Let it snow? Probably not this winter, folks

Following one of the hottest Julys on record across the Inland Northwest, it continued to be very warm and bone-dry through the first week of August.

Three more "Sholeh Days" at or above 90 degrees were observed in town through Aug. 3 before temperatures finally cooled off to more normal mid-summer levels in the 80s. As of this Aug. 7 writing, we had already seen 30 afternoons this blistering summer of 2015 in Coeur d'Alene with highs at 90 degrees or above. There were five days, two in June and three in July, with torrid triple-digit readings, including the record for the date of 102 degrees on July 31.

Not only has this summer been extremely hot, but it's likewise been exceptionally dry thanks, at least in part, to the strong El Nino in the waters of the east-central Pacific Ocean. According to Meteorologist Randy Mann, the current El Nino could eventually rival or even surpass the strongest El Nino ever recorded in 1997-98.

From surveying the most recent climate data, most scientists predict that there is approximately a 90 percent chance that the El Nino will persist through the upcoming winter of 2015-16 and an 80 percent probability that it will last well into the spring of 2016.

Based upon the current long-range weather outlooks, California may finally see a drought-busting winter season in 2015-16 with flooding rains and mudslides following widespread wildfires this late summer and early fall that will continue to denude hillsides in the Golden State and elsewhere in the parched Far West.

If El Nino doesn't suddenly fall apart, we will likely see less snow in the Inland Northwest again this winter, probably somewhere around 35 inches in Coeur d'Alene, or near 50 percent of our normal 69.8 inches of the white stuff averaged in the 121 years since the inception of local daily weather records in town in 1895.

Our total precipitation on Player Drive in northwestern Coeur d'Alene since early June has only been a third of our normal rainfall. The first week of August was bone-dry. We are still hoping to get a few scattered showers this week, but the rest of the summer and at least the beginning of the autumn of 2015 should remain warm and dry under a stationary ridge of high pressure camped over the arid Inland Northwest.

Enjoy the sunshine, but be VERY CAREFUL! Fire danger levels are EXTREMELY HIGH!

Weekly Weather Almanac

• Week's warmest temperature: 90 degrees on Aug. 3

• Week's coldest temperature: 51 degrees on Aug. 7

• Weekly precipitation: 0.00 inches

• Precipitation month to date: 0.00 inches

• Normal precipitation month to date: 0.36 inches

• Precipitation month to date last year: 0.02 inches

• Precipitation year to date: 14.73 inches

• Normal precipitation year to date: 15.23 inches

• Precipitation last year to date: 21.79 inches

• Normal annual precipitation: 26.77 inches

• Total precipitation last year: 33.67 inches

• Precipitation predicted this year: 31.12 inches

• Wettest month on record (since 1895): 9.91 inches in December 1933

• Wettest year on record (since 1895): 43.27 inches in 2012

• Driest month on record (since 1895): 0.00 inches (14 times)

• Driest year on record (since 1895): 15.18 inches in 1929

Readings taken week ending 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9