Rain rocks!

COEUR d'ALENE - If you're thinking this must be one of the rainiest, coldest Junes on record so far in North Idaho, you are not alone.

And you are absolutely correct, too.

Climatologist Cliff Harris said Wednesday it has rained 2.03 inches in Coeur d'Alene the first six days of June, eclipsing the average of 1.93 for the entire month. In June 2011, it rained 2.12 inches.

The total rainfall for the year is at 22.67, nearly 12 inches above normal.

Every month of the year so far, except for May, has seen above average rainfall.

"We're in a pattern of unbelievable extremes," he said.

How extreme?

Well, Wednesday's high temperature was 44 degrees, recorded shortly after midnight. The previous record for lowest high temperature on June 6 in Coeur d'Alene was 53 set in 1896.

The low of 37 at 9 Wednesday morning was only 2 degrees off the record low set in 1962.

There were reports of snowflakes and whiteouts in parts of North Idaho.

"This is an extremely cold day," Harris said. "This is more like what you would see in the first week of March, rather than the fist week of June."

It should get warmer and drier next week, with temperatures returning to the 70s.

"Once El Nino takes over, we'll begin to dry out up here and warm up," he said.

But until then, keep your umbrella handy, your Gore-Tex boots by the front door and turn off the sprinklers. Another storm is expected to bring rain through Sunday.

Harris noted the temperature changed dramatically with the arrival of this week's storm that delivered 40 mph winds, lightning, hail and even a tornado watch. Temperatures plunged to the 30s from the 70s in a matter of a day, a drop of 40 degrees.

"That's quite a cooling off," he said, laughing.

He said don't despair too much. A heatwave might not be far off.

"For every extreme, there's been an opposite extreme," he said. "There are extremes all around the northern hemisphere."