Snowy mountains. Rainy days. Flurries of hard-hitting hail. Unless you’re a fish, the weather continues to be bleak. The optimistic among us are calling it a return to an “old-fashioned Humboldt County winter” after years of drought but how accurate is that?

According to Matthew Kidwell, a meteorologist at Eureka’s National Weather Service office, the Eureka area has been drenched with 48.64 inches of rain since the start of 2017, which is fully 167 percent of normal. He adds that this is about 10 inches more than we experienced last year, which was also above normal.

If you think the chill has been more bitter than usual lately, you’re right. Kidwell says the average high temperature in January was about 3 degrees below normal and that overall we’re coasting below normal for this time of year.

Looking ahead, we have … rain. And more rain. Also, snow. It snowed down to 400 feet above sea level over the weekend, dusting even Crescent City and Willow Creek.

“There’s an increased probability for above normal rainfall and below normal temperatures,” says Kidwell, adding that the hail showers over the weekend caused a lot of accidents.

So bring the pets and plants inside, and be careful on the roads. The NWS would like to hear about your snowfall situation, as well. Check out its Facebook page for more information on how to report snowfall and check its website for the latest weather alerts.