Late-Season Snowstorm Drops 6 Inches on Coeur d'Alene, Boosts Ski Resorts

Debi Moseley had been watching the calendar all winter, wondering if Coeur d'Alene would see one last real snowfall before spring arrived. On the morning of March 14, she and her husband Mike walked their dog Anya through a city finally blanketed in white.

"I've been waiting for this since January," Debi said.

The mid-March storm dropped about 6 inches on Coeur d'Alene, starting early Friday and continuing through the evening. It brought the city's season total to 26.9 inches, still well below the normal snowfall of 64 inches at this point in the year, but welcome after a winter that had left many residents underwhelmed. Near the Museum of North Idaho, Pat Papineau walked her dog Joe Vandal through the accumulation. She had been hoping for a storm like this for weeks. Friday morning, she got her wish.

At McEuen Park, the Suffragist statue stood draped in snow, and Canada geese floated along the shoreline at Coeur d'Alene City Beach as flakes continued to fall. On Sherman Avenue and side streets across the city, residents like Eric York were out shoveling, reportedly doing so with a smile.

The Moseleys had been bracing for the possibility that winter had simply passed them by. With 60 degrees forecast for the following week, they had wondered aloud whether it was already too late for a meaningful snowfall. Mike Moseley was not troubled by the impermanence.

"Just enjoy it while it's here," he said.

At Lookout Pass, the storm delivered something more consequential than sentiment. Snowpack reached 45 inches on March 14, with 9 inches falling in the prior 24 hours alone. Forecasters expected up to 27 additional inches over the following five days, with temperatures hovering in the mid-30s. The resort had already been dealing with the aftermath of a recent windstorm that had knocked out power on the mountain. General manager Brian Rosser delivered his update from a groomer on the hillside.

"The good news is, power is back on, and it's currently snowing," Rosser said. "Mountain operations teams are working hard."

Resorts described the conditions as some of the strongest snow of the season. With forecasters projecting continued heavy snowfall across the region and temperatures staying cold through the extended forecast, the late-season window for skiing in Kootenai County appeared far from closed.