Strong winter storm hit north central Idaho during the late night and morning hours of 12/26 to 12/27. Strong gusty south winds of 20 to 40 mph were reported with local gusts to near 60 mph over the higher peaks.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS MSO wrote it up.
Strong winter storm hit north central Idaho during the late night and morning hours of 12/26 to 12/27. Strong gusty south winds of 20 to 40 mph were reported with local gusts to near 60 mph over the higher peaks. Automated weather station at Grangeville reported sustained south winds of 37 mph with gusts to 58 mph at 920 AM PST. Heavy snow fell above 4000 feet with 7 to 10 inches recorded by Snotel sites in Clearwater County, 7 inches at Dixie in Idaho County, and 6 inches at Gibbonsville and Moose Creek in Lemhi County.
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 Missoula, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 26, 1:55 PM MST, 1 hour 5 minutes earlier.
WESTERN MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
155 PM MST THU DEC 26 2002
.SHORT TERM...VERY COMPLEX FORECAST TODAY. SOME MINOR MODEL
DIFFERENCES TODAY BUT SHOULD NOT POSE MUCH PROBLEM FOR THE
FORECAST. ONE WAVE MOVING THROUGH SRN CANADA THIS AFTERNOON...THE
TAIL END OF WHICH IS PRODUCING PRECIP OVER MAINLY MOUNTAINOUS
PORTIONS OF WESTERN MSO CWA. HAVE NOT SEEN ANY REPORTS OF MUCH MORE
THAN A FEW HUNDREDTHS OF PRECIP FROM THIS WAVE IN THE VALLEYS BUT
THE MOUNTAINS CERTAINLY FARED BETTER AS KMLP HAS PICKED UP A
COUPLE INCHES OF SNOW. STRONG OROGRAPHIC FLOW IS DEVELOPING BEHIND
THE WAVE SO PRECIP LIKELY TO CONTINUE IN THE MOUNTAINS INTO TONIGHT.
SINCE WAVE IS MOVING AWAY...DONT EXPECT MUCH MORE FROM IT OVER THE
VALLEYS. NOT TO WORRY THOUGH...SINCE THE CLOUDS FROM THE NEXT
HEADACHE CAN BE SEEN MOVING ONSHORE ALONG THE WEST COAST NOW.
WARM FRONT IS FORECAST TO DEVELOP OVER ERN WA/OR AND AFFECT THE
ENTIRE CWA LATER TONIGHT INTO TOMORROW. QPF LOOKS TO BE HEAVY OVER
THE MTNS OF ID AND FAR WEST MT WITH AS MUCH AS ONE INCH LIQUID IN
SOME SPOTS BY 00Z SAT. MORE IMPRESSIVE THOUGH...IS THE JET DYNAMICS
THAT SETS UP OVER THE AREA. MODELS SHOW A 120KT JET ALOFT WITH AS
HIGHS AS 75KTS AS LOW AS 700 MBS BY TOMORROW AFTERNOON. EVEN THE
850 WINDS ARE FORECAST IN THE 35-40KT RANGE. INITIALLY IT LOOKS COLD
ENOUGH FOR SNOW OVER NW MT BUT SNOW LEVELS WILL BE RISING TO 4500
FT OR SO BY AFTERNOON SO EXPECT A MIX IN THE AFTERNOON OVER THE
VALLEYS. WILL GO WITH AN ADVISORY FOR THE VALLEYS AND UPGRADE THE
MTNS TO A WARNING. FURTHER SOUTH...THE SNOW LEVELS WILL RANGE FROM
5000 FT OVER WC MT TO 6000 FT OVER LEMHI COUNTY BY AFTERNOON. WILL
HAVE WARNINGS FOR THE MTNS THERE AS WELL...BUT IT SHOULD WARM UP
FAST ENOUGH IN THE VALLEYS TO AVOID HEADLINES.
