A November to remember
It’s hard to believe that the entire northwestern U.S., including Spokane, Spokane Valley and Coeur d’Alene area, has above normal precipitation for the entire 2006 season after enduring one of the driest summers and early falls in recorded history.
From Nov. 1 through the afternoon of Nov. 30, 4.38 inches of precipitation has fallen at the Spokane International Airport. Coeur d’Alene has picked up an incredible 7.57 inches with about 5 inches of moisture in the Spokane Valley.
The normal for the entire month of November is 2.08 inches at the airport and 2.97 inches in Coeur d’Alene. Spokane Valley’s average November precipitation is 2.98 inches. The all-time record for November precipitation at the Spokane International Airport is 5.85 inches set back in 1897. In Coeur d’Alene, the November precipitation record is 8.76 inches in 1973.
The precipitation season begins on Jan. 1 and since that time, the Spokane International Airport has received 18.65 inches of rain and melted snow. The normal for the entire year is 16.67 inches. Coeur d’Alene has already surpassed 30 inches of moisture with 30.93 inches. Their normal for a season is 26.11 inches. In Spokane Valley, the normal precipitation is 17.51 inches. Since Jan. 1, that region has received over 20 inches of moisture.
Snowfall in the Inland Northwest has now approached near to above normal levels. Since the season began, the airport has received 7.7 inches. The normal through Saturday, Nov. 25, is just over 8 inches. Spokane Valley has received approximately 5 inches of the white stuff with Coeur d’Alene gauging 17.9 inches. This figure is above the 8 inches that is normally received by this date.
But, much of our snow came during the Thanksgiving weekend. If the warmer air would have arrived sooner rather than later that evening last Sunday, much of our snow would have once again come as rain. The rain and snow line in this area has been very close. A few degrees either way has made all the difference in the world.
In Seattle, November brought those folks heavy rains and near-blizzard conditions. The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where official rainfall records are kept, received a whopping 15.63 inches of precipitation since Nov. 1. That breaks the previous record for the month of November of 11.62 inches in 1998 as well the all-time mark of 15.33 inches gauged in downtown Seattle in December of 1933.
Record snows also fell in the northwestern corner of Washington state. Port Angeles received more than 15 inches of snow last weekend. This total actually exceeds the normal of 14 inches for an entire winter season.
This sudden abundance of moisture can be blamed, at least in part, on the moderate El Nino in the waters of the south-central Pacific Ocean. This warm-water phenomenon has been directing copious amounts of moisture from Hawaii into the Pacific Northwest.
Instead of the precipitation being directed into California, as is often the case with El Nino, the wet weather pattern set up 600 miles north of the Golden State over our region. However, as we get closer to the official start of winter, Pacific storms should start heading southward toward California.
Despite the recent cold snap, I see a major warm up, again thanks at least in part to El Nino by early to mid- December when most of our lowland snows will probably melt off quickly.
Then, just in front of the Christmas holidays, we should see another visit from Old Man Winter that would give the local ski resorts a big boost and we low-landers a chance of a White Christmas. This would be the case if El Nino’s influence continues to level off.
Regardless, I still expect January to be the snowiest and coldest month of the entire winter season. Don’t be surprised to see more than half of our season’s snow during that time. We’ll need every flake of snow during that time because February is looking dry once again like it’s been during the past couple of winters.