Late snow packing big punch

SANDPOINT - Winter's stranglehold grip on Bonner County appeared to be loosening after several weeks of warm weather, but recent storms temporarily erased any thoughts of spring and put this season in the books as one of the most severe in recorded history.

The 17.7 inches of March snowfall was enough to put the 2007-08 winter in the record books with a total 129.34 inches, surpassing the 118.59 inch total recorded in the 1996-97 season.

Brooke Ramsey of University of Idaho's Research and Extension center in Sandpoint tracks area snow levels and said she is surprised by the amount of late-season snow.

“There's generally a little bit of snow this late, but I don't remember there being this much in March,” Ramsey said.

While this year's snowfall is the most in recent years, the record for the most total snow still belongs to 1915, which had a crushing 192 inches, more than 100 inches above the yearly average.

April snow is rare, said Ramsey, but five-day forecasts show possible flurries throughout the week and weekend, which would mean Bonner County will have gone through six continuous months of at least some snow.

The snow has been a curse to some, but a blessing for skiers, snowboarders and management at Schweitzer Mountain Resort.

Schweitzer communications director Jennifer Ekstrom called the season fabulous and said snowpack is still excellent, even this late in the season.

The resort, which closes for the year on April 6, exceeded its yearly average snowfall by more than 30 inches.

“This was a very successful season in terms of conditions as well as number of visits,” Ekstrom said.

Late season snow worked in the favor of skiers, but it can also be dangerous, according to Kevin Davis of the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center.

Davis said avalanche conditions are considerable to high in many mountainous regions, especially in areas where wind has hardened the top layer of snow.

Warming temperatures can weaken the snowpack and cause hazardous conditions for some time, said Davis, who advises backcountry travelers to be prepared to assess conditions and never travel alone.