COEUR d'ALENE — If you are considering doing the Polar Bear Plunge on Sunday, this would be a good year to try it.

The forecast is calling for mostly cloudy skies with temperatures around 30 degrees, which is pretty mild. That's a bit easier than last year's conditions, with temperatures around zero.

A few hundred people are expected to line up at Sanders Beach at noon Jan. 1 for a dip — run in with a scream, dive under, run out screaming — into Lake Coeur d'Alene.

The temperature of Lake Coeur d'Alene is currently about 37 degrees.

The Polar Bear Plunge started with a few friends in 1978 and now attracts about 400 people.

People generally begin arriving in the morning and stake their spot on the beach. A countdown lets you know when it's time to go.

It's free and anyone is welcome.

There is also a Polar Bear Plunge into Lake Pend Oreille at 8 a.m. Jan. 1, at the public boat launch in Bayview.