Heavy Snow in Idaho, December 5 to 6, 2001

Name: Heavy Snow in Idaho, December 5 to 6, 2001
Start: 2001-12-05T19:00
End: 2001-12-06T04:00
Location: Idaho

December 5 to 6, 2001 · NWS BOI · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A potent cold-frontal system dropped 4 to 10 inches of snow to the West Central and Boise Mountains and the Camas Prairie.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS BOI wrote it up.

A potent cold-frontal system dropped 4 to 10 inches of snow to the West Central and Boise Mountains and the Camas Prairie.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Boise, ID wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 5, 2:50 PM MST, 4 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 5, 2:50 PM MST, 4 hours 10 minutes before

SOUTHWEST IDAHO/SOUTHEAST OREGON AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOISE IDAHO
250 PM MST WED DEC 5 2001

MORNING MODELS BACK OFF ON PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS TONIGHT...BUT
PATTERN STILL LOOKS FAVORABLE FOR MOUNTAIN SNOW. MODEL PRECIPITABLE
WATER VALUES OVER 1/2 INCH...ALMOST DOUBLE WHAT WE HAD THIS MORNING.
INCOMING JET IS MORE WESTERLY...RATHER THAN NORTHWESTERLY LIKE WE
HAD THIS MORNING...AND 10000 FOOT WINDS NEARLY 60 KNOTS. BEST
UPPER-LEVEL DYNAMICS TRACK SLIGHTLY NORTH OF THE AREA...BUT OTHER
FACTORS ENOUGH FOR STRONG OROGRAPHIC LIFT...AND LEADS ME TO ISSUE
HEAVY SNOW WARNING FOR MOUNTAINS AND BAKER COUNTY OREGON TONIGHT AND
EARLY TOMORROW. SYSTEM IS WARMER THAN PREVIOUS ONES THOUGH...AND
BELIEVE SNOW LEVELS WILL BE AROUND 5000 FEET IN SOUTHEAST
OREGON...SLOPING DOWN TO 4000 FEET OR SLIGHTLY LESS IN THE IDAHO
MOUNTAINS. HIGH ELEVATIONS SITES IN OREGON CASCADES ALREADY HAVE
TEMPERATURES WARMING STRONGLY...AND BELIEVE VALLEYS OF SOUTHEAST
OREGON AND SOUTHWEST IDAHO WILL CHANGE FROM SNOW SHOWERS INTO RAIN
BY MID EVENING. RAPID IMPROVEMENT FROM THE WEST ON THURSDAY...BUT
CONTINUED NORTHWEST FLOW WILL KEEP A CHANCE OF PRECIP IN THE
MOUNTAINS INTO EARLY FRIDAY. SATURDAY LOOKS DRY.

IN THE EXTENDED PERIOD...AVN SPLITS THE STORM FOR SUNDAY MORE THAN
MRF...BUT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE IT WILL EVOLVE INTO A CUTOFF LIKE THE
ECMWF SOLUTION.  EITHER WAY...A WEAK SYSTEM CROSSES THE AREA ON
SUNDAY AND EARLY MONDAY...SO WILL KEEP THE CHANCE OF PRECIP THAT
CURRENTLY EXISTS IN THE FORECAST. MRF/NOGAPS/UK WOULD SUGGEST THAT
TROUGH IN WESTERN U.S. WILL ASSERT ITSELF AGAIN...GIVING US
NORTHWEST FLOW AGAIN AFTER SUNDAY.  THUS...WILL KEEP A CHANCE OF
MOUNTAIN PRECIP GOING ON MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. BARKER.

.BOI...HEAVY SNOW WARNING FOR IDAHO ZONES 11 13 28 29 AND
       OREGON ZONE 62 FOR TONIGHT AND EARLY THURSDAY.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 5, 4:45 PM MST, 2 hours 15 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOISE ID
445 PM MST WED DEC 05 2001

TIME(MDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0800 AM    HINES                     OR
           HARNEY CO                      3.5 INCHES OVERNIGHT

0400 PM    BURNS                     OR
           HARNEY CO                      4 INCHES LAST NIGHT AND TODAY
                                          REPTD BY SPOTTER

0800 AM    SCHNEIDER MEADOWS         ID   HEAVY SNOW
           BAKER CO                       12 INCHES OVERNIGHT

0900 AM    COUNCIL 10 N              ID   HEAVY SNOW
           ADAMS CO                       11 INCHES LAST NIGHT AND TODAY

0900 AM    COUNCIL                   ID
           ADAMS CO                       4-5 IN ACROSS CO LAST NIGHT AND TODAY                                          REPTD BY CO SHERIFF

0900 AM    CASCADE                   ID   HEAVY SNOW
           VALLEY CO                      9 INCHES OVERNIGHT

0900 AM    MCCALL                    ID   HEAVY SNOW
           VALLEY CO                      6 INCHES OVERNIGHT

0900 AM    WEISER                    ID
           WASHINGTON CO                  2 INCHES OVERNIGHT

0900 AM    DONNELLY                  ID   HEAVY SNOW
           VALLEY CO                      12 INCHES OVERNIGHT

0900 AM    PLACERVILLE               ID   HEAVY SNOW
           BOISE CO                       7 INCHES OVERNIGHT

0900 AM    SMITHS FERRY              ID   HEAVY SNOW
           BOISE CO                       5 INCHES OVERNIGHT

0900 AM    IDAHO CITY                ID   HEAVY SNOW
           BOISE CO                       4-5 INCHES OVERNIGHT
                                          RPTD BY CO SHERIFF

0900 AM    BOISE N 7                 ID   HEAVY SNOW
           BOISE CO                       8.5 INCHES OVERNIGHT

1100 AM    BOISE AIRPORT             ID
           ADA CO                         2 INCHES THIS MORNING

1100 AM    MOUNTAIN HOME             ID
           ELMORE CO                      4 INCHES OVERNIGHT AND THIS MORNING

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, West Central Mountains

When: December 5, 7:00 PM MST to December 6, 4:00 AM MST
Where: West Central Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.543, -116.300 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Boise Mountains

When: December 5, 7:00 PM MST to December 6, 4:00 AM MST
Where: Boise Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.602, -115.335 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Camas Prairie

When: December 5, 7:00 PM MST to December 6, 4:00 AM MST
Where: Camas Prairie forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.409, -115.137 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Idaho in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Idaho, December 2001

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5276214, 5276215, 5276216.