During March, expect the unexpected

It is often said, that the month of March “comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb.”

We see wild swings in weather across the Inland Northwest this time of year, and though we may have a few days that offer a hint of spring, March is definitely more of a wintry month in terms of temperatures and precipitation.

On average, Coeur d’Alene sees nearly 6 inches of snow in March, while Spokane sees about 3 inches. Of course last March was one that shattered records when Spokane received 15.8 inches of snow, Coeur d’Alene received more than 30 inches – and much of that was received during the last third of the month!

Our hint of spring came earlier this week when temperatures rose into the middle and upper 40s under plenty of sunshine. Some friends of mine reported that a few crocuses had been brave enough to peek up out of the soil.

Many were surprised to see flashes of light and hear rumbling noises Tuesday night as isolated thunderstorms moved through Spokane and Kootenai counties (last year we didn’t see our first thunderstorm until the last day of May). The ground was covered in soft hail, which melted in torrents the next morning under the bright sun.

Precipitation from the rare March storms totaled about .35 inches at both the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene airports. The tables were once again turned, however, when snow made a comeback on Thursday.

It is still possible to see record winter snowfall for Spokane – though it looks like last winter’s record- breaking snows in Coeur d’Alene will hold. As of March 4, Spokane had seen 85.2 inches of snow, with 124.7 inches recorded so far in Coeur d’Alene.

Of course last year, Spokane missed breaking the all-time snowiest winter record by less than an inch. The record winter of 1949-50 with 93.5 inches of snow still holds. This Coeur d’Alene winter is so far in second place to last year’s nearly 180 inches of snow.

Despite the high snow totals this season, much of it was received in a short span of time between mid-December and early January. A ridge of high pressure kept the weather unseasonably dry after that first week of 2009. As a result, snowpack across the area currently averages about 72 percent of normal in the Coeur d’Alene basin. Precipitation totals as a whole for this year are below normal as well. As of March 4, Spokane had received 3.44 inches (normal year-to-date is 3.53 inches/last year this time was 4.11 inches). In Coeur d’Alene, 4.40 inches of precipitation has fallen (normal year-to-date is 6.01 inches/last year this time was 7.85 inches).

Average highs this time of year are supposed to be in the mid and upper 40s.

Don’t forget to “spring” your clocks forward tonight!