December is here and we’ve finally seen some snow after a relatively mild November. Cliff tells me that our snowless November in Coeur d’Alene has happened only seven times since 1895. However, Spokane International Airport picked up 3.3 inches of snow last month. It’s extremely unusual to see our neighbors to the west get measurable amounts of the white stuff while we just see traces.

It was also a mild November across the region. On Saturday, Nov. 26, the high temperature in Coeur d’Alene was a balmy 50 degrees at Cliff’s station. Spokane Inter-national Airport shot up to a near-record 55 degrees. Other stations in North Idaho were in the upper 40s to the mid 50s on that day. We also had a record 63 on Nov. 8.

I think we’ve seen the last of the 50-degree temperatures for a while. Arctic air has invaded North Idaho this week as temperatures will be dropping into the teens and single digits before moderating a bit along with an increasing chance of more snow toward the end of the week.

Despite the chilly weather, Cliff and I don’t see temperatures going below the zero mark from this Arctic air mass in Coeur d’Alene. If Coeur d’Alene and other locations in the lower elevations were to have readings below the zero mark, the best chance would be around the full moon cycle in early to mid January. Overall, we seem to be in a warmer temperature cycle in the North American continent, while parts of eastern Europe and Russia have been shivering in temperatures down to minus 40 degrees. On other parts of the European continent, rare season snows in November were reported in Greece and Florence, Italy.

We still have a cooler than normal sea-surface temperature pattern, La Nina, in the waters of the south-central Pacific Ocean. However, this La Nina event is rather weak, but strong enough to likely bring us more snow for the upcoming winter season and some much-needed rain down into northern and central California.

As I mentioned last week, some scientists theorize that when Siberia has bitterly cold temperatures and much above normal snowfall in November, like this year, then a chilly and snowy pattern eventually moves over the North American continent. The last time we had readings below the zero mark was back on Feb. 6, 2014, when Coeur d’Alene registered minus 8 degrees.

By the way, the lowest temperature ever observed in Coeur d’Alene was minus 30 degrees on Jan. 30, 1950. In Idaho, the all-time record low was set in Orofino with a reading of minus 60 degrees on Jan. 18, 1943.

Spokane’s lowest reading was a minus 30 degrees on Feb. 2, 1996. The lowest in Washington ever recorded was minus 48 degrees at Mazama and Winthrop on Dec. 30, 1968.

The coldest reading ever observed in the U.S. and North America happened on Jan. 24, 1989, as the mercury in McGrath, Alaska, plummeted to minus 86 degrees Fahrenheit. On Aug. 24, 1960, Vostok, Antarctica, plunged to an air temperature of minus 127 degrees. Now that’s cold.

As water freezes, it expands and puts a lot of pressure on its container, like water pipes. The ones that freeze more frequently are those that are exposed to the elements. During a big coldwave, it’s a good idea to keep garage doors closed. One should open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow the warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. It’s also important let the cold water slowly drip from a faucet that is connected to outdoor pipes. The drip helps prevent the pipes from freezing.

For the rest of December, we expect to see a series of storms move from the Gulf of Alaska and bring occasional snow to the mountains as well as the lower elevations. Although we will likely need the snowblowers, Cliff and I don’t see the moisture falling as all snow in December, as milder air from the south will likely bring periods of rain between the snowstorms in the lower elevations.

Overall, the pattern still looks good for a White Christmas here in the Inland Empire, as snow should fall on the back side of the milder weather pattern later this month. However, I wouldn’t expect huge snow totals around the Christmas holiday, although we could get a lot more of the white stuff around New Year’s Day during the new moon lunar cycle. With that in mind, we’re still predicting snowfall totals about 30 percent higher than normal for the 2016-17 season. Stay tuned.

Contact Randy Mann at randy@longrangeweather.com