The 2019 KREM Snow Melt challenge officially ended at 3:49 p.m. on March 20, 2019.
The last of the snow in a predetermined area outside of the KREM offices melted completely at 3:49 p.m. on Wednesday, according to KREM Chief Meteorologist Tom Sherry.
More than 2,000 people gave their best guest at when a patch of snow outside the KREM offices will completely melt.
Guesses closed at 7 p.m. on Friday.
Contestants guessed the day and time the snow melts from a location in KREM 2's backyard on Spokane's South Hill. The winner will receive eight tickets to Silverwood Theme Park for the 2019 season!
You can watch the snow melt on a live stream on KREM's YouTube page. The person who guesses the closest date and time to the moment when the area is completely clear of snow and ice wins the tickets and eternal glory.
What the Snow Melt Challenge area is like
The snow melt challenge is measuring a 4-feet, 4-inch by 3-feet, 3-inch protected space outside of the KREM 2 News studio on Spokane's South Hill.
The area is roped off. As of Friday evening, the snow dropped to about 6 inches.
Temperatures have been below average for the past month, but a warm-up has begun, with temperatures climbing past 50 degrees next week.
The area will get mostly morning sun. By the afternoon, the sun is mostly hidden by a nearby pine tree, and then dips down behind a fence.
The snow will officially "melt" when there is no remaining snow or ice in the entire squared-off area.
Animals in the area are considered part of nature and may impact the melt. Birds and squirrels are common in the area. The area is fenced off from larger animals and humans.
KREM Chief Meteorologist Tom Sherry will be the final judge of when the snow has officially melted.
The KREM Snowmelt Challenge
OFFICIAL RULES
1. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR TO WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR ODDS OF WINNING. SUBJECT TO APPLICABLE FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND MUNICIPAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.
2. Eligibility. Subject to the additional restrictions below, the The KREM Backyard Snowmelt Challenge (the “Contest”) is open to legal U.S. residents of the States of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, or Washington who are 18 years or older at the time of entry. Employees and contractors of Silverwood Theme Park, KREM (“Sponsor”), TEGNA Inc., and each of their respective affiliated companies, and advertising and promotional agencies, and the immediate family members of, and any persons domiciled with, any such employees or contractors, are not eligible to enter or to win.
3. How to Enter. The Contest Entry Period will begin at 4 p.m. P.T. on Wednesday, March 13, 2019 and end at 7:00 p.m. P.T. on Friday, March 15, 2019 (the “Contest Entry Period”). Enter by guessing the date and time (hour and minute, using am/pm, like 12:27 p.m.) the snow/ice in the designated section of the KREM backyard (located at 4103 S Regal St, Spokane, WA 99223) will “officially” finish melting, i.e. the date on which natural snow/ice is no longer visible to the naked eye, as determined by the KREM Weather Team in its sole discretion. Enter the date in the form by visiting krem.com or the KREM app and complete all of the required information (name, address, and email address), and following all posted instructions. Complete the entry form and any other required fields and then submit your entry by clicking on the “SUBMIT” buttons. Entries limited to only one (1) entry per person. Your computer must accept cookies, or any successor or similar technology, which may be used for the purpose of entry tracking. Ad blocking software on your computer needs to be disabled so that it doesn’t interfere with processing your entry.
Multiple entrants are not permitted to share the same email address. Sponsor will not be responsible for incomplete, lost, late, misdirected or illegible entries. By entering, you agree to the terms of these Official Rules and to receive e-mails from Sponsor or those directed by Sponsor. You can opt-out of the receipt of such e-mails by following the directions in any email received from Sponsor.
4. Winner Selection. A video recording of the snow section made by a KREM 2 camera will capture when the last solid ice chunk melts into liquid/disappears. A KREM 2 Weather Team Member will watch the video recording to determine the exact time this happens. The entrant with the prediction closest to the exact date/time will be the Grand Prize Winner. If the determination of an exact time cannot be made by KREM 2 Weather Team member and he/she is forced to give a time period (for example a period between 11am-11:45am) of when the ice melted, then a random drawing will be held of all the entrants that guessed within that time period. The correct date and time will be determined by the KREM Weather Team in its sole discretion. There will be a total of one Grand Prize winner. In the event snowmelt is complete before March 14, 2019, winner will be drawn at random from among all eligible entries received by the end of the Contest Entry Period, regardless of the date and time predicted in the entry. Natural forces occurring on the snow section like wind, rain, sunshine, wild animals walking on it or leaving waste behind, etc. will NOT void Contest. Unnatural forces causing the snow/ice to melt more/less rapidly (as determined by KREM in its sole discretion) such as deliberate vandalism or meter reader accidentally clearing away the snow will void Contest; If this happens then the Grand Prize Winner will be chosen from a random drawing of all eligible entrants.
