Heavy Snow in Idaho, February 16, 2001

EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WASHINGTON
255 AM PST FRI FEB 16 2001

COMPLICATED FORECAST FIRST...STALLED COLD FRONT DRAPED ACROSS LOWER
ELEVATIONS OF NRN OREGON TO THE KLWS AREA WITH MODIFIED DRY ARCTIC
AIR SPILLING INTO THE REGION. SECOND...SURFACE LOW OFF OF KAST WITH A
SW FLOW OF MILD PACIFIC AIR STREAMING OVER THE COLD DOME AND CAUSING
THE FRONT TO REVERSE ROLES AND PUSH NWD AS A WARM FRONT. AN IDEAL
OVERUNNING PATTERN TAKING SHAPE FOR THE INLAND NW. CURRENTLY...MOST
OF THE AREA IS UNDER EITHER A HEAVY SNOW WARNING OR A SNOW ADVISORY.
WITH THE COLD AIRMASS IN PLACE...EXPECT HIGH SNOW TO WATER RATIOS
ALLOWING THE SNOW TO PILE UP ONCE THE LOWER ATMOSPHERE SATURATES. THE
EXCEPTION BEING THE KLWS AREA WHERE THE COLD AIR NEVER REALLY MADE TO
THE VALLEY. FOR THE MOST PART...WILL CONTINUE THE HIGHLIGHTS TODAY
AND MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO THE SNOW AMOUNTS AND TIMING.

TEND TO FOLLOW THE MESOSCALE MODELS...LIKE THE MM5 AND MESO ETA...AS
THEY HAVE A BETTER HANDLE OF THE COLD AIR. DESPITE SOME DIFFERENCES
ALOFT BETWEEN THE AVN AND THE ETA MODELS...BELIEVE THE PCPN EVENT
WILL BE DRIVEN ON WHERE THE COLD AIR LIES AND HOW FAST THE FRONT
MOVES. TEMPERATURES RANGE IN THE UPPER 20S TO LOWER 30S FROM ADAMS
COUNTY TO THE PALOUSE. WITH THE FRONT REACHING THIS AREA THIS
AFTERNOON...EXPECT THE SNOW TO TAPER OFF AND CHANGE TO RAIN WHICH
WOULD LIMIT THE SNOW AMOUNTS. BELIEVE THE HEAVIEST AMOUNTS WILL LIE
ALONG A LINE FROM EAT TO COE. THE SNOW WILL CONTINUE INTO THE
EVENING...BEFORE WANING AS THE ISENTROPIC LIFT DECREASES. THE FRONT
WILL WEAKEN AND LINGER ACROSS THE NRN TIER ZONES ON SATURDAY. AT THE
SAME TIME...THE PACIFIC TROF CONSOLIDATES NEAR 135W WHILE A SHORTWAVE
SWINGS TOWARD THE OREGON COAST. HERE THE MODELS HAVE SOME TIMING
PROBLEMS WITH THE ETA BEING THE FASTER SOLUTION. AT THIS TIME...WILL
KEEP A CHANCE OF PCPN IN MOST AREAS WITH WARMING TEMPERATURES. RLF.

IN THE EXTENDED...UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE PERIOD
WITH CHANGES EXPECTED. HANER

...THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRODUCT CONCERNING WARNINGS AND FORECASTS
IS VALID ONLY AT THE TIME OF ISSUANCE. THE LATEST WARNING AND
FORECAST INFORMATION WILL BE FOUND IN THE APPROPRIATE PRODUCTS...

GEG 027/024/033 +63
CQV 028/025/032 864
SPT 020/016/030 864
COE 025/020/031 963
WWP 024/019/032 963
LWS 042/034/046 833
PUW 033/028/035 943
EAT 027/023/032 +64
MWH 029/025/035 944

.GEG...WINTER STORM WARNING TODAY AND THIS EVENING
         ID ZONES 1 2 4 & WA ZONES 34 35 36 37 38 41 43 44
       SNOW ADVISORY TODAY
         WA ZONE 33 42 & ID ZONE 3 27