Winters in Sandpoint (Moscow, Athol, Carey: ski resort, how much, house)

[ConwayNative]

I've been reading posts for months, yet I still don't feel like I a true feeling for what winter in like in and round Sandpoint. Please help me understand better.

How much total snow fall?
Actual ground cover in inches throughout the winter?

For example: where I live in NH now we get around 100 to 120 inches on average per year. Some years 50 -80. It can snow late October although that may melt. Typicaly the real first snow that stays is in Nov, early Dec. We can get a slight thaw in Jan some years, it may even rain. Feb and March are big snow months. The thing is it doesn't always melt in the winter. It piles up. So to have 2-4 feet on the ground from Dec to March is normal.

In heavy years I've measured 5ft of snow on the ground on April 1st. It melted quickly as April is the transition month here. Yes, it can and does snow in April. So, kind of a long winter. Come March most people are begging for spring to come.

What is it like around Sandpoints and points south to CDA?

Thanks

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Between Sandpoint and CDA, it snows. Sometimes it snows a lot, sometimes it snows less. Sometimes the snow sticks, sometimes it melts off.

Winter tends to linger late into the spring.

You will appreciate having some sort of snow blower. My walk behind handled the snow last winter which was a light year, but it was hard work, so I've got a side by side with a blower attachment coming. I was the only person I saw last winter with a walk behind. My neighbors have lawn tractors, ATV's with plows, pickup trucks with plows, and two neighbors have real tractors with plows.

Although if you are inside a city with small yards, you will probably have neighbors with walk behind snow blowers .

Check on a map how close Sandpoint is to Canada. Expect the sort of weather you might expect in Canada.

[Cnynrat]

Different sources will have slightly different data, but average annual snowfall in Sandpoint is about 65-70". It can snow in November - we had a foot in early November last year. It's more typical that we don't start getting significant snow until mid-December or so. It's not unusual to have significant snow storms in March, and snow can come later than that.

Snow depth on the ground can vary widely based on the specific location and that year's weather pattern. At Sandpoint's elevation above freezing temps are not unusual, so you can see snow pack diminish if there is a break between storms. Amount of tree cover, south vs. north facing slopes all affect snow pack.

We live in Sagle, and last year had a total of 102". We built up to about 2 feet on the ground, then saw most of that go away during an extended warm spell, then built back to about 2 feet again. The year before we had a total of 92", and built up to about 3-1/2 feet on the ground which hung around until things started to melt in the spring. Every year is a little different.

IMO, the most significant issue for newcomers isn't the snow, it's the grey skies in winter. During winter there might only be 1-2 days a week with sun, and even then often not for an entire day. We don't mind it, but some newcomers struggle with short days and lack of sun.

Dave

[volosong]

Originally Posted by Cnynrat

...IMO, the most significant issue for newcomers isn't the snow, it's the grey skies in winter...

I respectfully disagree, Dave. Last winter was my first, full one in NID. The cloud cover didn't bother me too much. Just a little. What really got to me was the length of the days, (daylight hours). It was so strange to be pitch black at 8:00 in the morning, then again at around 4:30 in the afternoon. I never did get used to that and lost all motivation to do anything. I should have spent the winter unpacking boxes and settling in. Now that it is nice outside, I want to be out and don't want to spend the time emptying boxes.

Sheech! At least I know what's coming this winter. However, maybe this just affected me because I've lived my whole life until last year between 32º and 34º north latitude. NID is around 48º.

[Sandpointian]

Originally Posted by ConwayNative

I've been reading posts for months, yet I still don't feel like I a true feeling for what winter in like in and round Sandpoint. Please help me understand better.

How much total snow fall?
Actual ground cover in inches throughout the winter?

For example: where I live in NH now we get around 100 to 120 inches on average per year. Some years 50 -80. It can snow late October although that may melt. Typicaly the real first snow that stays is in Nov, early Dec. We can get a slight thaw in Jan some years, it may even rain. Feb and March are big snow months. The thing is it doesn't always melt in the winter. It piles up. So to have 2-4 feet on the ground from Dec to March is normal.

In heavy years I've measured 5ft of snow on the ground on April 1st. It melted quickly as April is the transition month here. Yes, it can and does snow in April. So, kind of a long winter. Come March most people are begging for spring to come.

What is it like around Sandpoints and points south to CDA?

Thanks

Conway--a very pretty area. A different kind of cold and winter.

Originally Posted by ConwayNative

How much total snow fall?

it
It is hard to answer. Mine will be for in town, OK? If you are in town, you are near the water and the microclimate is different.

My completely unscientific answer is

8"-12" once or twice a season
5-8" 4-6 times a season
1-5" the most common snow fall. A few dozen times.
0-1" No one pays any mind.

Most snow fall 3"+ is nice snow.

I am not sure of overall snow fall. Check gov't stats...I am not sure it would be as interesting to know.

Someone on Baldy Mt or in Sagle will get completely different numbers.

In town, snow plowing is as if the City has a $100 annual budget. If f: the forecasts are expected to climb to 35*+, they will only plow the main arteries, banking on the slush to eventually melt. Note: the forecasts for Sandpoint weather are notoriously bad.

Originally Posted by ConwayNative

Actual ground cover in inches throughout the winter?

My backyard was under 2-2.5' of snow for a month to six weeks the past two years. Then 6"+ for 2+ months.
But some winters, I have very little accumulated.

