 | Saturday, November 7, 2009 |
Background: These columns will help readers understand what's happening in local weather, provide historical context and give short-range and long-range forecasts. About the columnists•Michelle Boss has a bachelor's degree in meteorology from the University of Oklahoma and has been a freelance meteorologist for KREM-2. Weather is a common topic in her family: Her husband is a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Spokane. •Meteorologist Randy Mann, has more than 25 years experience in this field. He is the weekend and fill-in meteorologist for KREM-2 and co-owns a satellite and Internet data service that specializes in long-term weather predictions for farmers, commodity traders and media. Mann has co-authored 12 weather almanacs. He has been married for 15 years. |
12/13/2008 | Up to now, the coldest temperature reported at the Spokane Airport has been 20 degrees, with no measurable snow during the first 12 days of this month (Coeur d'Alene had less than 1 inch). 12/6/2008 | Temperatures have been a little bit chillier over the last couple of mornings, but other than that, there hasn't been much in the way of weather "headlines" across the Inland Northwest. 11/22/2008 | Like most people, our family has been pondering the question, "When is it going to snow?" It's a bit difficult to dream of a Thanksgiving holiday on the slopes, when few flakes have been seen across the lower elevations, and we are heading into the last week of November. 11/15/2008 | After a relatively dry October, we are certainly making up for it this month. In Spokane, rain was reported on 11 of the first 12 days of the month for a total as of Wednesday of 1.33 inches. Amounts closer to 1.5 inches were reported in the Spokane Valley, and in Coeur d'Alene a soggy 2.45 inches of rain has fallen so far this month. Fortunately, though rainfall was heavy at times, flooding has not been an issue across the Inland Northwest. 11/8/2008 | I noticed snow on some of the area hills this past week, and it's finally sinking in that wintry weather could be upon us any day now. As folks tend to look at the weather forecast and zero in on those subfreezing temperatures, I'd like to remind you all that snowy weather can occur even when temperatures are forecast to be well above freezing. 11/1/2008 | October definitely brought us a taste of cooler fall weather, but one thing missing was the rain.
10/25/2008 | Weather forecasts consist of quite a bit of information. People want to know whether it will be wet or dry, sunny or cloudy, windy or calm, dry or muggy, and of course whether it will be warm or cold. Different aspects of the forecast get more or less attention from a meteorologist, depending on the weather situation. 10/11/2008 | I recently scheduled to have my sprinklers blown out. I suppose most folks with sprinkler systems have to take care of that one way or another, or risk having burst pipes sometime during the winter. That task got me thinking about the amazing properties of water. Water in all its forms is not only a tangible part of what we call "weather," but also an integral part in steering the type of weather we experience. 10/4/2008 | It was a warm start to the month of October, with both Spokane and Coeur d'Alene seeing high temperatures into the 80s. No records were broken locally, but on Oct. 1 record highs were reported in Lewiston (88 degrees), LaCrosse (92 degrees) and Colville (87 degrees).
9/27/2008 | A few weeks ago, I was asked if I thought we were going to have an Indian summer. At the time, we were still technically in the summer season, so an answer to that question would have required somewhat of a long-range forecast on my part, which I generally don't try to do. 9/20/2008 | Fall officially begins on Monday. This last week of summer has provided us with a "last hurrah" of sorts, with scorching weather across the region and even a few record high temperatures last Wednesday. 9/6/2008 | Word on the street is that we got cheated out of some of our summer here in the Inland Northwest.
8/30/2008 | The last few rounds of thunderstorms that moved through the Inland Northwest over the past month were notable not only for producing some gusty winds, but quite a bit of hail as well. 8/23/2008 | It was quite a weather roller coaster this past week across the Inland Northwest. On average, the warmest part of the summer occurs during the last week of July into the first week of August. That period for 2008 did little to represent the dog days of summer. 8/2/2008 | We are now in the third month of a six-month Atlantic hurricane season, which started on June 1 and ends Nov. 30. So far there have been four named storms, two of which became hurricanes. The latest storm to affect the U.S. was hurricane Dolly, which made landfall at South Padre Island, Texas, July 23 as a Category 2 storm.
