Some like it HOT
By DEVIN HEILMAN
Staff Writer
COEUR d’ALENE — Long.
Gray.
Oppressive.
That's how our winter was, Coeur d'Alene resident Cheryl Mohler said Wednesday as she walked her little dog, Cho Cho, along the Centennial Trail.
But today, those lingering gray skies should vanish, at least briefly.
Green baby buds on trees are blossoming, bright yellow dandelions are beginning to pop through the finally visible green grass, and that much-loved fragrance of spring is hanging in the air at last.
Although today isn't expected to break the 1966 record of 85 degrees, the near-80 degree reading will certainly help melt away the frosty oppression of a long winter.
"It's going to be warm. Some places will hit 80 degrees," said Press meteorologist Randy Mann. "The last time we were in the 80s was on Sept. 16. It was 82 on that day, then we cooled down."
Today's warmth should be accompanied by that sorely missed friend of the Inland Northwest: Sunshine.
“It will be nice, for sure, to have that kind of day,” said Mark Jeffrey of Coeur d'Alene, who took advantage of Wednesday's mid-60s warmth by strolling through McEuen Park on his lunch break.
"The thing I like the most about it is the longer days; the more daylight, not necessarily the temperatures," he said. "The winters are so dark, the days are so short. It's dark when I go to work, dark when I go home. Now we've got light in the morning, light in the day."
Jeffrey has lived in North Idaho about 25 years and he's looking forward to getting outside to do some yard work, but he said he didn't really mind the winter.
"The first half of the winter, I love it because it adds to the whole Christmas atmosphere and the New Year atmosphere. We love that, and I’d hate to not be able to have that," he said. "But come late February, early March, you know, you're starting to think, 'Ah, I want to get out.'"
Evelyn Raebel of Sandpoint formerly lived in Coeur d'Alene and has been in North Idaho long enough to know how harsh the seasons can be, including the 2016-2017 winter.
"We had a North Idaho winter — long, long, long and long," she said while watching her young sons play in G.O. Phippeny Park. "I’m all out of tricks as a mom for being inside so I’m super excited for 80 degrees."
She said her family is ready to trade their shoes for sandals and hop on their bikes to enjoy today's weather.
“We had tons of rain, tons of snow," she said. "My hope is that we will have lots of campfires come August and September because of it."
Mann said the region will experience thunderstorms and showers off and on through May, with summer making its true appearance in June, but it won't rain nearly as much as it has so far this year.
"We finished second place for April as far as moisture. We just missed the record, but not by much," he said. "We're not going to get record rains in May, I don't think. I see May turning drier."