Earliest snowfall on record

2008 is already shaping up to be one of the coolest years in a long, long while. Now this: Boise gets earliest snow on record:

Big snow flakes fell early Friday evening, turning Downtown Boise into a giant snow globe for people on their way home from work. The snow caught many people off guard, including this bicyclist heading down Idaho Street between 8th and 9th around 5:45 p.m. Across the Treasure Valley, tree branches heavy with wet, snow-covered leaves fell on power lines, causing scattered power outages.

This is the earliest measurable snowfall in Boise since recordkeeping began in 1898, according to the National Weather Service. At 10 p.m., the Weather Service said 1.7 inches of snow had fallen. The previous earliest recorded snowfall was Oct. 12, 1969, when a little more than an inch fell.

Does this disprove global warming? Does this mean we're headed into a period of global cooling. Of course not. It's just an isolated incident. But on the other hand, if this were a heatwave, it would be all over the mainstream media.

Update: Winter has arrived in Saskatchewan too:

REGINA — Although autumn officially began just three weeks ago, winter is making an appearance in southern Saskatchewan.

Forecasters predict Estevan will get up to 15-centimetres of snow by tonight.

The Red Star reports:

Environment Canada reported as much as 12 centimetres of snow had fallen and another 10 centimetres was forecast for overnight, along with a slight chance of freezing rain.

Updater: It was exactly 2 years ago this weekend that an early winter storm shut down the city of Buffalo, NY.