Atypically snowy February to continue into the week
Feb. 16—A near constant dumping of snow fell during the daylight hours Sunday, foreshadowing the white week ahead.
Snowfall from Sunday into Monday morning could accumulate an additional 1 to 3 inches, the National Weather Service forecast, on top of the thick layer of white already blanketing the city.
Monday evening could bring another 1/2 -inch accumulation, as could Tuesday night. Daytime Tuesday appears cloudy with no snow forecast.
Then, on Wednesday, a new system is expected to roll in, with another 1 to 3 inches possible through Thursday. Meteorologist Ken Daniel hazards this could change as the system moves in. The Columbia Basin should see less snow, mountainous areas more.
The distribution of snowfall this year is abnormal, with fewer inches of snow in the earlier winter months that may have lulled Spokanites into a false sense of security.
The typical snowfall normal for November in Spokane is 6.2 inches; 2024 accumulated 2.6 in that month, measured by the service at Spokane International Airport.
December continued this pattern, accumulating 4.1 inches in 2024, a far cry from the normal of 13.8 inches.
January brought 6.3 inches, the normal is 12.3.
February appears to be making up for lost time, accumulating 12.3 inches as of Sunday evening, compared to the average of 4.4 inches accumulated by Feb. 15.
This winter has garnered 23.3 inches, excluding Sunday's snowfall. Typically, Spokane sees an average of 37.3 inches by this time of year.
For those waiting for the sun and warmth to return, the end is in sight. The historic average first day to reach 75 degrees is April 30.
Elena Perry's work is funded in part by members of the Spokane community via the Community Journalism and Civic Engagement Fund. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.
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