Snow, at last
A woman walks past the snow-covered ground at McEuen Park on Thursday.
Hannah Neff
Coeur d’Alene received 1.6 inches of snow Thursday, the most in one day since early January.
And that was more than double the measly six-tenths of an inch of total snow that has fallen in the city in the past four weeks — a record low for that time frame, breaking the mark of 2.9 inches in 1929.
“It’s very unusual to go four weeks with so little snow,” said Climatologist Cliff Harris.
On Jan. 6, more than 8 inches of snow fell in Coeur d’Alene, the highest single-day total in three years. Since then, it’s been mostly cold and dry, with a few snow dustings and some rain here and there.
Another storm front could be moving in.
Harris said it could snow, with rain mixed in, tonight and early Saturday, but after that it should be dryer and warmer, with high temperatures in the 40s.
“It has a way of warming up quickly with southwesterly winds,” Harris said.
Over the past weeks, a high-pressure ridge has pushed snow elsewhere and kept clouds overhead, reducing the sun to an occasion visitor.
Harris said until Thursday’s snowfall, there had been only trace amounts over four weeks. His prediction of 83 inches of snow for the winter may come up short, but he believes there may be snow yet to come.
“The groundhog supposedly saw his shadow yesterday, but that doesn’t mean squat,” Harris said.