100% chance of clocks falling back

It’s been a wild October across parts of the West.

Record-breaking storms moved into California, dumping over 6 inches of rain in valleys with over a foot of moisture in the mountains.

Amazingly, Sacramento picked up more rain in three days than in the entire 2020-21 rainfall season. For October, California’s capital city picked up 6.71 inches compared to 6.56 inches for the previous season.

Here in North Idaho, it was one of the driest early-to-mid-Octobers in history, as Coeur d’Alene received only about a tenth of an inch of moisture. As of late Saturday, Cliff had measured close to 1.90 inches of rain for the month, which is below the 2.22-inch normal.

Over the last week, the southern part of the polar jet stream was much stronger, sending the heaviest portions of these storms to our south. It was a very unusual pattern for October, especially in California. However, it does appear that our region should see an increase in rain and snow in November and December.

The long-range computer models are also showing this developing weather pattern. Although we may see some showers this week, the chances for rain and even some measurable valley snow increase next week.

Our predicted seasonal snowfall total for the 2021-22 season in Coeur d’Alene is 83.4 inches, which is above the normal of 69.8 inches. Some of the outlying areas near the mountains should be close to 100 inches for the upcoming season. Stay tuned.

We also can’t forget the time change this coming Sunday. On Nov. 7, most U.S. and European residents will move their clocks back one hour to standard time. I’m assuming that many of us will enjoy the extra hour of sleep. On the flip side, however, it will be getting dark even earlier, thanks to the time change.

Our daylight hours will continue to decrease as we head toward the winter solstice, the first day of winter, on Dec. 21. For today, the length of day with sunlight is around 9 hours and 56 minutes. Over the next six weeks or so, we will lose approximately 3 minutes of daylight each day. On Dec. 21, our shortest day of the year, there will be 8 hours, 24 minutes and 59 seconds of daylight. After that date, we’ll slowly be gaining more daylight.

In terms of the next time change, we’ll have to wait until the second week of March before returning to daylight saving time. One big reason the clocks are returned to standard time in November is to provide school children with more light. Without the time change, some would be going to their classes in the dark.

Daylight saving time has always been controversial. Many argue that having more daylight hours conserves energy, benefits sports, retailing and other activities.

But some believe that the transition from moving the clocks twice a year has been linked to a higher risk of a heart attack, sleep disruption patterns, more car accidents and other unwanted events.

The new time also causes problems for farming and other occupations relating to the sun.

According to an AP-NORC poll that was conducted in late 2019, Americans were divided on this issue. For example, 31 percent wanted to move to daylight saving time throughout the year while 40 percent wanted standard time. About 28 percent are fine with the current situation.

Despite the change in time in America and European nations, more than 60 percent of the countries in the world stay on standard time throughout the year. Daylight saving time is not observed in Hawaii, Arizona, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands.

Standard time and time zones in the U.S. and Canada were instituted by the railroads in November of 1883 to standardize their schedules. Daylight saving time actually began in Europe during World War I, in 1916, with hopes it would save energy. In the U.S., a law for this time change went into effect in March of 1918. However, the law was so unpopular that it was repealed and only became a local option for a few states.

During World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt instituted a “War Time,” from February 1942 to September 1945, which was a year-round daylight saving time.

From 1945 to 1966, there were no federal laws associated with daylight saving time, so states and local governments were free to choose whether to participate in this practice of changing their clocks in the spring.

Due to the inconsistencies of U.S. time, Congress decided to end the confusion of daylight saving time in 1966 by establishing a uniform system. In 1986, legislation was enacted to move the clocks forward on the first Sunday of April and end on the last Sunday in October.

In 2005, the Energy Policy Act extended daylight saving time from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday in November.

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Contact Randy Mann at randy@longrangeweather.com