Snow and Ice in Spokane, WA (Seattle, Walla Walla: ski resort, to rent, house)
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I meant to put this up yesterday...a view of the snow on my deck. This winter has been the snowiest in Spokane in many many years. It's beautiful but driving conditions are dangerous. Lots of accidents this week. Great for skiers and snowboarders!
I think the driving here is very bad, but where I'm from they take very good care of the roads. I've noticed that only the main roads in Spokane get any plowing whatsover. I've been stuck in our house the entire week because no plowing was done in our development or on Hatch Road. Everyone told us to get an SUV with studded snow tires (which we didn't), but just today an SUV with studded snow tires skidded into my husband's car and dented it so there goes that theory. Since this is our first winter out here, I don't know if this is the first year they've neglected to care for the roads or whether every winter is like this. I told my husband I refuse to spend another winter out here. Sorry if this isn't good news, but I wish someone had told me this before we moved all the way out here. I also heard on the news that there were over 200 collisions on Tuesday due to poor road conditions.
The climate graph is very accurate (all of them)--actually, 16" per month for two months isn't all that much. Like someone else said, Spokane gets a total of about 50" of snow a year. The wettest time of the year coincides with the coldest, when temperatures average below freezing. So a very large percentage (maybe more than half) of Spokane's 17 inches annually falls as snow. But it isn't consistently cold enough there for the snow to pile up. Probably about a foot or so on the ground is as much as you'll ever see. In the nearby mountains, where it's colder and wetter than in town, they get tons of snow--49 North ski area now has 76" at the lodge (4000 feet) and 108" on top, at 5775 feet.
Other observations--FYI, I grew up near Cleveland, Ohio which has winters VERY similar to Spokane's (or should I say Decembers and Januarys--by Feb, it's much milder and drier in Spokane, and the difference in dryness increases with each passing month until July, when it's bone dry in Spokane and very wet in northeast Ohio. Like Cleveland, Spokane is very cloudy and overcast in midwinter, but unlike Cleveland, is very sunny and dry in summer (see the humidity and sunshine graphs). Another thing I noticed when I moved out west--it's much less windy anywhere west of the Rockies than east of them. My observations cover a period of 34 years, and are corroborated by climate data, if you care to do some research. Hope this is helpful.
By the way, you will have to learn winter driving habits. You can count on having to drive on snow covered roads at least part of the time. The main thing is, don't do anything suddenly! Kind of tiptoe around and you'll be ok.
It does get cold and snowy in Spokane, and worse, lots of grey cloudy days. Not as cold as Montana or the Dakotas, and not as Gray as Seattle but bad enough.
I think the average snowfall is around 50 inches/season , starting around Thanksgiving and ending in March. But it is quite variable, I have seen 100" + with snow on the ground for three months and other winters with virtually none. The coldest I have seen is 27 below, and -60 windchill, but that is unusual. Typically we get about two weeks a year of temps 0 or slightly below, and lots of days where the low is in the teens to low twenties.
If you enjoy snow skiing there are lots of areas around, but the snow is not like that in the Sierras, and the mountains get lots of fog.
Comparatively, speaking, Spokane is an inexpensive place to live, but it is also a very difficult place to make a decent living, particularly in professional and sales occupations. There are virtually no manufacturing jobs left in town, and what there are pay 10 to 12/hour with skimpy benefits. It is referred to by the locals as a "minimum wage" town.
Lots of money is flowing in from people who have made money outside the area and bring it here to escape the California problems. Northern Idaho was once a haven for LA cops and fireman retired on disability (Mark Furhman for example) but they have by and large been priced out of the market.
Anyway, hope that helps, I moved here 30 years ago from the South, and all in all it has been a positive thing for me.
I went to college in Cheney/Spokane area and lived there for a total of 7 years. The winters are long and cold, with a lot of snow. I grew up in LA near Venice Beach area and I couldn't handle that much snow and overcast days. It is fun town to go to school in, but as mentioned before, the economy is very depressed. I eventually moved to Seattle for a sales job since I was offered $60K to start versus all the offers of $25K - $30K in Spokane. Same jobs, they just don't pay in Spokane. I'm now in Tri- Cities area and we have little to no snow, lots of sun and much warmer weather due to the Columbia River, Yakima River and Snake Rivers are running through the area - it keeps the temps pretty moderate in winter. We have been in the high 30's and low 40's while my family in Spokane is dealing with snow and temps in the 20's -- I love to golf so that's what I do hear all year long. Not much happening in terms of college kids though, it's a younger family type of area. I think you'll like Spokane, just be ready to move once you're done with school. My parents who are from SoCal as well retired in Spokane due to it's beauty and price and after 10 years of so called "mild" winters they are fed up and now selling their home to move to the Tri-Cities. They have had enough of snow for 5 to 6 months out of the year.
Good Luck!
