Another Pacific storm system, the last of a stormy week brought more heavy snow across areas of north central Idaho. An additional 6 inches of snow was reported at Headquarters and Dixie during this event.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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.
Another Pacific storm system, the last of a stormy week brought more heavy snow across areas of north central Idaho. An additional 6 inches of snow was reported at Headquarters and Dixie during this event.
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 8, 3:00 PM MST, 1 hour earlier.
WESTERN MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
300 PM MST SAT MAR 8 2003
.SHORT TERM...THE WEATHER HAS QUIETED DOWN SOMEWHAT ACROSS THE CWA.
THE SNOWS HAVE DEVELOPED DOWN INTO SOME OF THE VALLEYS...BUT ARE MUCH
LIGHTER THAN LAST FEW DAYS. MAIN SHORTWAVE ENERGY HAS PROPAGATED
NORTHWARD ALONG WITH UPPER JET. MOISTURE REMAINS OVER THE AREA WITH
ENOUGH INSTABILITY TO GENERATE THESE SNOWS. BETTER UPSLOPE SNOWS
CONTINUE IN NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO WHERE ACCUMULATIONS HAVE RUN IN THE
1 TO 3 INCH RANGE FOR THE VALLEYS. MUCH HIGHER AMOUNTS IN THE
MOUNTAINS.
TONIGHT...WARM FRONTAL PUSH FROM THE SOUTHWEST WILL MOVE INTO THE
CWA...AHEAD OF APPROACHING SHORTWAVE CURRENTLY OFF THE PAC COAST.
ARCTIC AIR IS NOTICEABLY SHALLOWER OVER ALL AREAS EXCEPT THE FLATHEAD
AND GLACIER REGION. WITH THE SYSTEM MOVING IN FROM THE WEST...AND
GOOD ISENTROPIC LIFT OCCURRING OVER INTO THE COLDER AIR. SNOWS ARE
EXPECTED TO BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD AND HEAVIER BY DAYBREAK/EARLY
SUNDAY MORNING. THE BEST ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE IN THE BETTER ARCTIC
AIR. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED FOR THE NORTHERN
VALLEYS WITH WINTER STORM WARNINGS FOR MANY OF THE THE MOUNTAINS OF
WESTERN MONTANA...AND IN THE CLEARWATERS OF IDAHO.
THE AIR MASS WILL WARM ENOUGH BY AFTERNOON TOMORROW TO WHERE THE
VALLEYS WILL SEE MORE OF A WET SNOW...CHANGING TO RAIN SCENARIO.
THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE THAT LOCAL FREEZING RAIN WILL OCCUR IN
LEFTOVER COLDER AIR AT THE SURFACE. ANY ACCUMULATIONS WILL DROP OFF
IN THE VALLEYS DURING THIS TIME...BUT THE MOUNTAINS WILL CONTINUE
TO SEE ACCUMULATING SNOWS INTO SUNDAY NIGHT.
THE PRECIPITATION WILL GENERALLY TAPER OFF THROUGH TUESDAY..ALTHOUGH
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK LOOKS TO SEE SOME CONTINUAL PRECIP. THE
HEAVIEST WILL BE THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT HOWEVER. ANY ADDITIONAL
ADVISORIES OR WARNINGS WILL NEED TO BE ASSESSED IN LATER FORECASTS.
TEMPERATURES WILL BE A ON A CLIMB THROUGH THE SHORT TERM AS WELL.
WITH DEEP SNOW COVER DO NOT THINK MODEL NUMBER IN THE 50S ARE
POSSIBLE. NEVERTHELESS...LOOK FOR WARMER AIR TO MAKE IT IN. DICKSON
.LONG TERM...EXTENDED MODELS IN DECENT AGREEMENT THROUGH THE PERIOD.
SLIGHT RIDGING TO WESTERLY FLOW WEDNESDAY BEFORE A STRONGER RIDGE
BUILDS OVER CENTRAL MONTANA AS THE GULF OF ALASKA LOW DIGS DOWN THE
COAST THURSDAY. THIS PATTERN WILL BRING A WARMING SOUTHWEST FLOW TO
THE FORECAST AREA WITH EMBEDDED SHORT WAVES ROTATING THROUGH. MOST OF
THE ENERGY LOOKS TO BE CONFINED TO THE MOUNTAINS IN AND ALONG IDAHO
THROUGH THE EXTENDED. KEPT PREVIOUS FORECAST TREND OF UNDERCUTTING
MOS TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE EXTENDED GIVEN THE COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF
RECENT SNOWFALL. WILL DEFINITELY HAVE TO MONITOR FOR POSSIBLE URBAN
FLOODING THE MIDDLE TO END OF NEXT WEEK...AS RAPID SNOW MELT CAN BE
EXPECTED. MEAD
.MSO...WINTER STORM WARNING ABOVE 5000 FEET FOR IDZ005-006 MTZ004-
006 TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT...
...WINTER STORM WARNING ABOVE 4500 FEET FOR MTZ001-043 TONIGHT
THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT...
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW MTZ001-003-043 BELOW 4500 FEET
FOR TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...
...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR MTZ002 TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY
NIGHT...
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW BETWEEN 3000 FEET AND 5000 FEET
IDZ005-006 AND MTZ004-006 TONIGHT THROUGH TOMORROW MORNING...
...7-DAY SPOT TEMPS AND POPS...
LIB OOE 018/040 031/044 030/046 37997622
EEBB 026/047 030/049 028/046 026/045 2733333333
FCA OOE 011/033 029/042 028/042 37997611
BBBB 025/043 028/046 027/042 025/044 2711222111
POL OOE 018/037 030/044 029/044 37887511
BBBB 026/044 029/048 028/045 026/045 2711222111
MSO OEB 024/040 034/046 033/045 37666421
BBBB 026/044 028/047 027/045 025/045 2711111000
HMM CEB 031/045 035/048 033/048 37555321
BBBB 027/043 029/049 028/047 026/045 2711111000
BTM SEB 026/038 027/041 024/040 37554310
BBBB 022/039 023/043 023/040 021/041 2700000000
ORO OEE 037/053 042/056 042/055 37774321
EEEE 033/055 034/054 032/052 030/049 2732333333
GRV OEE 033/046 037/049 036/048 37664221
BBBB 032/047 034/052 034/048 032/044 2732222222
SMN OBB 033/047 032/051 031/049 37554310
BBBB 023/043 024/046 024/044 022/045 2700000000MTZ001>007-043-IDZ005>010-091300- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT 600 AM MST SAT MAR 8 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO .DAY ONE... TODAY NUMEROUS WINTER STORM WARNINGS...WATCHES...AND ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT FOR NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO AND WESTERN MONTANA TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT. SEE WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE GTFWSWMSO FOR DETAILS. IN ADDITION...STRONG NORTH WINDS ACROSS NORTHWEST MONTANA WILL PRODUCE VERY COLD WIND CHILL TEMPERATURES THIS MORNING...SEE GTFNPWMSO FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY A MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL IMPACT THE REGION SUNDAY...PRODUCING PERIODS OF HEAVY MOUNTAIN SNOW POSSIBLY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. REFER TO THE WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE GTFWSWMSO FOR CURRENT WINTER STORM WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT. PLEASE TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTIONS TO PREPARE FOR THIS PROLONGED PERIOD OF HAZARDOUS WINTER CONDITIONS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, March 2003
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: 5346807, 5346808.