000
CXUS56 KOTX 222127 CCA
CLMGEG

CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE, WA
1012 AM PST FRI FEB 1 2013

...................................

JANUARY 2013 FOR NORTHEAST WASHINGTON AND THE NORTHERN IDAHO
PANHANDLE WAS COLDER THAN AVERAGE WITH SLIGHTLY BELOW AVERAGE
PRECIPITATION. THE SPOKANE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT CARRIED AT LEAST A
TRACE OF SNOW ON THE GROUND FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF JANUARY. SNOW ON
THE GROUND FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF JANUARY HAD NOT OCCURRED SINCE
2009. THE MONTH STARTED WITH TEMPERATURES AROUND 10 DEGREES
BELOW AVERAGE AND NO MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION THROUGH THE 4TH. THE
WEATHER WENT INTO A MILDER AND WETTER PATTERN THROUGH THE 10TH.
ALTHOUGH TEMPERATURES WERE WARMER...THEY WERE ONLY NEAR TO SLIGHTLY
ABOVE NORMAL. TEMPERATURES REMAINED COLD ENOUGH FOR PRECIPITATION TO
FALL AS SNOW ACROSS THE AREA DURING THIS PERIOD. SPOKANE
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 6.9 INCHES OF SNOW ON
JANUARY 7TH. OTHER LOCATIONS THAT RECEIVED SIGNIFICANT SNOW INCLUDED
NEWPORT WITH 8.0 INCHES...COLVILLE WITH 7.0 INCHES...HARRINGTON WITH
5.0 INCHES...SANDPOINT WITH 4.3 INCHES...AND BAYVIEW WITH 3.0
INCHES. WITH FRESH SNOW ON THE GROUND AND COLD AIR ARRIVING FROM
CANADA ON THE 11TH...MUCH OF THE AREA SAW THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES
OF THE SEASON IN MID JANUARY. MANY VALLEY LOCATIONS EXPERIENCED LOW
TEMPERATURES IN THE SINGLE DIGITS AND SOME OF THE COLDEST VALLEYS
FELL BELOW ZERO DEGREES ON THE 12TH AND 13TH. A LARGE RIDGE OF HIGH
PRESSURE BUILT IN OVER THE REGION ON THE 15TH THROUGH THE 22ND. A
STRONG TEMPERATURE INVERSION DEVELOPED PRODUCING WIDESPREAD FOG AND
LOW CLOUDS IN THE LOW ELEVATIONS...AND MILD AND MAINLY SUNNY
CONDITIONS IN THE MOUNTAINS. VERY LIGHT PRECIPITATION FELL FROM THE
LOW CLOUDS AT TIMES...BUT THIS GENERALLY ONLY YIELDED TRACE AMOUNTS
OF PRECIPITATION. HIGH PRESSURE GAVE WAY TO A MORE ACTIVE WEATHER
PATTERN AT THE END OF THE MONTH. A MIX OF SNOW...FREEZING RAIN...AND
SLEET IMPACTED THE EVENING COMMUTE IN SPOKANE ON WEDNESDAY THE 23RD.
SEVERAL ROUNDS OF LIGHT SNOW FELL ON THE 27TH...28TH...AND 29TH. THE
MONTH OF JANUARY ENDED ON A MILD NOTE. AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES
CLIMBED INTO THE LOW 40S ON THE 30TH AND 31ST.

SPOKANE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT BROKE A DAILY RECORD FOR SNOW ON
JANUARY 7TH WITH 6.9 INCHES. THIS BROKE THE OLD RECORD OF 6.0 INCHES
SET IN 1950.

...THE SPOKANE WA AIRPORT CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY 2013...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1881 TO 2013

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART  LAST YEAR`S
                 VALUE   DATE(S)  VALUE   FROM    VALUE  DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH              62   01/01/1918
 LOW              -30   01/16/1888
                        01/15/1888
HIGHEST            43   01/30        MM      MM       53  01/04
                        01/09
LOWEST              4   01/21        MM      MM        9  01/16
AVG. MAXIMUM     30.8              34.4    -3.6     36.5
AVG. MINIMUM     18.6              24.7    -6.1     23.4
MEAN             24.7              29.5    -4.8     30.0
DAYS MAX >= 90      0               0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MAX <= 32     21              11.0    10.0        9
DAYS MIN <= 32     30              23.5     6.5       27
DAYS MIN <= 0       0               0.7    -0.7        0

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM         4.96   1959
 MINIMUM         0.38   1985
TOTALS           1.63              1.79   -0.16     1.81
DAILY AVG.       0.05              0.06   -0.01     0.06
DAYS >= .01        14              13.4     0.6       12
DAYS >= .10         7               6.4     0.6        6
DAYS >= .50         1               0.4     0.6        1
DAYS >= 1.00        0               0.0     0.0        0
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    0.69   01/06 TO 01/07           01/18 TO 01/19

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL           56.9   MM
TOTALS           14.2              11.4     2.8     11.8
SINCE 7/1        38.2              33.5     4.7     20.8
SNOWDEPTH AVG.      2                 5      -3        1
DAYS >= 1.0         4               4.3    -0.3        2
GREATEST
 SNOW DEPTH         9   01/07                          8  01/20
 24 HR TOTAL      6.9   01/07                    01/19 TO 01/19

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL    1243              1099     144     1078
 SINCE 7/1       3668              3933    -265     3749
COOLING TOTAL       0                 0       0        0
 SINCE 1/1          0                 0       0        0
..........................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              5.0
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    33/220    DATE  01/07
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    39/220    DATE  01/07

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER           0.90
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR            0
NUMBER OF DAYS PC              6
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY         25

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     86

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              0     MIXED PRECIP               5
HEAVY RAIN                0     RAIN                       0
LIGHT RAIN                6     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          6     HAIL                       0
HEAVY SNOW                0     SNOW                       8
LIGHT SNOW               17     SLEET                      0
FOG                      29     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE     13
HAZE                      8

-  INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R  INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T  INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.

$$