If you’re tired of the snow, be thankful it’s not 1969

The National Weather Service measured 16 inches on the ground in Spokane on Wednesday.

What does that mean?

A winter record has fallen, of course.

This time, it’s for the most snow measured on the ground this late in the year. The old record was 12 inches in 1969. It also ties the record for most on the ground in March. Spokane also had 16 inches on the ground on March 1 of this year. That also occurred in 1969.

As of Tuesday, Spokane had at least 10 inches of snow on the ground for 30 days in a row. That’s not a record. In 1969, Spokane had at least 10 inches of snow on the ground from Jan. 10 through March 16. This year’s series is the ninth-longest … so far.

The buildup of snow has been aided by below-normal temperatures. Tuesday was the 38th day in a row that temperatures were below normal in Spokane.

The weather service said 3.2 inches of snow fell Tuesday. Some of it came in the evening, making for a slippery commute Wednesday morning.