Strong winter storm brought heavy snow to the Clearwater Mountains of North Central Idaho and Lemhi County. The heaviest snow occurred over a 36 hour period in the Clearwater Mountains which received 8 to 12 inches of new snow at the lower elevations, and 17 to 24 inches in the mountains.
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.
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.
Strong winter storm brought heavy snow to the Clearwater Mountains of North Central Idaho and Lemhi County. The heaviest snow occurred over a 36 hour period in the Clearwater Mountains which received 8 to 12 inches of new snow at the lower elevations, and 17 to 24 inches in the mountains. Lemhi County mountains received 13 to 18 inches of new snow. Gusty south winds were recorded over the Southern Clearwater Mountains and over higher terrain in Lemhi County where wind gusts of 30 to 35 mph caused areas of blowing and drifting snow.
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 Dec 1, 1:59 PM MST, 2 hours 1 minute earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
159 PM MST THU DEC 1 2005
.SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. WINTER STORM APPROACHING THE
REGION. SHORT WAVE WITH ASSOCIATED 100 KNOT JET ENTERING THE
OREGON COAST. TIMING OF THE WINTER STORM HAS BEEN PUSHED BACK AT
BIT TO 5 PM IN NORTHWESTERN MONTANA. LOOKS AS IF MAIN TIMING OF
THE BULK OF THE SNOW IN WESTERN MONTANA WILL BE THIS EVENING
THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. THE MAIN QUESTION WILL BE
AMOUNTS...ESPECIALLY IN THE MISSION/FLATHEAD VALLEY. CURRENTLY
THERE IS A WINTER STORM WARNING OUT FOR THE AREA...BUT LATEST
MODELS ARE NOT AS STRONG WITH SNOWFALL AMOUNTS REACHING 6 INCHES
OR MORE...THUS IT MAY ONLY TURN OUT TO BE A LESSER SNOWFALL
EVENT. STRONG EAST TO WEST PRESSURE GRADIENTS CONTINUE DEVELOP
AND LOOK GOOD TO PRODUCE STRONG SUSTAINED EAST- NORTHEAST WINDS
MAINLY THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT. SOME EAST-NORTHEAST WINDS HAVE
STARTED ALONG PARTS OF THE DIVIDE. WINDS SHOULD GO BACK TO A
WESTERLY DIRECTION BY FRIDAY MORNING.
THIS MAIN FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE REGION BY FRIDAY FOLLOWED
QUICKLY BY A SECONDARY FRONT. CONTINUED INSTABILITY WILL KEEP
SNOW SHOWERS GOING THROUGH THE DAY FRIDAY...WITH LIGHTER
ACCUMULATIONS EXPECTED.
.LONG TERM...FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY. AN ACTIVE WEATHER
PATTERN WILL CONTINUE INTO AT LEAST EARLY NEXT WEEK. AN UPPER
LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD NORTHWARD OFF THE PACIFIC
COAST TURNING THE FLOW MORE NORTHWESTERLY OVER THE WEEKEND INTO
EARLY NEXT WEEK. WEATHER DISTURBANCES IN THIS FLOW WILL BRING
PERIODS OF SNOW AND CONTINUE THE COOLER THEN AVERAGE TEMPERATURES.
ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY A STRONGER WEATHER SYSTEM COULD MOVE
SOUTHEAST ACROSS MONTANA. THIS SYSTEM IS STRONGER IN SOME MODELS
THEN IN OTHERS...HOWEVER ALL THE MODELS BRING AN ARCTIC HIGH
SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE STATE. THUS THE TEMPERATURES WILL BE LOWERED
FOR THE EARLY PART OF NEXT WEEK...BUT NOT AS COLD AS THE COLDEST
MODEL SOLUTIONS WHICH BRING SUB-ZERO MINIMUM TEMPS TO MOST OF
WESTERN MONTANA. THERE IS GENERAL MODEL CONSISTENCY IN MOVING THE
HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE WEST OF THE COAST INLAND BY THE MIDDLE OF
NEXT WEEK...BUT LITTLE CONSISTENCY IN THE DETAILS. THUS POPS HAVE
BEEN LOWERED OVER THE PREVIOUS FORECASTS. EVEN WITH A RIDGE MOVING
OVER THE AREA...TEMPERATURES WILL PROBABLY NOT WARM SIGNIFICANTLY
DUE TO SNOW COVER AND INTENSIFYING INVERSIONS.
