Our coldish winter in the Pacific Northwest continues. About halfway through winter, cooler days than normal days are the dominant pattern. Here in Seattle we received about four inches of snow on Monday. It's not a large amount, even for here, but it is the first significant snowfall we've had in five years.

Starting a few days into December, the mean daily temperatures switched abruptly from warmer than normal for most of 2016 to cooler than normal. Aside from a few days, it has remained consistently cool.