SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane is seeing the greatest depth of snow in 50 years for Feb. 21.
As of Thursday, there was 15 inches of snow on the ground at the Spokane Airport, according to the National Weather Service. This is the closest we've gotten to the record which was set back on this date in 1969 when 17 inches of snow was on the ground.
Spokane has also had a much harsher February than Anchorage, Alaska, of all places. Anchorage received 11 inches of snow from Feb. 1 to Feb. 19, according to the National Weather Service. Spokane received nearly 26 inches of snow during that time.
Spokane was also colder than Anchorage on average by about 0.3 degrees. Spokane’s average temperature through Feb. 19 sat at 22.3 degrees while Anchorage’s average temperature sat at 22.5 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
According to the National Weather Service, Spokane’s average low temperature was also colder than Anchorage at 15.9 degrees. Anchorage’s average low through Feb. 19 sat at 17 degrees.
Spokane’s average high for February sits near 40 degrees, which means the city is much colder than usual. Anchorage is on track to match normal winters, as its normal high sits at about 26 degrees each year, according to the National Weather Service.
Spokane’s average low in February is 26 degrees, while Anchorage’s is about 13 degrees.
The National Weather Service said these trends are expected to continue as more cold weather is expected through the end of the month.
Feb. 2019 is in fourth place for the snowiest on record in Spokane, with more than 25 inches of snowfall as of Wednesday. The average amount of snowfall for February is five inches.
Feb. 1939 was the third snowiest February on record, with 26.3 inches. Another 4.1 inches of snow would put Spokane at second place on the list.
Snow showers are expected to return to Spokane on Friday and continue through the weekend.
Clarification: An earlier version of this story said the snow depth was record breaking, which was inaccurate.
