Our month-by-month 2013 weather reviews

YEAR 2013

This past year was 1.8 degrees warmer than normal at my station on Player Drive. The hottest afternoon was July 2 when the mercury hit a scorching 99 degrees, barely missing the century mark. The chilliest morning was 1 degree above zero, a record for the date on Dec. 7. The day's maximum reading was likewise a record low of 13 degrees.

We measured 25.93 inches of precipitation during 2013, 0.84 inches below the normal annual moisture total since 1895 of 26.77 inches. There were 31 days with thunderstorm activity last year. The total snowfall for the year ending Dec. 31 was 48.8 inches, more than 20 inches less than our 118-year normal of 68.9 inches. The last half of 2013 was practically snowless at just 10.9 inches gauged from July 1 through Dec. 31.

Our strongest wind during 2013 was a 43 mph gust on March 20, the first day of spring, which also had a record 0.98 inches of precipitation. Our wettest month in 2013 was June with 3.44 inches.

JANUARY 2013

January was a slightly milder and drier than normal month overall. Our total precipitation was 3.43 inches compared to the January normal of 3.77 inches since 1895. Our January snowfall, however, was slightly above the 21.4 inch norm at 26.0 inches. A record 8.3 inches of snow was measured at my station on Player Drive on Jan. 7.

Our average January temperature was 26.5 degrees, exactly 1 degree above normal. Our warmest temperature during the month was 44 degrees on the 9th. Our coldest reading was 13 degrees on the 13th.

FEBRUARY 2013

February was another milder than normal month with less precipitation than normal. The 1.71 inches that was gauged at my station was .46 inches below the 118-year normal of 2.17 inches. The total monthly snowfall was a puny 8.7 inches well below normal.

Our average February temperature was 35 degrees, nearly 2 degrees above normal. Our warmest day in February was a near-record 53 degrees on the 15th. Our coldest morning was 24 degrees on the 21st.

MARCH 2013

March was much milder and a bit wetter than usual with 2.07 inches of precipitation compared to the 118-year normal of 1.94 inches. Our meager March 2013 snowfall was just 2.8 inches, about one-third of our normal 6.3 inches since 1895.

Our average temperature during March was nearly 4 degrees above normal at 42 degrees. The monthly normal since 1895 has been 38.4 degrees. Our warmest afternoon last March was 63 degrees on the 14th. Our coldest morning was 21 degrees on the 25th.

APRIL 2013

Last April was a bit milder and wetter than usual. We gauged 2.13 inches of precipitation in the 30-day period, .36 inches above the 118-year norm of 1.77 inches. We measured a scant .4 inches of snow, well below normal.

Our average temperature during April was 47 degrees, exactly 1 degree above the normal of 46 degrees. Our mildest afternoon was 74 degrees on the 26th. Our coldest morning was a record low of 22 degrees on the 17th.

MAY 2013

May 2013 was slightly warmer and drier than usual. Our total precipitation of 1.91 inches was .46 inches under the monthly norm since 1895 of 2.37 inches. There was no snow.

Our average temperature during May 2013 was 57 degrees, a degree warmer than normal. Our warmest afternoon was a near-record high of 87 degrees on the 11th. Our coldest morning was a frosty 29 degrees on May 1.

JUNE 2013

June 2013 was a cooler and wetter month than normal across North Idaho. Our total precipitation was 3.44 inches, nearly double the monthly norm of 1.93 inches. A record 1.69 inches of rain was gauged on June 20. There were nine thunderstorms observed last June. Some of these storms had winds exceeding 40 mph. We saw hail five times during the stormy month.

Our first 90 degree afternoon of the summer of 2013 didn't occur until June 30. Our coldest reading on Player Drive in Coeur d'Alene last June was 41 degrees on the 1st. Our average temperature in June was 62 degrees, 3 degrees cooler than the month's normal of 65 degrees.