5. Prizes and Odds. One Grand Prize Winner will receive 8 general admission tickets to Silverwood Theme Park, located at 27843 US-95, Athol, ID 83801. (ARV of prize: $424.) Transportation, and all other expenses not expressly provided for above are not included and will be the winner’s sole responsibility.
Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received.
6. Winner Notification and Acceptance. Winners will be notified on or after March 15, 2019, depending on when the snow melt is complete, at the email address provided on winner’s entry form. Each winner must respond to such notification within 48 hours. Failure of winner to respond within such time period or return of email prize notification as undeliverable may result in disqualification and an alternate winner may be selected from among all remaining eligible entries. To claim prize, each winner must either respond to Sponsor’s notification with a valid shipping address for delivery of prize, and/or personally visit Sponsor’s offices at 4103 S Regal St, Spokane, WA 99223 within five (5) business days after notification (office visits must be between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays). Valid photo identification may be required by Sponsor in each case. Winners may waive their right to receive prizes. Prizes are nonassignable and nontransferable. No substitutions allowed by winner. Prizes are not redeemable for cash. Prizes and individual components of prize packages are subject to availability and Sponsor reserves the right to substitute prizes of equal or greater value. Winners are solely responsible for reporting and payment of any taxes on prizes. Winners may be required to complete an affidavit of eligibility/liability and publicity release (except where prohibited by law) which must be returned as instructed by Sponsor. Failure to sign and return the affidavit or release, or to comply with any term or condition of these Official Rules, may result in a winner’s disqualification, the forfeiture of his or her interest in the prize, and the award of the prize to a substitute winner. Except where prohibited, acceptance of any prize constitutes winner’s consent to the publication of his or her name, biographical information and likeness in any media for any commercial or promotional purpose, without limitation the Internet, or further compensation. Prizes not won and claimed by eligible winners in accordance with these Official Rules will not be awarded and will remain the property of Sponsor.
7. Participation. By participating, entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of Sponsor. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify persons found tampering with or otherwise abusing any aspect of this Contest as solely determined by Sponsor. In the event the Contest is compromised by a virus, non-authorized human intervention, tampering or other causes beyond the reasonable control of Sponsor which corrupts or impairs the administration, security, fairness or proper operation of the Contest, Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to suspend, modify or terminate the Contest. Should the Contest be terminated prior to the stated expiration date, Sponsor reserves the right to award prizes based on the entries received before the termination date. Sponsor will not be responsible for incomplete, lost, late, postage-due, misdirected or illegible entries, or for failure to receive entries or votes or other electronic communications due to transmission failures or technical failures of any kind, including, without limitation, malfunctioning of any network, hardware or software, whether originating with sender or Sponsor. In the event of a dispute, all online entries will be deemed to have been submitted by the owner of the ISP account from which they were sent. For these purposes, an ISP account holder shall mean the natural person assigned to such ISP account by the Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization responsible for assigning ISP addresses for the domain associated with such ISP account. Any questions regarding the number of entries or votes submitted by the owner of an ISP account shall be determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. By participating in this Contest, each entrant agrees to fully release, forever discharge and hold harmless Sponsor from and against all claims, costs, liabilities, losses, injuries, and damages arising out of the Contest, including, but not limited to, any claims for personal injury, death or damage to or loss of property or any other harm arising out of entrant’s participation in the Contest, the receipt, use, or misuse of any prize, or any travel or activity that is related to the Contest or any prize.Contest.
8. Construction. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these rules shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. In the event that any such provision is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable, these rules shall be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or unenforceable provision was not contained therein.
9. Sponsor. The KREM Backyard Snowmelt Challenge is sponsored by KREM. The decisions of Sponsor regarding the selection of winners and all other aspects of the Contest shall be final and binding in all respects. Sponsor will not be responsible for typographical, printing or other inadvertent errors in these Official Rules or in other materials relating to the Contest. For a list of winners (available after August 1, 2019,) or a copy of these Official Rules send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to “Winners List/Official Rules” (as applicable), KREM Snowmelt Challenge, 4103 S Regal St, Spokane, WA 99223. If you have any questions regarding this Contest, please contact Kaely Santos at ksantos@krem.com or Annelisa Wu at awu@krem.com.