School District 351 had a delayed start on Tuesday, February 28 to allow road crews to deal with the several inches of snow that had fallen since Monday morning and over night.  Pocatello and Idaho Falls schools have logged more snow days this year than in any prior year in recent memory, and most cities and counties across Idaho have dealt with a wetter than usual winter this year, leading to record snowfall in many locations.  Obviously, this is great news in the tenth year of a long drought cycle.  It can also obviously cause a certain amount of havoc on the roadways.  

Regardless of the heavy snow in the morning, by afternoon on Tuesday much of the early snowfall had either melted or been dealt with, which can certainly be considered a sign of the season.  The “in like a lion, out like a lamb” part of March usually takes place over the course of an entire month, rather than a single day.  

Kudos certainly go out first and foremost to the city and county road departments, who made sure that the snow was removed in time for a delayed school start.  By the ten o’clock start time, the majority of roads were cleared and ready for business.  Many of those who work plows begin their day long before daybreak, and remain on-call for just such emergencies, and their hard work certainly does not go unnoticed.  It’s also worth noting that the local side streets were filled with a fleet of ATVs Tuesday morning to help eliminate the traffic problems.  

If the groundhog was right, we can expect at least two more weeks of this sort of uncertain weather, where any particular day might be both bright and sunny as well as snowy and overcast.  If the weather apps are to be believed, there are at least a few more days of potential heavy snowfall in the forecast over the next few weeks.  In either case, night time temperatures are likely to remain below freezing for the next few weeks at least, though the day time highs are expected to start creeping above 32 by next week.

As the snows begin to melt throughout the early spring, please exercise caution driving on icy and slushy roads, as the conditions can be dangerous.  Here’s hoping that we get both more moisture and more sun as spring gets underway!