As I write this 13 days have passed in January and we already have received more than 2 and 1/2" of rain for the month. Some mountains have picked up 2 feet of new snow. Our snowpack looks good but this lower elevation rain is really causing some problems. So much rain so fast has caused creeks and streams to flood mostly agricultural areas. But some roads have flooded or have been damaged by the strong run off.
Interesting facts: We are about two inches ahead of average for our "water year" (October-April). But our seasonal snowfall in Spokane is only half of normal. So the moisture has been falling its just the temperatures that have been so unseasonably warm. In the big picture its the mountain snow thats important. The slow runoff of the snowpack provides the filling of our rivers and lakes in the Spring. It also helps recharge our groundwater. We still have a good six weeks or more of winter and I think that lower elevation snow will still fall before our season ends.

---