WE STAY IN A WARM ADVECTION PATTERN THROUGH SAT BUT PRECIP BACKS
DOWN A BIT AS STRONGEST LOW LEVEL JET DYNAMICS MOVE EAST. WILL
CONTINUE TO COVER THAT PERIOD WITH CHC POPS. COLD FRONT FINALLY
GOES THROUGH SAT NIGHT. MODELS FORECAST A WAVE TO FORM ALONG THE
FRONT SAT NGT/SUN WHICH AFFECTS SOUTHWEST MT AND LEMHI CNTY. THE
AVN IS THE MOST AGGRESSIVE WITH THIS FEATURE BUT BOTH MODELS SHOW
GOOD QPF OVER THE AREA SAT NGT THROUGH SUN. WILL BE COVERING THE
FROPA WITH CHC POPS MOST AREAS BUT GOING LIKELY OVER SW MT AND
LEMHI CNTY. HAVE ALSO ISSUED A WATCH SINCE FCST QPF AMOUNTS ARE
EXCESSIVE (6/10THS AT LEAST). PRECIP DIMINISHES FROM WEST TO
EAST DURING THE DAY SUNDAY. WRIGHT
.LONG TERM...SOME DISCREPANCIES BETWEEN THE MODELS TODAY. THE MRF
HAS THE LOW IN THE NORTH PACIFIC STAYING TO THE NORTH AND KEEPING A
MORE SOUTHWEST TO ZONAL FLOW THROUGH THE PERIOD. THE GFS ON THE
OTHER HAND BRINGS THE SURFACE LOW INTO EASTERN WASHINGTON EARLY
NEW YEARS DAY AND THEN BUILDS A RIDGE ALONG THE COAST WITH
NORTHWEST FLOW. EITHER WAY MONDAY WILL BE THE COLDEST DAY WITH COLD
ARCTIC AIR IN PLACE...AND THEN SLOWLY WARM THROUGH THE EXTENDED
PERIOD AS WARM AIR ADVECTION TAKES PLACE. WILL BE KEEPING CHANCE POPS
FOR THE EXTENDED. KOCH
.MSO...WINTER STORM WARNING LATE TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY ABOVE 4500
FEET MTZ001>004-043
WINTER STORM WARNING LATE TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY ABOVE 5000
FEET IDZ005-006 AND MTZ006
WINTER STORM WARNING LATE TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY ABOVE 6000
FEET IDZ009-010
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW LATE TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY
BELOW 4500 FEET MTZ001>004-043
WINTER STORM WATCH SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY FOR MTZ007 AND
IDZ009-010
...7-DAY SPOT TEMPS AND POPS...
LIB SEE 029/037 030/035 023/027 32797452
EEEE 017/027 018/030 018/029 020/032 3634343433
FCA SEE 026/036 028/033 021/026 32685452
EEEE 015/026 018/029 017/029 019/032 3633443343
POL SEE 028/037 028/037 024/027 32465453
EEEE 015/028 019/030 018/030 018/033 3633443343
MSO SEE 025/037 029/036 023/027 32355553
EEEE 016/026 017/030 017/029 018/030 3623343343
HMM OEE 024/041 028/038 024/026 32455553
EEEE 018/027 018/029 017/030 019/032 3623443343
BTM SES 019/040 023/039 017/021 32464575
EEEE 005/021 009/025 012/027 012/028 3623343333
ORO REE 039/051 036/043 031/034 32674452
EEEE 025/036 027/037 028/037 028/038 3624334354
GRV REE 033/046 033/035 027/031 32564452
EEEE 021/030 023/032 024/033 023/034 3624444454
SMN SJS 018/036 026/033 020/023 32775675
EEEE 008/020 011/024 011/025 011/027 3623443343MTZ001>007-043-IDZ005>010-271300- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT 600 AM MST THU DEC 26 2002 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO .DAY ONE... TODAY SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WILL DEVELOP IN NORTHWEST MONTANA THIS MORNING AND INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON...ACCUMULATING 1 TO 3 INCHES IN THE VALLEYS AND 3 TO 6 INCHES IN THE MOUNTAINS BY TONIGHT. SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 15 TO 25 MPH IN NORTHWEST MONTANA. OTHERWISE NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED EXCEPT IN NORTHWEST MONTANA TODAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY A SERIES OF STORM SYSTEMS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THE STRONGEST SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. SEE THE LATEST WINTER STORM WATCH (GTFWSWMSO) FOR DETAILS. A STRONG JET STREAM WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH THESE STORMS...CREATING STRONG WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS...ESPECIALLY AT HIGHER ELEVATIONS. SUBSEQUENT STORM SYSTEMS WILL MOVE THROUGH MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...AND WILL CONTAIN ABUNDANT MOISTURE AIDED BY A STRONG JET STREAM. THESE WINDS AND ABUNDANT MOISTURE WILL PRODUCE STRONG OROGRAPHICS IN THE MOUNTAINS OF CENTRAL IDAHO AND NORTHWEST MONTANA...BRINGING THE POSSIBILITY OF SNOWFALL WITH SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS...MAINLY IN THE MOUNTAINS. A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW IS LIKELY IN THE SOUTHERN VALLEYS ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...WITH PRECIPITATION FALLING AS ALL SNOW MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY AS A COLD FRONT PASSES THROUGH THE REGION SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 winter storm, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, December 2002
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: 5324165, 5324166, 5324167, 5324164.