Alert archive / Idaho / Snow Squall Warnings in 2021

Snow Squall Warning 1, NWS Spokane, WA

December 26, 2021Benewah County, Kootenai County, Idaho; Spokane County, Washington

NWS Spokane, WA issued this snow squall warning at Dec 26, 2021, 2:28 PM PST for Benewah County, Kootenai County, Idaho; Spokane County, Washington. It was in force for 47 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Dec 26, 2021, 2:28 PM PST (22:28 UTC)
Expired
Dec 26, 2021, 3:15 PM PST
In force
47 min
Issued by
NWS Spokane, WA
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Benewah County, ID, Kootenai County, ID, Spokane County, WA

The radar

The Spokane radar (KOTX), 59 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:30 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Spokane, WA (KOTX), launched 12:00Z, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 33 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Spokane, WA at 12:00Z on 2021-12-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Spokane, WA at 12:00Z on 2021-12-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 31 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
855 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
31 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
90 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

844 
WWUS56 KOTX 262228
SQWOTX

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Snow Squall Warning
National Weather Service Spokane WA
228 PM PST Sun Dec 26 2021

IDC009-055-WAC063-262315-
/O.NEW.KOTX.SQ.W.0001.211226T2228Z-211226T2315Z/
Benewah ID-Kootenai ID-Spokane WA-
228 PM PST Sun Dec 26 2021

The National Weather Service in Spokane has issued a

* Snow Squall Warning for...
  Northwestern Benewah County in the Panhandle of Idaho...
  Kootenai County in the Panhandle of Idaho...
  East central Spokane County in northeastern Washington...

* Until 315 PM PST.

* At 226 PM PST, a dangerous snow squall was located along a line
  extending from near Spirit Lake to 12 miles south of Plummer,
  moving northeast at 25 mph.

  HAZARD...Extremely poor visibility in heavy snow.

  SOURCE...Radar and webcams.

  IMPACT...Hazardous travel.

Highways affected included I-90 from the Spokane Valley to Coeur 
d'Alene and US 95 from Coeur d'Alene to Plummer. 

Locations impacted include...
Spokane, Spokane Valley, Coeur D'alene, Post Falls, Hayden, Rathdrum,
Dalton Gardens, Liberty Lake, Millwood, Plummer, Hauser, Hayden Lake,
Harrison, Otis Orchards-East Farms, Parkline, Otis Orchards, Green
Acres, Trentwood, Dishman and Fourth Of July Pass.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Reduce your speed and turn on headlights! During snow squalls, the
visibility may suddenly drop to near zero in whiteout conditions.

Wet roadways will quickly freeze. Black ice will cause roads, bridges
and overpasses to become slick and dangerous. Slow down and be
prepared for sudden loss of traction.

&&

LAT...LON 4796 11683 4768 11635 4718 11677 4767 11740
TIME...MOT...LOC 2226Z 226DEG 20KT 4805 11688 4715 11688 

$$

VT

The office that day

Everything else NWS Spokane, WA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 26, 3:09 PM PSTSnow Squall WarningOTXBenewah, Latah51 min
Dec 25, 8:47 PM PSTWind Chill AdvisoryOTXAdams, Douglas, Ferry, Grant, Lincoln, Okanogan42 hr

Nearby

Snow Squall Warnings in Idaho, 2021Snow Squall Warnings in Washington, 2021Every snow squall warning in 2021

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.