Strong winter storm hit north central Idaho for two days. Local blizzard conditions was reported by Idaho County Sheriff between Riggins and Pittsburg Landing, where wind gusts up to 58 mph were recorded.
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 for two days. Local blizzard conditions was reported by Idaho County Sheriff between Riggins and Pittsburg Landing, where wind gusts up to 58 mph were recorded. Heavy snowfall was widespread with 5 inches of snow reported over the surrounding hills of Orofino, with Pierce and Grangeville receiving one foot of snow. In the mountains, one to two feet of new snow was common. The highest storm total snowfall recorded was 25 inches at Cool Creek and 26 inches at Elk Butte.
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 Jan 25, 3:33 AM MST, 9 minutes earlier.
WESTERN MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
333 AM MST FRI JAN 25 2002
.SHORT TERM...IMPRESSIVE WINTER STORM BEARING DOWN ON THE
PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND NORTHERN ROCKIES TODAY...WITH SUBTROPICAL
MOISTURE ENTRAINED ALONG FRONTAL BOUNDARY JUST OFF THE COAST THIS
MORNING. STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS ALOFT AND HIGH PRECIP WATER STREAMS
OVER THE REGION TODAY...FOR HEAVY MOUNTAIN SNOWS ABOVE 3000 FEET
NORTH AND 4000 FEET SOUTH. HEAVY SNOW WARNING FOR NORTHWEST MT
ABOVE 3000 FEET WILL LAST UNTIL EARLY THIS EVENING AS FRONTAL
BOUNDARY SAGS SLOWLY SOUTH TONIGHT. HEAVY SNOW WARNINGS WILL BE
EXTENDED OVER NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO AND WESTERN MONTANA MOUNTAINS
THROUGH SATURDAY...AS FRONTAL BOUNDARY SLOWLY MOVES OVER THESE AREAS
DURING THE DAY. WINDS ALOFT WILL BE STRONG OVER THE RIDGES TODAY..BUT
SHOULD DIMINISH TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY. ON SUNDAY...AS THE PACIFIC
TROUGH DIGS ALONG THE COASTLINE...DRIER ARCTIC AIR BEGINS TO SPILL
OVER THE DIVIDE WITH LINGERING MAINLY MOUNTAINS SNOW SHOWERS.
.LONG TERM...PACIFIC TROUGH MOVES INLAND OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES ON
MONDAY...AGAIN WITH MAINLY MOUNTAIN SNOW SHOWERS AND COLD TEMPS.
ANOTHER SYSTEM APPROACHES THE AREA FROM THE NORTH LATE TUESDAY INTO
WEDNESDAY...BUT LACKS MOISTURE. SO BEST CHANCE OF ANY SNOW WILL BE
OVER THE MOUNTAINS. DRY AND COLD FORECAST FOR THURSDAY. FELSCH
.MSO...HEAVY SNOW WARNING MTZ001-002 ABOVE 3000 FEET THROUGH
EARLY THIS EVENING...
...HEAVY SNOW WARNING IDZ005-008-MTZ004 ABOVE 3500 FEET
TODAY AND TONIGHT...AND ABOVE 2000 FEET SATURDAY
...HEAVY SNOW WARNING MTZ006-043 TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY...
...7-DAY SPOT TEMPS AND POPS...
LIB OJC /036 025/031 019/026 3096533
CEBB 009/018 902/010 906/010 906/013 906/ 30223100000
FCA OJC /039 024/030 017/025 3076532
CEEB 010/020 000/012 905/010 906/012 906/ 30223100000
POL OJC /041 029/034 020/031 3065554
CEEB 015/023 010/020 005/018 005/020 005/ 30223100000
MSO RJC /041 029/032 018/028 3076632
EEBB 010/018 002/016 902/014 000/018 000/ 30223200000
HMM RJE /041 030/033 019/029 3073652
CEEB 012/020 004/018 000/016 002/020 002/ 30223200000
BTM JJE /040 025/034 008/023 3074662
CEBB 903/016 903/008 910/003 908/006 908/ 30223200000
ORO RJC /048 035/039 027/036 3076632
CEBB 022/030 020/029 016/026 015/026 015/ 30223200000
GRV NJC /042 030/034 024/032 3033652
CEEB 020/029 020/027 014/024 012/024 012/ 30223200000
SMN OJE /038 025/031 013/021 3074662
CEEB 902/018 904/010 908/006 906/010 906/ 30223200000The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 heavy snow, 1 blizzard. 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5276976, 5276978, 5276979, 5276977.