7/26/2008 | People across North Idaho and parts of the Spokane Valley got a nice little surprise Tuesday and Wednesday. 7/12/2008 | July is one of the driest months of the year in the Inland Northwest. Spokane averages about .76 inches of rain in July, with Coeur d'Alene averaging .96 inches. So far , only a trace (less than .01 inches) of rain has fallen at the Spokane airport, though a few thunderstorms have brought nearly half an inch to Coeur d'Alene this month.
6/28/2008 | I received a couple of e-mails recently inquiring about my position on climate change, and why I hadn't written a column about it yet. 6/14/2008 | The amount of weather that has made news in the past week has been unbelievable. There has been sweltering heat in the East, 500-year floods are menacing the Midwest, the threat of dangerous wildfires continues in the Southwest, tornadoes are ravaging the central plains, and locally we lament over an unseasonably cool June. 6/7/2008 | When I think of June, I think of summer. On average, however, summer doesn't officially begin until the third week of the month. Even with that in mind, this year has definitely been an odd one when it comes to seasons. Winter weather held on in to spring, and it now looks like spring weather will leach into our summer.
5/24/2008 | It's another case of weather extremes from one side of the country to the other. Here in the Inland Northwest, five days of very warm weather last week rapidly melted snow across area mountains, leading to widespread flooding. This occurred even with the below-normal precipitation we have seen so far this month. Previous months featured near-average precipitation, but colder-than-normal temperatures. The result was above-normal snowpack which had only experienced gradual melting until recently. 5/17/2008 | We are finally getting our first really good taste of warm weather across the Inland Northwest. Fortunately for us, the warmth has been accompanied by sunny skies or otherwise benign weather conditions. Across much of the nation east of the Rockies, however, springtime warmth has also been accompanied by deadly severe weather. 5/10/2008 | Now that the wintry weather is behind us, it's time to switch gears and start talking about thunderstorms. May and June are the most active months for thunderstorms and associated severe weather across the Inland Northwest. 5/3/2008 | More than 50,000 people will participate in Bloomsday on Sunday in Spokane. Whenever you have an outdoor event involving such a large number of people, weather becomes a huge factor. Dedicated runners, who have been training for months in our seemingly endless cold and snowy weather, probably won't be too affected by whatever Mother Nature throws at us tomorrow.
4/26/2008 | The saga of the never-ending winter continues. It probably won't surprise you that this April will likely go down as the coldest in Spokane and Coeur d'Alene's history. This past Sunday, Spokane broke a cold temperature record by achieving an afternoon high temperature of only 39 degrees. This is the latest date in which the high temperature was under 40 degrees (the previous date being April 11, year unknown). 4/19/2008 | For the past couple of months, all signs were pointing to a cooler and wetter than normal spring. This is one long range forecast that has definitely hit the bull's-eye. 4/12/2008 | Many folks may be outside celebrating, basking in the warmth that they had expected to feel more than 3 1/2 weeks ago.
3/15/2008 | As a meteorologist looking at a weather map, whether it be a chart of atmospheric pressure, contours of temperature, or just a jumble of weather symbols, the overall picture is usually crystal-clear to me. Sometimes I take that knowledge for granted, however, and forget that not everyone makes immediate sense of that kind of information. What I consider the basics may look like a foreign language to some, so I thought I would cover some of these basics to help you understand what you might see on your local weather map on any given day.
2/23/2008 | Though temperatures were running slightly below normal for much of the past week, sunny skies and light winds actually made for some pleasant weather conditions across the area. The thaw continues, and flooding has not been an issue thanks to sparse precipitation in the last several days. 2/16/2008 | It looks as if we finally made it through a week without any heavy snows or strong winds. Milder temperatures have slowly begun to eat through the mountains of snow piled up across the area. Can spring be too far down the road? 2/9/2008 | A controversy is brewing over snowfall records for Coeur d'Alene. Data collected by a local climatologist show Coeur d'Alene received record amounts of snow this winter, while more-official data show less snow has fallen. 2/9/2008 | The question that I'm hearing over and over is, "When will all of this snow and cold weather come to an end?" At this writing the total snowfall at the Spokane International Airport will probably be near 70 inches. I still don't think we'll challenge the all-time record of 93.5 inches during the 1949-50 season.
