Snow a no show down low

So far, snow is a no show in Coeur d’Alene. 

Climatologist Cliff Harris said Thursday that a mere two tenths of an inch of snow has fallen, that being on Nov. 17. 

That beat the previous low of six tenths of an inch of snow through Dec. 5 in 1929, nearly 100 years ago, and is well below the average of about 10 inches of snow by this time of the season.  

Harris said while the Great Lakes region has been buried in snow, “we’ve been left high and dry with a big high-pressure ridge.” 

It hasn’t rained yet in December in Coeur d'Alene, and it’s been relatively warm for this time of the year, with highs in the upper 30s and lows in the upper 20s. Some people even still have flowers in their gardens, Harris said.

Harris said it could snow a little this weekend, but he doesn’t expect to see much, but rather, more fog and clouds and continued mild weather.

Ski resorts haven’t seen much snow lately, either. 

Lookout Pass, Silver Mountain Resort and Schweitzer reported zero snowfall over the past three days, but they are expecting up to a foot of snow this weekend.

Harris said between Dec. 12 and the end of January a “considerable amount of snow” should fall. He expects about 50 inches this winter, which doesn't officially arrive until Dec. 21 and marks the winter solstice.

“We’ll get it. We just have to be patient and wait it out,” Harris said. “In the meantime, it’s all up in the air.” 

Many people are not missing snow in the city, Harris said. 

He said he asked people if they would rather be digging out of record snow or have little snow. It wasn't even close.

“They all chose the least snow,” he said.