Strong, moist westerly flow bombarded the northern Idaho panhandle with copious precipitation from early afternoon on January 23 through late morning on the 25th. Snow levels rose above the valley floors late on the 23rd, leaving the heaviest snowfall for the mountains.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 OTX wrote it up.
Strong, moist westerly flow bombarded the northern Idaho panhandle with copious precipitation from early afternoon on January 23 through late morning on the 25th. Snow levels rose above the valley floors late on the 23rd, leaving the heaviest snowfall for the mountains. Snowfall totals during this 48-hour period include: Bear Mountain SNOTEL...81", Schweitzer Bowl SNOTEL...35", Mosquito Ridge SNOTEL...32", Hidden Lake SNOTEL...24", Schweitzer Ski Area...22", Sandpoint...5.9", and Priest River...4.7".
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 Spokane, WA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 23, 9:00 AM PST, 3 hours earlier.
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</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 heavy snow. 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, January 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5279155.