1/26/2008 | This past week we saw some of the coldest temperatures of the season. Officially, overnight lows in the Coeur d'Alene area dipped into the single digits and even down to minus 2 degrees at the airport. Many rural locations, however, saw temperatures much colder than that. 1/12/2008 | January is normally the snowiest month of the year. After a December that went down in the record books as the fourth snowiest, it looks like we're getting a running start to posting exceptional totals for January as well. As of Jan. 9, Coeur d' Alene had received a seasonal total of 72.8 inches of snow, with nearly a foot coming from the storm last Tuesday and Wednesday. Normal snowfall for the month of January is 21.2 inches, which we should easily exceed before the first half of the month is over. 1/5/2008 | Though winter didn't officially start until Dec. 21, Coeur d'Alene definitely received more than its fair share of wintry weather last month.
12/22/2007 | As a meteorologist (and one who does the job on television from time to time), I often hear comments and questions in conversation. Two in particular came up in an e-mail I recently received from a reader. One was the comment that forecasts don't seem to be as accurate as they were decades ago. I will address this comment in today's column. The reader also wondered why forecasts from different sources – say from The Spokesman-Review and from area television stations – can be so different. I will tackle that question next week. 12/15/2007 | According to the calendar, there are four seasons each year, with each season lasting three months. Though we like to brag in this part of the country that we get to enjoy all four seasons, I bet we would be hard pressed to find any spot in the U.S. where Mother Nature consistently adheres to the correct time table for seasonable weather. 12/8/2007 | When I was brainstorming the topic for this article last Saturday, I really thought I'd be writing about snow. 12/1/2007 | Dry weather over the Thanksgiving holiday was good news for travelers, but was not so great for those folks hoping to spend some of their time off on area slopes. 11/29/2007 | As of Tuesday morning, the Inland Empire was finally seeing some measurable snowfall in the lower elevations. 11/24/2007 | During summer, it can sometimes be challenging to determine not only if there will be precipitation, but also when, where and how much there will be. 11/17/2007 | Though we still have yet to experience that first widespread snow in the lower elevations, we've been fortunate to have finally received a nice string of storms during the past week, bringing much needed precipitation to the region. Nearly half an inch of rain fell last Monday in Coeur d'Alene, along with wind gusts up to 44 mph. Spokane saw a peak gust of 45 mph, while a weather station in Bonners Ferry measured 47 mph. Additional rainfall has fallen since Monday, but totals were not available when this article was written. 11/3/2007 | I was driving around the other evening, and happened to notice several of the temperatures being reported on those billboard sign temperature displays.
10/27/2007 | We have had our share of weather ups and downs across North Idaho during the past week. 10/20/2007 | Indian summer is a brief, unseasonably warm period that tends to occur in late October or early November. It normally occurs just after the first hard freeze or immediately following a prolonged chilly and wet spell. 10/20/2007 | The need to know the temperature of something confronts us every day. The oven, the thermostat in our house, our hamburger patty on the grill, and even our own bodies, measure the temperature. 10/6/2007 | Fall may have started on Sept. 23, but it wasn't until the end of the month that we finally saw a major pattern change in our weather.
9/29/2007 | It's funny how often people assume that the primary career for a meteorologist is to "give the weather on TV." 9/15/2007 | It is hard to believe that summer is almost over. The autumnal equinox, the day the fall season begins, falls on Sept. 23 at 2:51 a.m. this year. 9/8/2007 | We have been enjoying some beautiful late summer weather here in North Idaho. 9/1/2007 | I woke up early one morning this past week, and upon stepping outside thought it smelled like fall. Temperatures were in the 40s and the air was crisp, almost like a sneak preview of the season to come. Places like Deer Park, Pullman and Sandpoint have recently experienced morning lows in the 30s.
8/25/2007 | There have been seven years in which the month of August was rainless. This August won't be added to the list, as welcome rainfall finally arrived last Sunday and Monday. 8/18/2007 | When you consider the phrase "record breaking" in the context of weather events, certain things might come to mind: tornado outbreaks, 100-year floods, devastating drought and monster hurricanes. 8/11/2007 | There seems to be no end to the warm and dry weather occurring across this part of the country. On one hand, we can bask in partly cloudy and 85 degrees as we relax on Lake Coeur d'Alene. On the other hand, wildfires which have so far spared most of North Idaho, continue to rage out of control in much of Western Montana and Central Idaho.
