NORTH IDAHO — Area hills were a vibrant green Saturday, a color usually reserved for springtime — and no snow to be seen.

“I can’t remember there ever being a January with no snow at all,” said Liz Martin as she hiked Tubbs Hill near Coeur d'Alene. “I’m not really sure how to feel about it.”

Tubbs Hill and McEuen Park in Kootenai County and Pine Street Woods and the Pend d'Oreille Bay Trail were popular destinations for those who chose to head outdoors amid the mild daytime temperatures, which neared 50 degrees Saturday.

“I’m enjoying it while it lasts,” said Dan Jordan, who was out for a run.

But experts say the recent conditions are far from normal.

Hydrologist David Hoekema said the mild winter is not only unusual but unprecedented.

“This year we are facing the warmest winter on record,” Hoekema said, noting that the previous record had been set nearly 100 years ago in 1934.

Warmer temperatures have caused the region’s snowpack to retreat upwards from the typical elevation of 3,500 to 4,000 feet to 6,000 feet.

This means only a small portion of area basins currently have “good” snowpack, Hoekema explained.

“We are missing a huge volume of snow due to this retreat in the snowpack,” he said.

Snowpack deficits are widespread below 6,000 feet, with the Kootenai Basin missing 71.7% and the Pend Oreille and Spokane basins missing 66.2% and 96.9%, respectively.

Current levels indicate a Moderate Drought for snowpack, according to Hoekema.

In contrast, frequent rainfall has pushed precipitation totals since Oct. 1 into the 87th percentile.

The implications, he emphasized, are significant.

“Most of the water that should have been stored in the snowpack is leaving the basin in the winter instead of being stored until the snowmelt season during the spring and early summer,” Hoekema said.

Though the effects of early runoff are not immediately apparent, Hoekema warned it could strain summer hydropower generation and leave rivers without enough water to maintain healthy flows and temperatures.

Currently, “the streamflow in the Kootenai River and Pend Oreille rivers are near the highest levels seen at this time of year,” he added.

For now, the pattern is expected to continue, with less-than-average precipitation forecasted for the next few weeks.

“Unless cool temperatures and storms pick up in late February and March, North Idaho will face a fourth summer of drought,” Hoekema said.