Here's your annual city-by-city snowfall predictions

Every year in mid-autumn, Cliff and I issue our annual city-by-city snowfall predictions for North Idaho and surrounding areas of the Inland Empire.

As we all know, we had a record-breaking February 2019 as 56 inches of snow fell in the 28-day month, taking us to another winter with over 90 inches in Coeur d’Alene for the 2018-19 season. The average snowfall since 1895 is 69.8 inches and we’re expecting another above-normal season thanks, at least in part, to the low sunspot activity.

For 2019, many locations around North Idaho had 3 months with record snowfall­—February, September and October. Our season has certainly been off to a fast start as four storms have produced snow since late September. According to Cliff’s records, the most storms in September and October that had produced snow in the Coeur d’Alene area since 1895 was two.

Our snowfall totals thus far for the 2019-20 season are well above normal. In northwestern Coeur d’Alene, Cliff has measured 6.6 inches of snow, compared to a normal of close to an inch. Downtown Coeur d’Alene and North Idaho College have seen totals above 7 inches for October. Hayden has reported snowfall figures of about 8.5 inches in town to over 11 inches in the higher elevations. Garwood and Spirit Lake have reported snowfall totals near a foot in October. In September, most locations did pick up an inch of snow from that rare early season storm.

In addition to the snow, it has been extremely cold. The high temperature in Coeur d’Alene last Tuesday was only 30 degrees, a new record low-maximum temperature for the date. The normal high for Oct. 29 is 53 degrees.

The four storms that produced snow across the Inland Northwest have originated from Montana, rather than from the eastern Pacific Ocean. These storms literally backed up over our region, bringing unseasonably cold and snowy weather. Last Tuesday, low temperatures were below the zero mark at many stations in Montana. Kalispell and Great Falls reported a low of -2 degrees. Whitefish was -3 degrees and Butte was -5 degrees. Cliff told me that he lived in Whitefish for about 17 years and never had a temperature that cold in October.

For the 2019-20 season, Cliff and I see another year with above normal snowfall totals. Our initial estimates are going to be around 100 inches in Coeur d’Alene with healthy totals in the higher elevations. As we’ve been saying for quite some time, it’s possible that we could have a season that challenges the record-breaking 172.9 inches of snow. However, our snowfall is off to a very early start and could easily end in early 2020, which would keep totals a little lower.

To get the big snowy season, we need very low sunspot activity and the cooler-than-normal sea-surface temperature event, La Nina. Right now, sunspots, or solar storms, have been minimal. But ocean waters are much warmer compared to 2007-08, which could lower our snowfall totals. We’ll just have to wait and see.

For now, here’s our projected seasonal snowfall totals for many eastern Washington and northern Idaho towns and cities. Depending on what happens over the next several months, we may have to adjust these totals.

In terms of our local weather, another system is expected to come in from the north and bring rain and snow showers to the region late in the week. Then, it looks like the next system will bring us rain as it comes in from the Pacific Ocean around the middle of the month.

Overall, moisture totals are expected to be above normal through the end of the year, with periods of snow and some occasional rain. The chances of a White Christmas, which would be five in a row and another record, are looking pretty good.

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Contact Randy Mann at randy@longrangeweather.com

1. The area ski resorts should measure between 200 inches at Mt. Spokane to as much as 400 inches of snow at Lookout Pass along the Idaho/Montana border.

2. Priest Lake: 138 to 143 inches

3. Spirit Lake: 135 to 140 inches

4. Twin Lakes: 133 to 138 inches

5. Bonners Ferry: 130 to 135 inches

6. Rathdrum: 125 to 130 inches

7. Sandpoint: 123 to 128 inches

8. Wallace: 122 to 127 inches

9. Athol/Garwood: 120 to 125 inches

10. Hauser Lake: 118 to 123 inches

11. Kellogg (town): 115 to 120 inches

12. Hayden Lake (above 2,400 feet): 112 to 117 inches

13. Hayden (town): 103 to 108 inches

14. Newport, Washington: 102 to 107 inches

15. NW Coeur d’Alene (my station on Player Drive): 100 to 105 inches

16. Fernan Lake: 92 to 97 inches

17. Dalton Gardens: 90 to 95 inches

18. St. Maries: 88 to 93 inches.

19. Kalispell, Montana: 85 to 90 inches

20. Hope: 82 to 87 inches

21. Coeur d’Alene (Downtown near the CD’A Resort): 80 to 85 inches

22. Post Falls: 78 to 83 inches

23. Plummer: 75 to 80 inches

24. Worley: 74 to 79 inches

25. Harrison: 73 to 78 inches

26. Missoula, Montana: 72 to 77 inches

27. Spokane (South Hill): 70 to 75 inches

28. Bayview: 68 to 73 inches

29. Spokane Valley: 67 to 72 inches

30. Spokane International Airport: 65 to 70 inches