7/28/2007 | I've heard many times, that the job of weather person is the only profession where you can be wrong half the time and still get paid. 7/21/2007 | The lazy days of summer haven't been so lazy when it comes to the weather. In the last 10 days North Idaho has experienced record heat, severe hail, and winds over 50 mph. 7/14/2007 | Summer is definitely in full force here in North Idaho. Round 1 of the July heatwaves occurred July 5 through 7 when at least seven high temperature records were broken. 7/7/2007 | The hottest temperatures of the season baked North Idaho this past week with triple digit highs throughout the region.
6/16/2007 | I finally have my own weather station. Despite more than 15 years spent either studying or working in meteorology, I have never had my own weather station. 6/9/2007 | Mother Nature has shown us why Memorial Day weekend could never qualify as the "official" start of the summer season.
5/19/2007 | The timing couldn't have been more perfect last Saturday for the year's first severe thunderstorms to move through the area. 5/17/2007 | Early May has brought our region lots of great weather. Much of last week's weather had abundant sunshine with mild to warm daytime temperatures. 5/12/2007 | Severe weather, including numerous tornadoes, devastated parts of Kansas last weekend. The deadliest tornado struck Greensburg on May 5, flattening nearly the entire town. 5/10/2007 | Last week's tornado outbreak in Kansas was considered to be the worst in more than 50 years. More than 95 percent of the town of Greenburg was destroyed. 5/5/2007 | It's been spring for more than a month, and Coeur d'Alene has seen five days (nonconsecutive) of 70-degree-plus temperatures. 5/3/2007 | This Sunday is one of Spokane's, and the rest of the Inland Northwest's favorite events, Bloomsday.
4/21/2007 | In the past couple of weeks, weather has managed to make headlines from the central U.S. to the East Coast. 4/14/2007 | One of the most enjoyable aspects of living in the Inland Northwest is the climate. For snow lovers, there is ample white stuff (usually) for the various types of winter recreation. In the summer, we see drier conditions, which leads to plenty of days with blue skies and warm temperatures.
3/29/2007 | Spring has already sprung and several people have asked, "So where's spring, Mr. Weatherman?" Well, despite the many days of cloudy and rainy weather, the temperature and precipitation statistics for March, believe it or not, are actually more springlike than winterlike. 3/24/2007 | Spring has arrived. Daytime is finally longer than nighttime, and most folks are ready to put away the winter gear for good. 3/17/2007 | March is not the wettest month of the year in North Idaho. Five other months: November, December, January, February and May receive more precipitation on average. 3/10/2007 | Daylight saving time begins early tomorrow morning. 3/3/2007 | It may be hard to believe we will be welcoming spring this month.
2/24/2007 | With all the rain and snow that we've been seeing lately, you've probably seen your fair share of radar images on television or the Internet. Just as weather satellites do not "see it all" from their vantage points in outer space, weather radars also have their limitations in what they can "see." By learning some of the basics of how a weather radar works, you'll be able to understand why sometimes the image you see on the radar display does not match up to what you're experiencing at a given location. 2/17/2007 | With the amount of technology available today in the field of meteorology, people often wonder how we can "miss" anything with the all-seeing "eyes" of weather satellites. What you "see" isn't always what you get with these weather snapshots, though, and the limitations of these tools sometimes pose a challenge for meteorologists. 2/3/2007 | The cold temperatures of recent mornings, in combination with saturated air, have made for some beautiful scenes across the area. 2/1/2007 | Until recently, the "Pineapple Connection" from Hawaii was directing Pacific storms to our region rather than into California.
1/27/2007 | Meteorology is a diverse and complex field, involving the study of the atmosphere and related phenomena. 1/6/2007 | Last year, our region experienced plenty of wild "extremes." Some of this record-breaking weather can be blamed on the moderate El Niño in the south-central Pacific Ocean. 1/6/2007 | Weather and climate are affected by many factors, including latitude, proximity to large bodies of water, and even topography.
