This morning during our weather coverage we saw snow move around Spokane, a full circle without a flake in the downtown area. Our Facebook and Twitter were full of the same question, why is Spokane a donut of dryness?

It's dry air in our area, as in lower elevations. Think about it! Everytime you leave Spokane you have to climb a hill. It has to get saturated with moisture and that takes time. It takes about two hours to get 13,000 feet ready to release the snow.

Now that has been done we will see waves of snow move through the area through Friday. Have patience while driving, plan your trips. This system will be with us for awhile, no doubt talk of cold weather comfort food will start soon.

Some of you probably rushed to your bedroom window this morning to catch a glimpse at what the weather brought us. Nothing. The ground was bare.

Depending on your point of view, Mother Nature either hates or loves Spokane. Snow fall played leap frog over Spokane and dived right into North Idaho where it snowed a few inches.

Thanks to the National Weather Service, we have some statistics that show the snowiest days in recorded history at Spokane International Airport. Some of you may remember these dates like they were yesterday especially the number two and three slot dedicated to December of 2008 when snow turned the city upside down.

1. January 21st, 1954 - 12.7 inches

2. December 17th, 2008 - 12.5 inches

3. December 18th, 2008 - 11.1 inches

4. December 21st, 1951 - 11.1 inches

5. February 19th, 1993 - 11.0 inches

6. January 6th, 1950 - 10.4 inches

7. January 26th, 1969 - 9.8 inches

8. February 25th, 1919 - 9.6 inches

9. November 4th, 1973 - 9.0 inches

10. December 19th, 1895 - 8.9 inches

Something interesting to note. In Seattle, their heaviest snowfall was January 13th, 1950. They received 20 inches of snow. Their second ranked stat was 14.9 inches on January 27th, 1969. After that Spokane beats their snowfall.

Four neighborhood councils on Spokane’s South Hill are working together to improve the business centers shared by thousands of residents, but lacking simple connecting pathways for pedestrians and bicyclists. By pooling together about $80,000, the newly-founded South Hill Coalition hopes to connect neighborhoods so more residents can stay local to do their shopping.

They’re getting a little help from the city. Scott Chesney, planning director, stopped by the Manito/Cannon neighborhood council last week to help them put together a wish list for the planning consulting community.

“It’s entirely their creation. It’s their attempt to leverage the funds allocated to each neighborhood into a bigger pool for planning that would benefit them all,” Chesney said.

About $20,000 in planning funds are allocated to each council by the city annually. The participating councils include: Manito/Cannon, Cliff/Cannon Hill, Comstock and Lincoln Heights. With their funds combined, they can pour more into making the neighborhoods more connected and walkable.