Idaho, 2002

Winter Storm in Idaho, November 23, 2002

November 23, 2002 · NWS MSO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

An arctic cold front moved over the continental divide and stalled across southwest Montana. Heavy snows were reported near the front in Montana and near a Pacific disturbance across the southern Clearwater Mountains of Idaho.

Where it happened

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.

  • 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
1

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.

An arctic cold front moved over the continental divide and stalled across southwest Montana. Heavy snows were reported near the front in Montana and near a Pacific disturbance across the southern Clearwater Mountains of Idaho. Some snow amounts with this storm system in Idaho were 6 inches at Dixie and Savage Pass.

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 Nov 23, 4:00 AM MST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 23, 4:00 AM MST, 0 minutes before
WESTERN MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
400 AM MST SAT NOV 23 2002

.SHORT TERM...WILL UPGRADE THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN MTZ 7-43-6
AND ADD MTZ 4,  IDZ5-6  FOR SNOW 6-12 INCHES AND BLOWING SNOW...
MAINLY IN THE MOUNTAINS ABOVE 4000KFT. ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER
ADVISORY FOR MTZ5 BUTTE REPORTED 3-5 INCHES ON THE GROUND AS OF LAST
HOUR AND IT CONTINUES TO SNOW MODERATELY. COLDER AIR HAS INTRUDED
THERE...BUT SLOW TO MOVE INTO THE MISSOULA VALLEY WESTWARD. WINDS
HAVE SHIFTED TO THE EAST AND COLDER AIR WILL BEGIN TO REALLY MAKE ITS
PRESENCE AROUND 12-15Z. LATEST 6Z RUNS OF THE AVN AND MESO ETA ARE
BOTH SHOW A STRONGER VORT MAX MOVING IN FROM BC AND WETTER SOLUTIONS
WITH MORE WIDESPREAD QPF TODAY. 700MB WINDS ARE FAIRLY LIGHT WHICH
WILL BE CONDUCIVE TO BETTER QPF AMOUNTS. GRADIENTS ARE INCREASING
ALONG THE DIVIDE WHICH ARE PRODUCING FAIRLY STRONG EAST WINDS. THESE
WINDS WILL WORK THEIR WAY ACROSS THE ENTIRE CWA DURING THE DAY. ON
THESE BASIS THE WSW WAS UPGRADED TO A WARNING.

HIGH TEMPS TODAY WILL BE REACHED FAIRLY EARLY THIS AM...THEN STEADILY
DECREASE DURING THE DAY. RADAR AND SATELLITE SHOWING SOME DECENT
CONVECTIVE TYPE CLOUD TOPS WHICH INDICATE THE REAL COLDER AIR LIES
JUST TO THE NORTH. RPN

.LONG TERM...MODELS ALL VERY CONSISTENT IN DEVELOPING MASSIVE REX
BLOCK OVER THE WRN CONUS THROUGH THE EXTENDED. THIS WILL LEAD TO
WARMING ALOFT AND EVER STRENGTHENING INVERSIONS. WITH SURFACE COLD
AIR ALREADY IN PLACE BY NEXT WEEK...IT WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT TO WARM
UP SO GOING FCST OF DRY WX WITH COLD TEMPS LOOKS GOOD. WRIGHT

.MSO...WINTER STORM WARNING TODAY ABOVE 4000 FEET IN MTZ004-006-007-
043 AND IDZ005-006...

.MSO...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TODAY IN MTZ005...

...7-DAY SPOT TEMPS AND POPS...
LIB JBB /036 016/035 011/031 4050000
     BUUU 004/027 006/031 013/033 015/036 015/ 32000000000
FCA EBB /034 013/033 009/027 4050002
     BUUU 002/027 004/032 010/035 015/038 015/ 32000000000
POL JBB /037 020/035 017/030 4050002
     BUUU 007/028 009/032 016/033 019/036 019/ 32000000000
MSO JBB /036 017/033 012/029 4081003
     BUUU 006/027 008/031 012/033 012/035 012/ 32000000000
HMM WBB /036 015/035 011/030 4082003
     BBBU 008/029 010/032 013/034 013/036 013/ 32000000000
BTM JBE /032 000/027 901/024 40+2004
     BBBU 910/025 908/029 003/031 003/034 003/ 32100000000
ORO CBU /048 026/044 022/040 4042000
     BUBU 020/036 022/041 028/043 028/046 028/ 32000000000
GRV CBU /044 025/040 021/036 4042000
     BBBU 014/033 016/036 025/037 025/040 025/ 32000000000
SMN CBB /038 013/031 007/030 4042103
     BBBU 003/024 005/029 009/031 009/033 009/ 32000000000
Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 22, 9:39 PM MST, 6 hours 21 minutes before
MTZ001>007-043-IDZ005>010-231300-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
939 PM MST FRI NOV 22 2002

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN MONTANA AND NORTH
CENTRAL IDAHO

.DAY ONE... TONIGHT

AS AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT MOVES INTO THE REGION TONIGHT...SNOW AND
BLOWING SNOW WILL DEVELOP ABOVE 4000 FEET ACROSS WEST CENTRAL MONTANA
LATE TONIGHT AND CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY. SEE THE LATEST WINTER
WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW...OR GTFWSWMSO FOR
DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

ADDITIONAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED ABOVE 4000 FEET IN
THE WEST CENTRAL MONTANA MOUNTAINS SATURDAY...WITH LIGHT
ACCUMULATIONS IN THE WESTERN MONTANA VALLEYS. SNOWFALL IS
EXPECTED TO DECREASE LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON. SEE THE LATEST WINTER
WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW...OR GTFWSWMSO FOR
DETAILS.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH
THURSDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Southern Clearwater Mountains

When
November 23, 4:00 AM MST to 4:00 PM MST
Where
Southern Clearwater Mountains 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

Winter Storm
A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

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, November 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: 5322848.