12/30/2006 | In addition to snow and cold temperatures, fog is another common occurrence during the cool season. 12/30/2006 | Since early November much of the Pacific Northwest, including the Inland Northwest, has received lots of moisture thanks in part to the warm El Niño in the Pacific Ocean. 12/23/2006 | This past fall saw more than its fair share of windstorms. The last one brought 90-plus mph winds to the coast and mountaintops, and severe winds across the Inland Northwest. 12/16/2006 | Snowflakes come in a myriad of shapes and sizes. As a child, you probably had the experience of making your own snowflake with scissors and white paper. 12/16/2006 | As 2006 comes to a close in just over two weeks, our weather patterns over this year can be described as "feast or famine," in terms of moisture. 12/9/2006 | November was certainly a good month for snow across the Inland Northwest. Skiers, snowboarders and resort operators have enjoyed the great conditions in the mountains. 12/9/2006 | Now that we've gotten a little bit of snow under our belts, a little more than 19 inches so far this season, I thought it would be fun to dedicate an entire column to the "white stuff." 12/2/2006 | After three weeks of mainly wet November weather across the Coeur d'Alene area, Mother Nature finally brought some significant snows to the lower elevations. 12/2/2006 | It's hard to believe that the entire Inland Northwest has above normal precipitation for the entire 2006 season after enduring one of the driest summers in recorded history. 11/11/2006 | The coldest air of the season blew in during the first of the month, with frigid temperatures in the teens even under sunny skies. What may have been more surprising than the sun/cold combination was the precipitation that seemed to be falling out of the clear blue sky. 11/11/2006 | Over this last year, we've seen almost every kind of weather extreme across our region. For example, the spring of 2006 was the second wettest in recorded history. 11/4/2006 | Now that temperatures have really cooled off, most folks will be keeping an eye on the seven-day forecast for signs of snow. 11/4/2006 | After approximately 4 1/2 months of very dry conditions across the Inland Northwest, a new wetter weather pattern is already bringing some much-needed moisture to our region.
10/28/2006 | A little more than a week ago, a band of strong thunderstorms moved through the Panhandle bringing heavy rains, hail, strong winds and frequent lightning. 10/28/2006 | Over the last several weeks, many people have asked me, "Are we going to get a lot of snow this winter?" 10/21/2006 | As the fall season continues to advance, the beauty of the Inland Northwest is enhanced by the tremendous fall foliage. This weekend and early next week may be the peak when we'll see the greatest display of color across the region. 10/14/2006 | Tornadoes have been in the news lately. Not the ones that ravage the Plains states in tornado alley, but right here in Idaho of all places. 10/7/2006 | No one will argue that our weather on a global scale has gone wild over the last five to 10 years. Many scientists claim that it's part of our so-called "global warming" and conditions may continue to get worse before they get better. 10/7/2006 | Have you ever looked at the sky and wondered where the different colors come from? Gazing skyward you might see blue skies, fiery red sunsets, bright double rainbows, or even a brilliant circumhorizon arc (and what is a circumhorizon arc anyway?
9/30/2006 | El Niño is in the news again. The waters in the equatorial Pacific are warming, and somehow this event will affect weather all across the U.S. and across the globe as well. 9/30/2006 | Long-term studies indicate that the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and Arctic oceans have been warming since the mid-1950s. 9/23/2006 | Today is the first full day of fall across the Inland Northwest. Temperatures have certainly cooled down considerably, with some locations recently receiving "substantial rains" that were needed to put a big dent in our summer drought and help put out the many wildfires, the worst in 45 years in some areas. 9/23/2006 | "Your temperature readings are way off! " If I had a dollar for every time a viewer called in with that comment during my television meteorology career, I'd be a rich woman. 9/16/2006 | Summer is a great season in North Idaho, even with occasional periods of scorching triple-digit temperatures. It is often said that Labor Day weekend is the unofficial end of summer, but does the first week of September mark any real meteorological changes that would redirect our thoughts to the fall season? 9/16/2006 | The summer of 2006 will certainly rank as one of the driest summer seasons in recorded history, despite the recent showers and the 0.24 inches of moisture that fell on Aug. 27 at the Spokane International Airport.
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