Farewell, Cold Friend. Welcome, Snowy Spring!

The ten-day forecast says it, though we're not quite sure we believe it.

Though snowboarders, snowshoe-ers, snowbirders, and snowplowers have been rejoicing, some of us feel a little jaded by the weather reports. We knew, deep down in our Northwestern hearts, that winter had not gotten its fill by the end of January, but many of us hoped the taste of spring weather we had that month would last anyway. We pitied the Midwest when they got hit with the polar vortex while we enjoyed our 40-degree bliss. Then the single-digit-degrees and the record-breaking 59 inches of snow hit in February. We had more snow in Cd'A this February than any on record! January feels as if it were ages ago. Now we’re up to 90 inches (about 8 1/2 feet) of total snowfall for this winter... our average year sees about 70 inches. More snow fell in 12 days in February than the total amount from October through January! Don’t get it wrong, we Idahoans love our powder: we gladly got in a few more runs down the hill, as you can tell by this handy video we made:

However, we did start to wonder if winter would ever end. But with March dawning, our hope for spring was renewed. The first day of March burst forth with radiant sunshine, and our hearts swelled with dreams of the ice melting from the treacherous roads. Sure, we’ve had a dusting of snow here and there since then, but each instance grows farther apart with more sunny days in between. Then, we finally see it – what we’ve dreamed of since the beginning of February – a forecast with numbers above 40 - even 50! Could it be true? Could mid-March be our springtime salvation?

As we’ve diligently learned this year, only time will tell. We may have a few solid snow showers and cold snaps yet, but we will brave them fearlessly as we see icicles falling on the horizon. Our muscles are stronger for all that shoveling, and now we can move into a new season more gratefully than we would have two months ago. When spring officially starts on the 21st, we'll be ready. 

Even with the worst of it over, it’s still going to take a while for these massive mounds of snow to melt. Luckily, that means Bigfoot might make his way down Tubbs Hill more often to leave some tracks on the downtown sidewalks. Believe it or not, our friend Bigfoot isn’t as shy as you might think...It gets chilly up there by himself, so he hangs with us at the shop quite a bit! Watch this video for proof:

Don’t worry, we’ve still got you covered on all the cold-weather gear you need for as long as you need it. We know what works to get you through the rest of these chilly (but hopeful!) times ahead. When we can finally shed the layers of puffy jackets and parkas, be sure to show off your favorite CDA sweatshirt designs before we’re on the way to t-shirt weather. Stickers look good in the rain, the snow, and the sun! You wanna let people know (and may need to remind yourself sometimes) that you’ve made it through this North Idaho winter. If you need a few more reminders, be sure to follow our Instagram: it has been flooded with gorgeous North Idaho views from the snow, to sunshine, to sunsets. Whatever the weather, we can’t get enough of how beautiful our area is!

We’re hoping for beautiful weather for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade this Saturday, March 16th. Make sure to pick up some green gear from us, and we’ll see you there!