SPOKANE, Wash. — After a mild start to the 2019-2020 snow season, accumulations are above normal for the month of January and for the snow season so far.
Spokane has picked up on 18 inches of snow so far in January 2020, where a normal January would have only seen about 7 inches so far.
Another 1.6 inches of snow fell in Spokane on Thursday, marking the ninth consecutive day of at least a trace or more of snowfall.
On average, the entire month of January usually sees 12.9 inches, according to data from the National Weather Service.
When we look at totals since the first snowfall in fall 2019, Spokane has picked up on 36 inches so far. A normal snow season so far would see a total of 28.8 inches.
We are still several months from the expected last snowfall of the season, but are already near what we would expect for a snow season in total. While we've picked up on 34.4 inches so far this season, a total snow season that usually lasts through March only picks up on 42.9 inches.
If snow continues as it has for the first half of the month, Spokane can expect a significantly above-normal snow season for 2019-2020.
This is in sharp contrast to how the season began. A lack of snow in November prevented many ski resorts from opening on time after Thanksgiving.
December 2020 only picked up on 10.5 inches of snow, which was below the normal 14.6 inches expected. To end December, Spokane was also below normal for the season totals, with only 18 inches on the ground compared to a normal 22.1.
Now that January has picked up on the slack of November and December, we will have to wait and see how the remainder of 2020 treats the Inland Northwest.
