday, Jan. 5, our six-week winter SNOW DROUGHT, not typical of "La Nina", continued across North Idaho and the rest of the so-called Inland Empire.
On Wednesday, Jan. 4, at 3:13 p.m. we set a record high for the date of 54.6 degrees, breaking the previous mark of 49 degrees set 94 years ago in 1918 by nearly 6 full degrees. Robins were sighted in one nearby backyard and flowers were still blooming, especially pansies, in other yards.
We are still, however, looking for the return of the mid-November snows by this week's Jan. 9-16 "full moon" cycle. Temperatures will be more seasonable for early to mid January with highs in the lower 30s and morning lows in the low to mid 20s.
The second half of January, much of February and at least the first three weeks of the month of March, will likely be both colder and snowier than usual across the Inland Northwest, so keep those snow blowers tuned and the shovels ready. Old Man Winter is not through with us yet, not by a long shot.
Believe it!
Cliff Harris is a climatologist who writes a weekly column for The Press. His opinions are his own. Email sfharris@roadrunner.com