&&
.AVIATION...A STRONG WEATHER SYSTEM WILL BRING SNOW AND GUSTY
WINDS TO THE AREA. LOWER CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES...AS WELL AS SURFACE
WIND GUSTS WILL BE MAIN THREATS TO AVIATION TONIGHT. SNOW AND
WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DECREASE IN MAGNITUDE BY TOMORROW
MORNING. PLEASE SEE APPROPRIATE AWWS...TAFS AND TWEBS.
&&
.MSO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 AM FRIDAY FOR LOWER CLARK FORK
REGION...BITTERROOT/SAPPHIRE MOUNTAINS...POTOMAC/SEELEY LAKE
REGION.
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 5 PM THURSDAY TO 5 AM FRIDAY FOR
KOOTENAI/CABINET REGION...WEST GLACIER REGION...
FLATHEAD/MISSION VALLEYS.
SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FROM 5 PM THURSDAY TO 5 AM FRIDAY
FOR BUTTE/BLACKFOOT REGION.
SNOW ADVISORY UNTIL 5 AM FRIDAY FOR MISSOULA/BITTERROOT VALLEYS.
ID...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 AM FRIDAY FOR NORTHERN CLEARWATER
MOUNTAINS...SOUTHERN CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS...WESTERN LEMHI
COUNTY...EASTERN LEMHI COUNTY.
&&
SHORT TERM...RPN
LONG TERM...PETRESCU
AVIATION...STEGEMILLERHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT 1111 AM MST THU DEC 1 2005 IDZ005-006-009-010-020500- NORTHERN CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS-SOUTHERN CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS- WESTERN LEMHI COUNTY-EASTERN LEMHI COUNTY- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...PIERCE...ELK RIVER...POWELL... ELK CITY...DIXIE...SHOUP...SALMON...LEADORE 852 AM PST THU DEC 1 2005 /952 AM MST THU DEC 1 2005/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE FOLLOWING WATCHES WARNINGS OR ADVISORIES HAVE BEEN ISSUED: WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 AM MST /4 AM PST/ FRIDAY. PLEASE SEE THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS FOR MORE INFORMATION. GTFWSWMSO /WWUS45 KMSO/ .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ003-004-006-043-020500- FLATHEAD/MISSION VALLEYS-LOWER CLARK FORK REGION- BITTERROOT/SAPPHIRE MOUNTAINS-POTOMAC/SEELEY LAKE REGION- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...KALISPELL...POLSON...ST. IGNATIUS... NOXON...THOMPSON FALLS...SUPERIOR...SULA 1111 AM MST THU DEC 1 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST MONTANA AND WEST CENTRAL MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE FOLLOWING WATCHES WARNINGS OR ADVISORIES HAVE BEEN ISSUED: WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 5 AM MST FRIDAY. PLEASE SEE THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS FOR MORE INFORMATION. GTFWSWMSO /WWUS45 KMSO/ .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ005-020500- MISSOULA/BITTERROOT VALLEYS- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...HAMILTON...DARBY 952 AM MST THU DEC 1 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE FOLLOWING WATCHES WARNINGS OR ADVISORIES HAVE BEEN ISSUED: SNOW ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 5 AM MST FRIDAY. PLEASE SEE THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS FOR MORE INFORMATION. GTFWSWMSO /WWUS45 KMSO/ .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ007-020500- BUTTE/BLACKFOOT REGION- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ANACONDA...DEER LODGE...DRUMMOND... PHILIPSBURG 952 AM MST THU DEC 1 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE FOLLOWING WATCHES WARNINGS OR ADVISORIES HAVE BEEN ISSUED: SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 5 AM MST FRIDAY. PLEASE SEE THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS FOR MORE INFORMATION. GTFWSWMSO /WWUS45 KMSO/ .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ001-002-020500- KOOTENAI/CABINET REGION-WEST GLACIER REGION- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...LIBBY...EUREKA...SWAN LAKE 952 AM MST THU DEC 1 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE FOLLOWING WATCHES WARNINGS OR ADVISORIES HAVE BEEN ISSUED: WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 5 AM MST FRIDAY. PLEASE SEE THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS FOR MORE INFORMATION. GTFWSWMSO /WWUS45 KMSO/ .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .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.
3 winter storm, 1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, December 2005
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: 5482377, 5482378, 5482379, 5482380.