Heavy Snow in Idaho, January 31, 2002

Name: Heavy Snow in Idaho, January 31, 2002
Start: 2002-01-31T12:00
End: 2002-01-31T23:59
Location: Idaho

January 31, 2002 · NWS OTX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

An intense warm front lifting north across the area brought heavy snow to most locations along and north of I-90. 4".

Where it happened

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.

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: 4

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.

An intense warm front lifting north across the area brought heavy snow to most locations along and north of I-90. Snowfall totals include: Schweitzer Ski Area...16", Lookout Pass Ski Area...12", Mosquito Ridge SNOTEL (22 SE Sandpoint)...11", Athol...10", 5 S Spririt Lake...8", Rathdrum...8", Sandpoint...6", 10 SSW Bonners Ferry...5", 3 WSW Coeur D'Alene...4.5", Potlatch...4", and Bovill...4".

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, 2:30 PM PST, 21 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 30, 2:30 PM PST, 21 hours 30 minutes before

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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Northern Panhandle

When: January 31, 12:00 PM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: Northern Panhandle forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 48.247, -116.588 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Coeur D'Alene Area

When: January 31, 12:00 PM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: Coeur D'Alene Area forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 47.675, -116.700 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Central Panhandle Mountains

When: January 31, 12:00 PM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: Central Panhandle Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 47.265, -116.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Idaho Palouse

When: January 31, 12:00 PM PST to 11:59 PM PST
Where: Idaho Palouse forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 47.017, -116.685 (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

Every storm in Idaho in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5279164, 5279165, 5279166, 5279167.