The North Idaho Front Porch (Sandpoint, Clark Fork: liquor, pineapple, maple)

[Cnynrat]

Schweitzer is reporting 29" over the past 72 hours. We skied yesterday, and it was much better than a week ago, but in some areas they are still suffering from a poor snow winter.

Down at our elevation in Sagle we've had 8-9 inches in the past few days. We only have about 3" if that on the ground as of today.

Dave

[Clark Fork Fantast]

In the Sierras they're looking at 8' right now. Not 8 inches, 8 feet! I can't promise that the storm will make it all the way over to NID, but it sounds like it's headed in that direction.

[Cnynrat]

All the snow in our forecast for the next week is measured in inches, not feet, so I don't think we'll be getting dumped on like the Sierras. I'm happy for whatever snow we get at this point. Fortunately, we've had enough over the past week that I think we'll salvage a decent March up at Schweitzer.

Dave

[oregonwoodsmoke]

I'm watching on the news about all the tragedy about all the snow in the Sierras, and I keep thinking "but it snows like that every year in the Sierras".

We definitely have had a shortage of snowfall here, but there has been a lot of rain, so we have had precipitation. Right now I've got a nice covering of snow in my yard and more snow is coming down

Winter is not over.

[Cnynrat]

By my records our monthly precipitation totals have been well above average each month going back to November. I calculate those by adding the total rain to the total water content of the snow. Basically, melt the snow and measure how much water you get, which is called snow water equivalent (SWE)

At our elevation we've had a little over 56" of snow for the season so far, which is getting within spitting distance of the long term average of about 65". I think there is a good chance this will turn out to be a relatively average year for snowfall at our place in Sagle. Things aren't looking quite as good at Schweitzer, where they currently are at a total of 185" compared to an average of 300" per year. It will take a monster snow month in March to get near that average. Schweitzer has had some very big rain events this winter which is obviously affecting their snow totals.

The problem with getting precip as rain during winter is that it doesn't soak into the soil was much as springtime snowmelt, especially if the rain falls when the ground is already frozen. As a result the trees don't get as much of benefit from the moisture, which can lead to drier forests come summer.

For grins I just looked at the season totals for Mammoth Mt. in the Sierras, and they are at 270" vs. an average annual total of about 330". It looks like the recent big blizzard only gave them 38", so most of that storm must have been north of them because I know Tahoe was hit pretty hard.

Dave

[idahocougar]

Temps in the 60s! I can't seem to remember when the temps were ever in the 60s, lol.

[Mister Torgue]

As nice as that is...it's bad for fire season to be this warm this soon with well below average snowfall in the mountains. I'm gonna be very busy this fire season me thinks.

[Cnynrat]

It does seem as though the weather has taken a definite turn towards spring in the last few days. The peepers were out in force yesterday evening. We skied three times this week, and by the end of the week conditions were definitely spring-like, crusty in the early morning due to overnight lows, and mashed potatoes by early afternoon.

If the temps do get to 60 that will be the first time since 2017 that we've seen that happen in March, although we did have one day that hit 59 in March 2017. Not a good sign for fire season ...

Dave

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by Cnynrat

It does seem as though the weather has taken a definite turn towards spring in the last few days. The peepers were out in force yesterday evening. We skied three times this week, and by the end of the week conditions were definitely spring-like, crusty in the early morning due to overnight lows, and mashed potatoes by early afternoon.

If the temps do get to 60 that will be the first time since 2017 that we've seen that happen in March, although we did have one day that hit 59 in March 2017. Not a good sign for fire season ...

Dave

I won't worry about wildfire just yet. If spring is as cool and wet as it was last year, and the summer temps are as moderate, we won't have to contend with huge wildfires.
(Hopefully. It's foolish to expect Idaho will follow anyone's weather predictions.)

I'm really glad the sun came out and warm days returned. Anything that will drive frost out of the ground now will help all the moisture we just got to sink downward instead of running off. Deep soil moisture inhibits wildfire and helps forests to grow.

[Reziac]

Yeah, didn't seem like much snow here in eastern MT either, but there was actually quite a lot that melted and soaked in. And drizzly rain between. Usually when we get a "warm" winter, next we get a lot of spring and summer rain, cuz it's all warm wet Pacific air coming for us.

Grass is already up, lilacs are budding up, and the robins and doves came back three weeks ago. Seeing pheasants out doing their thing too. Might get an extra crop this year. I remember one early spring outside of Belgrade, they raised not one, not two, but THREE clutches... February, May, and late summer. You've never seen so many pheasants, they were like locusts!