Idaho, 2002

Heavy Snow in Idaho, January 30, 2002

January 30, 2002 · NWS OTX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Moist northwest flow enhanced snowfall amounts near the Idaho Palouse and the Camas Prairie. 5".

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.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

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 OTX wrote it up.

Moist northwest flow enhanced snowfall amounts near the Idaho Palouse and the Camas Prairie. Snowfall totals include: Moscow...7-9", Potlatch...7", Winchester...5.2", Sanders...5", and Bovill...5".

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 Spokane, WA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 30, 8:45 AM PST, 3 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 30, 8:45 AM PST, 3 hours 15 minutes before
EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WASHINGTON
845 AM PST WED JAN 30 2002

AWIPS UPGRADE NOW UNDERWAY...SO WILL HAVE TO REVERT BACK TO THE OLD
WAY OF DOING BUSINESS.

FIRST IN A SERIES OF SHORT WAVE PROGRESSION MOVING THROUGH EASTERN
PART OF THE CWA IN THE NW FLOW ALOFT PRESENTLY. WINTER WX ADVISORY
OUT FOR LIGHT AMOUNTS TODAY BUT MORE SNOW LIKELY THROUGH THE NEXT
24-36 HOURS AS NW FLOW ALOFT BACKS TO SW. NEXT SHORTWAVE W/ASSOCIATED
WAA PUNCHES EAST OF THE CASCADES LATE THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT.
12Z MODELS KEEP RATHER MOIST RH FIELD PRESENT OVER MOST OF THE CWA
THROUGH 18Z FRI. QPF THOUGH NOT VERY IMPRESSIVE WITH THIS FIRST
SHORTWAVE BUT AS WINDS GRADUALLY SHIFT TO WEST AND SW THURSDAY
COMBINED WITH BETTER OROGRAPHIC ENHANCEMENT WILL LOOK FOR A LITTLE
MORE SNOW ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN PART OF THE CWA.
THIS SCENARIO HANDLED WELL IN SFP/ZFP SO ANY UPDATES WILL BE MINIMAL
AND MAINLY JUST WORDING CHANGES. TIMING...TEMPS AND POPS LOOK GOOD.
GDB

...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 028/024/032/027/034 84164
COE 027/021/031/025/033 86363
PUW 028/021/034/027/035 96263
LWS 034/029/038/032/039 84153
CQV 028/020/030/026/032 97675
SPT 027/020/029/024/033 99787
WWP 025/021/029/025/034 ++778
EAT 034/025/038/028/035 11241
MWH 033/026/037/030/035 22241

.OTX...WINTER WX ADVISORY FOR SNOW TODAY/TONIGHT IDZ1,4 AND WAZ37.
       WINTER WX ADVISORY FOR SNOW TODAY WAZ30.

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, W Benewah/W Latah

When
January 30, 12:00 PM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where
W Benewah/W Latah forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
47.017, -116.685 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Shoshone/E Kootenai/E Benewah/E Latah

When
January 30, 12:00 PM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where
Shoshone/E Kootenai/E Benewah/E Latah forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
47.265, -116.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, S Nez Perce/Lewis Counties

When
January 30, 12:00 PM PST to 9:00 PM PST
Where
S Nez Perce/Lewis Counties forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
46.282, -116.588 (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

More

Every storm in Idaho in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, January 2002

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: 5279161, 5279162, 5279163.