Keep in mind that this year Spokane has had more snow than in quite some time. Yes, it does get cold in the winter, Spokane has a four season climate. Generally, however, either the weather warms enough to clear the streets pretty well or, unless it snows for several days in a row (which is fairly rare) the streets are cleared after a day or two. I always managed to get around fine with front wheel drive and good all seaons tires (though learning to drive in the snow takes a bit of practice). Keep in mind the streets are plowed in a certain order (major arterials, then hills, then residential side streets; if you live in a development with a homeowner's association, the city won't plow your streets because they belong to the association and the association should contract for plowing) and also where you live can be a factor. For example, if you live on a steep street or at the top of a hill, it obviously makes getting around in winter a bit tougher. As some posters have pointed out, the Tri-Cities does have milder winters but they also have notably hotter summers. I had the chance to work in the Tri-Cities but chose Spokane because, to me, it has more greenery/trees, more to offer in terms of city amenities, and I also liked its proximity to lakes and forrests (among other things).
Hi...We've already moved to Walla Walla, WA, six years ago, where we hardly get any snow which is what we want.. We just had about 1.5" last week and it's going to melt today with the +40-degrees we're having...Yes. If you viewed a few of the later emails sent here, you'll see that Spokane received a lot more snow than the one visit you experienced. At the time I wrote about Spokane, it was in response to someone such as yourself who was planning on moving there and wanted to know what it was like and as I've lived in WA State for over 25 years (20 years in Seattle, then 5-6 yeras in Walla Walla), and I've camped and travelled all over the state and surrounding states, I know something about what to expect here in terms of weather and geographical anomalies, but you don't have to listen to me...it's just my opinion after all.
Spokane DOES get a lot of snow and if you're not used to snow, you may have problems. I grew up in East Central Wisconsin and I know snow. I also knew I did not want to live in an area that received a lot of it. However, both my husband and I ski, so we wanted to live close enough to some ski resorts so that meant foothills. We live near the foothills of the Blue Mountains and hence, 3 ski resorts within 30 minutes to 2 hours away.
We are perfectly happy where we are in Walla Walla, WA. You might consider living in Western Washington if you want a wetter area, as Spokane is considered High Desert and much of Eastern Washington is fairly dry most of the time...we've had a drought for 5+ years now and are only catching up since last spring. Good luck on your move, but make sure you do your research.
Visiting an area one time does not make for a good idea of where you're going to move to live. We did tons of homework to find out about an area including visiting about 10 areas int he state to talk with the people who lived there, checked with the weather services, checked with real estate agents, etc.
Best advice you can get: It's a lot less expensive if you do the research first, than to find out later you made a mistake. Bring your family with you next time you visit to see if this is what they also want. If you think that all of you will be happy just because you liked the place you visited, is not realistic at all. It's a joint venture, not just one person's when you have a family. Granted, I may be wrong (rather like you were when you wrote your email about "my move"). I'm only going on what you wrote and I didn't see any other emails from you on the list. Again, good luck on your move where ever you go.
you definetly have to be careful on the roads in the winter. just take it slow and you will learn when it is slick. one thing you can encounter in spokane is black ice, since it often teeters above and below freezing. most of the time its no problem.
as far as the snow itself, it seems that if you didnt grow up with it, you may miss the warmer weather. you wont be stranded though. maybe if you drive a rear wheel drive cadillac or something.
Good point. Spokane is not all that wet. We're still referred to drysiders (as opposed to the Seattle Wetsiders). I've lived in both Kennewick and Spokane, and you're looking at about a 10 degree difference usually. Spokane is almost always lower - winter and summer. Kennewick (Tri Cities) also has a 4 season climate. In fact, for that reason I'll never cross the Cascades ever again. I lived there during school and I couldn't get back fast enough.
Pick your poison - Spokane has colder winters and will receive more moisture than the Mid Columbia area, but the summers aren't as hot (but don't get me wrong, they're still very warm and dry). There is one major difference between the two though that really stands out for me. I love it in both places, two different looks, but Spokane does not even come close to receiving the wind that the Tri Cities gets, and that's a good thing. Especially since the Mid Columbia is more desert, and with a lot of construction, the dust can be downright awful at times.
Both great places to live though! Myself... trying to get to Montana
Black ice is worse after a thaw, a freeze, then a light snow so you cannot see the black ice. It looks like it's fine on the road or highway, but you go just a hair too fast and you wind up in a ditch. And don't think that if you get a 4-wheel drive that it will work any better, because it won't. It makes people feel like they can do anything, but they wind up in telephone poles or other cars, so just drive a little slower than what it looks like you could drive and you should be fine.
When I lived in Seattle and we had a huge snow, you'd always see the guys/gals with 4-wheel drive rigs hung up on curbs, against a pole or a car, so I know what I'm talking about...if it happens in Seattle when it snows, it happens everywhere that they don't get snow often, then they get a snow...lots of accidents. Just drive carefully until you're used to it. You should do fine.
Lady_Jet
Quote:
Originally Posted by cool.guy
you definetly have to be careful on the roads in the winter. just take it slow and you will learn when it is slick. one thing you can encounter in spokane is black ice, since it often teeters above and below freezing. most of the time its no problem.
as far as the snow itself, it seems that if you didnt grow up with it, you may miss the warmer weather. you wont be stranded though. maybe if you drive a rear wheel drive cadillac or something.
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but unlike Cleveland, is very sunny and dry in summer 
(see the humidity and sunshine graphs). Another thing I noticed when I moved out west--it's much less windy anywhere west of the Rockies than east of them. My observations cover a period of 34 years, and are corroborated by climate data, if you care to do some research. Hope this is helpful.
