Chance for snow in the L-C Valley today

The Lewiston-Clarkston Valley could see a fleeting skiff of snow today but it will melt quickly, according to a National Weather Service Forecast.

The possibility of snow is also in the forecast for the Palouse, Camas Prairie and Clearwater Valley. According to the forecast, Moscow and Pullman and the Camas Prairie may get a couple of inches while lower elevation areas like Lewiston, Clarkston and Kamiah are expected to get less than an inch.

“Any snow you get won’t last because your (forecasted high temperature) is 40,” said meteorologist Miranda Kote at Spokane. “It might stick around on the Palouse where highs are around 33.”

If it does snow — and at a forecasted chance of 45%, it’s not a sure thing — it will mark the third occurrence this month. Don’t remember shoveling yet this winter? That’s because the past two storms were unimpressive. A trace of snow was recorded at the Lewiston-Nez Perce County Airport on Dec. 12 and 13.

A storm with higher levels of moisture will arrive in the area Friday, according to Kote. It is expected to deliver rain in most areas with the chance of mountain snow.

Lewiston has received 0.31 inches of precipitation above average for the water year that started Oct. 1 but most of that has come as rain.

Even though winter is off to a slow start in the lowlands, the mountains that feed the Snake, Salmon and Clearwater rivers are faring much better. Mountains in the Clearwater River basin have a snow-water equivalent that measures 105% of average. The Salmon River Basin is at 113% of average and the Blue Mountains in Southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon are just shy of 150% of average.

Most of the snow is at higher elevations, even in the mountains. For example, the Sourdough Gulch remote weather station at 4,000 feet in elevation off Lick Creek Road in the Asotin Creek Drainage has a snow-water equivalent of just 40% of average. The nearby Spruce Springs site at 5,700 feet measures a snowpack that is 117% of average.

Snowhaven Ski Area near Grangeville opened recently. Cottonwood Butte near Cottonwood and Bald Mountain near Pierce are not open.

Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com.