Sandpoint is not NH or VT. XC skiing in town is a something that happens only a few times a year. We do not have the sustainably cold temps.

We do not have set patterns. When stuff comes from the Pacific, the skies look and feel like Seattle: gray and wet. When we get more from the Rockies, we can have brilliant cold.

First snow: Between mid Oct and mid Dec.
Coldest Months: Nov-Dec. Not for temps. It is because the body and house also have to adjust to the cold. By Feb, one is fully ready and even really cold temps don't matter.
Snowfall end. Mid March is the way to think about it, though depending on where you are, you can get snow fall in June.

In the middle of Winter, it does not feel cold here vs. New England. More chaos here because of the minimalist approach to plowing. With so many absentee landlords, 95% of sidewalks are not maintained.

Snow fall. Three years ago, Schweitzer Man got about 120". This year it got 425". This is Sandpoint in a nutshell.

This is why SP is not a winter wonderland in the Colorado/Utah sense. However, t is a great playground for locals who are johnny on the spot to take advantage,

This is how I see it.

Deep Winter Dec and January
Winter: Mid Nov to end Feb
Shoulder Winter: First half of Nov & First half of March
Fall: October
Spring: Second Half of March to end of April
Spring/Summer: May and June
Fall/Summer: September
Deep Summer: July and August

Originally Posted by ConwayNative

What is it like...points south to CDA?

There are microclimates. Careywood and Athol seem to have temps fall 2-3*F.

If you have specific areas, best you let folks know. Each will have their weather strategies.

[Cnynrat]

Originally Posted by volosong

I respectfully disagree, Dave.

Originally Posted by Cnynrat

We don't mind it, but some newcomers struggle with short days and lack of sun.

I'm not sure what there is to disagree with.

Everyone will have a different reaction to the winter conditions. As I said, we don't mind it. I spend more time in the shop working on woodworking projects during the winter, and being retired I still have plenty of daylight hours if I want to do something outside.

Dave

[kttam186290]

Originally Posted by volosong

I respectfully disagree, Dave. Last winter was my first, full one in NID. The cloud cover didn't bother me too much. Just a little. What really got to me was the length of the days, (daylight hours). It was so strange to be pitch black at 8:00 in the morning, then again at around 4:30 in the afternoon. I never did get used to that and lost all motivation to do anything. I should have spent the winter unpacking boxes and settling in. Now that it is nice outside, I want to be out and don't want to spend the time emptying boxes.

Sheech! At least I know what's coming this winter. However, maybe this just affected me because I've lived my whole life until last year between 32º and 34º north latitude. NID is around 48º.

This is what ultimately drove my parents out of the Panhandle and back to sunny So Cal. Especially my Dad! His Seasonal Affective Disorder wasn't so much a side effect of the snow as it was the lack of light in general.

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by kttam186290

This is what ultimately drove my parents out of the Panhandle and back to sunny So Cal. Especially my Dad! His Seasonal Affective Disorder wasn't so much a side effect of the snow as it was the lack of light in general.

Yup. I never knew I was SADD until I spent my first winter in Moscow.

Back then, the disorder wasn't discovered yet. But in February, 1963, I knew there was something wrong with me. I am not a depressive person, but that month really hit me hard, and there was no reason other than the lack of daylight for my sudden deep depression.

It wasn't until the 90s when I finally read about SADD. There were times in my life when it never bothered me at all, and once I knew of its existence, I could think back and remember the winters when it was the strongest.

For me, the fix was easy- as long as I have a strong amount of mixed artificial lighting, I'm OK, even in the most overcast winter, but that doesn't work for all sufferers equally well.

[StephanieIsHere]

Originally Posted by ConwayNative

I've been reading posts for months, yet I still don't feel like I a true feeling for what winter in like in and round Sandpoint. Please help me understand better.

How much total snow fall?
Actual ground cover in inches throughout the winter?

For example: where I live in NH now we get around 100 to 120 inches on average per year. Some years 50 -80. It can snow late October although that may melt. Typicaly the real first snow that stays is in Nov, early Dec. We can get a slight thaw in Jan some years, it may even rain. Feb and March are big snow months. The thing is it doesn't always melt in the winter. It piles up. So to have 2-4 feet on the ground from Dec to March is normal.

In heavy years I've measured 5ft of snow on the ground on April 1st. It melted quickly as April is the transition month here. Yes, it can and does snow in April. So, kind of a long winter. Come March most people are begging for spring to come.

What is it like around Sandpoints and points south to CDA?

Thanks

The winter you described in NH sounds pretty much the same as what you should expect in Sandpoint. The rain after a snowfall is the worst- sloppy, slippery slush.

[DvrGrl]

I grew up in Connecticut and spent numerous winters in Maine visiting my parents, as well as working at Sunday River Ski resort and traveling to all their resorts across northern New England during the winter. After a few Sagle/Sandpoint winters, though granted not there the entire time, we found NID to be much preferable. The cold is dryer than in New England and therefore doesn't feel as cold. Also, Schweitzer snow is much, much nicer than any place in New England, with far fewer skiers across great blue and black terrain. The darkness isn't any worse than what we experienced in Maine. We can't wait to get back to the Idaho winter this year, and when we can finally relocate to Sagle. And if we need sunshine/warmth we find the dry heat of the SW much preferable to the driveable options from New England.