There’s nothing wrong with an average winter

So, how are you liking this “El Niño” winter so far?

As I write this article, the Midwest is once again bracing for another winter storm. Just two weeks ago, Oklahoma City picked up more than 14 inches of snow during a Christmas Eve blizzard. Even Dallas has seen several inches of snow so far this season (3.2 inches). A quick peek outside locally, and I see a street devoid of any traces of the white stuff. Most folks here were greeted by pouring rain to start 2010.

While precipitation is above normal for the month so far, it has been mainly in the liquid form. As of Jan. 7, Coeur d’Alene has seen only 15.1 inches of snow. On average, there are 31.3 inches by this time of year, and of course, last year at this time we had picked up around 88 inches. In Spokane, the airport has received only 11.5 inches of snow – even lesser amounts in Spokane Valley. Average snowfall to date for Spokane is 23.6 inches, whereas last year the area had already picked up 79.3 inches. I don’t hear anyone complaining, and a recent visit to one of the local ski resorts proves that they’re getting what they need at those higher elevations.

What can we expect for the remainder of the month? The Climate Prediction Center puts the Northwest in the midst of above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation, so it looks as if we may see more rain than snow this month.

As far as climatology is concerned, we have already reached the low point for average highs and lows (32 and 21 degrees respectively). Even though we still may get hit with another arctic blast or two, average temperatures will be on their way up, along with increased daylight hours. A little over two weeks past the winter solstice, and we’re now seeing about 10 extra minutes of daylight. El Niño conditions are expected to persist into spring this year, an influence which should keep temperatures above average as a whole into March, with below average precipitation.