Spokane Snowfall Should Be Short-Lived El Nino Is Bringing A Warm-Up, But Skiers Still ‘Should Be Happy’

Weather experts have said El Nino will bring mild, wet weather to the Inland Northwest this winter.

On Monday, the National Weather Service issued a forecast that matches that prediction.

A warm-up is expected to blow into the Spokane area between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. today and turn whatever precipitation is falling into rain.

The warmer temperatures should be enough to melt Spokane’s meager snowpack, which officially was measured Monday evening at 2 inches, said forecaster Darin Rife.

A high of 39 degrees is expected at midday.

Rain should fall in the valleys as far north as Colville, Wash., and Sandpoint. Cold air trapped between the mountains in the northern regions should keep precipitation falling as snow, Rife said.

Elsewhere, the snow level is forecast to rise to 4,000 feet by midday, but that’s still low enough that ski areas will get a healthy coating, forecasters said.

“If you are a skier, you should be happy,” Rife said.

A total of 6 to 10 inches is forecast in the mountains.

Today’s storm was forecast to start out as snow overnight and leave as much as 4 inches on the ground in Spokane before the warm-up arrives.

The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings through this morning for northeastern Washington, Okanogan County and North Idaho.

A storm warning is posted when at least 4 inches of snow are expected in the valleys and 6 inches in the mountains.

Winter weather advisories were issued for the Lewiston area, where less than 4 inches were expected.

Weather records show that winter weather is less severe in the Inland Northwest during El Nino, which is a warming of the tropical Pacific.

Frequently, El Nino causes drought in the Inland Northwest, but this year’s El Nino is so strong that wet weather has been predicted.

Bob Quinn, an expert in weather patterns and a geography professor at Eastern Washington University, said he expects a midwinter warm-up that will bring more rain than snow.

El Nino affects weather by altering the path of upper-level winds that steer storms off the Pacific. The jet stream during El Nino often dives far enough into the central Pacific to pick up subtropical air and send it well to the north along the West Coast.

Today’s storm carries a large tongue of warm air that’s being pulled into an intense area of low pressure making landfall in British Columbia.

Stable weather and the chance of low clouds and fog are expected to return by this weekend.

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