This year’s unusually heavy snowfall caught everyone by surprise, including Karin Bumeaco, assistant state climatologist for Washington state.

According to Bumeaco, the snowfall in lower-elevation areas was 16 inches this year.

“That’s more than double what would normally fall in December,” Bumeaco said.

Bumeaco said average annual snowfall around Ellensburg is seven and half inches.

“December was really wet, there was a lot of snow. The relationship to El Niño typically means Washington state is drier and warmer,” Bumeaco said. “This year so far hasn’t really matched what we expect from an El Niño year.”

She said the forecast for January to March still calls for a typical El Niño pattern, which would mean several more months of drier, warmer weather.

“We had a drought in the state last year; we’re doing so well at this point,” Bumeaco said. “Our snowpack numbers are looking great.”

According to WSDOT, more than 110 inches of snow had fallen as of Christmas Eve on the I-90 pass.

While the overabundance of snow may be good news for some, such as ski resorts and farmers, it’s proven to be a challenge for students who have to navigate through the piles of white stuff to get to class.

In fact, many students took to Twitter to complain about how slippery the ice is to walk on.

“The snow was dope at first but now it’s a little much godamnit,” tweeted @_SamuelJacob, a Central student.

Central administrators said they are aware of the problems.

“Our goal is to get the snow off of the major sidewalks,” said Michael Moon, executive director of facilities. “We have a priority list.”

Moon said the list includes plowing walkways to and from residence halls, ADA walkways, shuttle bus areas, ramps, pathways from parking lots to classrooms and administration buildings.

“We do the roadways last,” Moon said. “It depends on the snow. When it happens, we don’t start plowing until we have more than inch.”

One group particularly disadvantaged by the heavy snow are students and employees with disabilities.

Moon said if they know the student’s schedule, facilities will clear the pathways for them.

He added, if students walk all over the sidewalks, which packs down the snow, it can become difficult to clear them.