Weathercatch: Remembering Spokane’s ‘Snowpocalypse’ of 2008
The snow, rain and sleet that turned Spokane into a slushy mess last weekend made roads and sidewalks tricky to navigate at times. But the short-term muck pales in comparison to the long stretch of falling snow that crippled the city 15 years ago this month.
Not only was December 2008 the snowiest December in Spokane’s recorded history, but it helped make that entire winter the snowiest on record in the area.
We’re talking lots and lots of snow.
It began when a modest 2.7 inches of snow fell on Dec. 12. The event – December’s first snowfall after a mild start to the month – turned out to be the curtain-opener to a blockbuster storm coined “Snowpocalypse.”
On Dec. 17-18, nearly 2 feet of snow fell within a 24-hour period. For perspective, the amount that fell during those two days is roughly the same that falls during all of December and January during a typical year. Streets were choked with motorists. Businesses, government offices and schools shut down. Roofs caved in. The city declared a “condition red” snow emergency, calling for around-the-clock plowing and deicing.
The cause of this historic snowstorm? Simply put, a low-pressure system that moved into the region on Dec. 12 ushered in arctic air and loads of precipitation behind it.
As the monster two-day snowstorm dissipated, crews worked to clear roads and residents shoveled driveways and brushed off their cars. Incredibly, more snow was on the way.
From Dec. 19-31, an onslaught of storm systems stretching hundreds of miles across Washington state blanketed communities from Seattle and Anacortes to Spokane and Coeur d’Alene. During that period, Spokane saw only three days out of 12 without snowfall. On top of that, it was cold, with temperatures running between 15-35 degrees below normal each day. On Dec. 20, Spokane dropped to a low of -18, shattering its previous record of -6 set in 1983.
On Dec. 21, a new storm dumped 5 inches in Spokane. On Dec. 22, another 4 inches fell. And because snow doesn’t brake for holidays, a new storm unloaded 6 inches on Christmas Eve and another inch on Christmas day. On that day, Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire declared a state of emergency, stating, “Snowfall has reached record or near-record level in 30 of the state’s 39 counties.”
By the close of Dec. 31, 61.5 inches of snow had fallen in Spokane over a 20-day period, beginning with the first snowfall on Dec. 12. By contrast, December’s typical snowfall amount is 13.8 inches.
Spokane and Bismarck, North Dakota, made national news for their record-breaking December snowfall. When the Lilac City’s weather gets compared to a city in the Midwest where blizzards and frigid temperatures aren’t unusual, you know Old Man Winter lost his compass that month.
Nic Loyd is a meteorologist in Washington state. Linda Weiford is a writer in Moscow, Idaho, who’s also a weather geek. Contact: ldweiford@gmail.com.