JULY 2013

Following an extremely wet month of June, as usual, things evened out weatherwise to a much hotter and drier month of July. Our total precipitation last July in Coeur d'Alene was a puny .47 inches, barely half of the 118-year normal since 1895 of .92 inches.

Our average temperature last July was 73 degrees, with an average maximum reading of 89 degrees, which was 5 degrees above normal. Our average low temperature was a near-normal 57 degrees. We had a string of 11 days in a row with 90 degrees or above last July, including the summer's hottest temperature of 99 degrees on the 2nd. There were 17 'Sholeh Days' in July at or above 90 degrees. Our lowest reading was 51 degrees on the 16th.

AUGUST 2013

This year's 'topsy-turvy' weather patterns continued in August, which was warmer and wetter than usual, but mostly dry during the 2013 edition of the North Idaho Fair and Rodeo at the end of the month. We gauged an above normal 1.94 inches of rain last August, .71 inches more than the 1.23 inches usually measured. There were seven days with thunderstorm activity in August.

As far as temperatures were concerned last August, we averaged 71.5 degrees during the month, exactly a degree above the normal of 70.5 degrees since 1895. There were a dozen 'Sholeh Days' at or above 90 degrees. Our hottest day last August was 93 degrees on the 9th. Our coldest morning was 50 degrees on Aug. 21.

SEPTEMBER 2013

Last September, like the month of August, was both warmer and wetter than usual. We gauged 3.10 inches of rain on Player Drive in Coeur d'Alene compared to the normal precipitation of 1.48 inches. The more than double the normal rainfall included a record .62 inches on Sept. 28. There were four days with thunderstorm activity.

Our average temperature last September was 62.5 degrees, which was nearly 2 degrees above normal. We had our 37th 'Sholeh Day' of the rather hot summer of 2013 on September 15, when the mercury hit a record 93 degrees. Our warmest afternoon last September was 94 degrees on Sept. 12. Our lowest temperature during the month was 39 degrees on the 26th.

OCTOBER 2013:

Here we go again. Our weather turned very dry under a strong ridge of high pressure last October. Only .62 inches of moisture was measured during the month compared with the 118- year normal of 2.22 inches. October 2013 was snowless.

Our temperatures last October were quite mild averaging a degree above normal at 46.5 degrees compared to the normal of 45.5 degrees since 1895. Our warmest afternoon during October was the 70 degrees reading on the 6th. Our chilliest morning and our first hard freeze of the fall season occurred on Oct. 29, when the mercury dipped to a frigid 25 degrees.

NOVEMBER 2013

Temperatures and precipitation amounts were near-normal this November. We gauged 3.05 inches of moisture compared to the normal of 3.07 inches since 1895. While heavy snows blanketed the nearby mountains for early ski season openings, only a scant 3.2 inches was measured in Coeur d'Alene due to mild temperatures below 2,500 feet. Remember, folks, it's all about elevation...too low, no snow.

Our average temperature this November was 36 degrees, precisely normal. Our highest reading was 55 degrees on the first. Our coldest morning was 14 degrees on the 22nd.

DECEMBER 2013

The 27.5 degree average (mean) temperature during the month of December was exactly one degree cooler than the 118-year normal of 28.5 degrees since 1895. Our coldest reading was a frigid 1 degree on December 7th. Our warmest day was 47 degrees on the 17th, 10 days later.

Our total precipitation was barely half of our monthly normal of 3.90 inches at just 2.06 inches. The total snowfall in December was a puny 7.7 inches, about one-third of the 118-year normal of 20.6 inches.

BRIEF NORTH IDAHO WEATHER UPDATE

We are still looking for a colder and snowier six-week period from early January through mid February, IF the stubborn high pressure ridge breaks down and allows copious amounts of moisture into the Inland Empire, including snow.

But, if the ridge doesn't break down, the current winter of 2013-14 will be a 'bust' snowfallwise across North Idaho. Also remember, that I'm not in PRODUCTION, only in SALES!

Cliff Harris is a climatologist who writes a weekly column for The Press. His opinions are his own. Email sfharris@roadrunner.com