Idaho, 2002

Heavy Snow in Idaho, March 7, 2002

March 7, 2002 · NWS MSO · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Late winter storm brought heavy snow to north central Idaho. Snowfall ranged from 5 to 6 inches in the valleys to one to two feet in the mountains.

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 MSO wrote it up.

Late winter storm brought heavy snow to north central Idaho. Snowfall ranged from 5 to 6 inches in the valleys to one to two feet in the mountains. Highest snowfall amounts recorded were 24 inches at Hemlocke Butte and 26 inches at Cool Creek.

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 Missoula, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 7, 3:21 AM MST, 39 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 7, 3:21 AM MST, 39 minutes before
WESTERN MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
321 AM MST THU MAR 7 2002

.SHORT TERM...ARCTIC FRONTAL BOUNDARY ESSENTIALLY ALONG MONTANA
IDAHO BORDER THIS MORNING WITH SURFACE LOW SLIDING ACROSS SOUTHERN
IDAHO MAKING COMPLEX SCENARIO FOR TODAY. BAND OF MODERATE SNOW
CONTINUES TO PUSH INTO BUTTE AREA WITH A BIT OF A BREAK ELSEWHERE.
FOCUS FOR HEAVY SNOW TODAY WILL SHIFT TO THE SOUTHERNMOST ZONES IN
CLOSE PROXIMITY TO SURFACE LOW...BUT LOOKS LIKE A FAIRLY QUICK SHOT.
WILL MAINTAIN WARNINGS FOR MOUNTAINS AND ADVISORY FOR VALLEYS BUTTE
AND SALMON AREAS. LEMHI COUNTY STILL IN WARM SECTOR WITH SMN AT 42
DEGREES AT 3 AM AND SOUTH WIND...BUT EXPECT SOME COLD AIR TO FINALLY
FILTER IN THIS MORNING. UPPER TROUGH MOVING INTO WASHINGTON WITH
CONTINUED FEED OF MOISTURE OVER ARCTIC. SOME ENHANCEMENT ON KOTX
RADAR LAST FEW HOURS AND EXPECT MORE TO DEVELOP TODAY AS BOUNDARY
REMAINS IN PLACE WITH CONTINUED FEED OF MOISTURE AND STEEPENING
LAPSE RATES ABOVE ARCTIC AIRMASS THIS AFTERNOON. IN ADDITION...NORTH
WINDS CONTINUE TO CAUSE SOME PROBLEMS WITH BLOWING AND DRIFTING...AND
WIND CHILLS AT ADVISORY LEVELS IN FLATHEAD VALLEY. WILL ISSUE WINTER
WEATHER ADVISORY FOR REST OF MONTANA ZONES FOR COMBINATION OF
ELEMENTS. CONTINUED UPSLOPE FLOW WILL ALSO GENERATE MORE SNOW OVER
CLEARWATERS SO WILL ISSUE ADVISORY THERE. GENERAL TROUGHINESS
THROUGH FRIDAY WITH ANOTHER WAVE KEEPING SNOW IN THE PICTURE TONIGHT
AND FRIDAY...SOME IMPROVEMENT SATURDAY AS RIDGE STARTS TO BUILD.

.LONG TERM...NO CHANGES. SOUTHWEST FLOW BRINGS SOME MOISTURE TO
MAINLY NORTHERN ZONES SUNDAY...THEN SERIES OF WAVES FOR CHANCE
THROUGH REST OF PERIOD WITH MILDER TEMPS. SULLIVAN

.MSO...HEAVY SNOW WARNING FOR THE MOUNTAINS MTZ007-IDZ009-010
       TODAY...
    ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE VALLEYS MTZ007-IDZ009-010
       TODAY...
    ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW
       MTZ001>006-043 TODAY...
    ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW IDZ005-006 TODAY...

...7-DAY SPOT TEMPS AND POPS...
LIB JJC /020 013/026 017/032 3675532
     CEEE 020/039 024/042 024/042 023/040 023/ 36234333434
FCA JJC /018 008/022 012/029 3664522
     EEEE 021/038 023/041 022/040 023/041 023/ 36124333434
POL JJC /020 013/026 016/033 3674511
     EEEE 020/039 023/042 024/041 024/041 024/ 36114333434
MSO JJE /025 014/027 017/035 3684521
     EEEE 022/042 024/042 025/044 024/043 024/ 36114333434
HMM JJE /029 018/032 020/038 3684421
     BEEE 022/043 024/045 025/046 024/046 024/ 36003233434
BTM SCE /026 005/022 008/033 3694310
     BEEE 008/037 015/041 019/040 020/041 020/ 36002222333
ORO JJE /038 026/037 031/043 3674500
     ECEE 032/049 035/053 036/051 036/050 036/ 36134344434
GRV JJE /035 024/034 028/038 3674500
     ECEE 033/043 034/045 035/044 035/045 035/ 36124344434
SMN JCB /042 016/032 017/034 3683200
     BEEE 018/040 022/044 023/046 023/045 023/ 36002223323

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 Clearwater Mountains

When
March 7, 4:00 AM MST to 7:00 PM MST
Where
Northern Clearwater Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
46.674, -115.657 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southern Clearwater Mountains

When
March 7, 4:00 AM MST to 7:00 PM MST
Where
Southern Clearwater Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
45.844, -115.467 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Orofino / Grangeville Region

When
March 7, 4:00 AM MST to 7:00 PM MST
Where
Orofino / Grangeville Region forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
46.259, -115.562 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Lower Hells Canyon / Salmon River Region

When
March 7, 4:00 AM MST to 7:00 PM MST
Where
Lower Hells Canyon / Salmon River Region forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
45.844, -115.467 (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, March 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: 5281836, 5281837, 5281838, 5281839.