On November 18 and 19, a very moist Pacific storm system moved Northeast across North Central Idaho. The cold and moist airmass moved overtop a dome of colder air.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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.
On November 18 and 19, a very moist Pacific storm system moved Northeast across North Central Idaho. The cold and moist airmass moved overtop a dome of colder air. This enhanced precipitation snowfall rates and amounts across the area.
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 18, 8:35 AM PST, 3 hours 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
935 AM MST SUN NOV 18 2007
.UPDATE...WILL DECREASE MAX TEMPERATURES IN PARTS OF SOUTHWEST
MONTANA AND EAST CENTRAL IDAHO FOR TODAY.
&&
.AVIATION...THE MOIST PATTERN WILL MAINTAIN WIDESPREAD TERRAIN
OBSCURATIONS AS WELL AS AREAS OF LOWERED CEILINGS AND REDUCED
VISIBILITIES. WINDS WILL REMAIN STRONG FROM THE WEST ALOFT. LESS
WIND SHEAR IS EXPECTED EARLY TODAY WITH THE SURFACE GRADIENT ALSO
WESTERLY. HOWEVER...AS THE FRONT DEVELOPS THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS
NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO AND WEST CENTRAL MONTANA...SURFACE WINDS WILL BE
MORE CHAOTIC LENDING TO INCREASED SHEAR IN THE LOW LEVELS.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 323 AM MST SUN NOV 18 2007/
DISCUSSION...A WESTERLY JET ALOFT AND A DEVELOPING COLD FRONT AT
THE SURFACE WILL CONTINUE THE WET PATTERN OVER THE NORTHERN
ROCKIES TODAY THROUGH MONDAY. RAIN AND HIGH MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL
BECOME WIDESPREAD TODAY OVER NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO AND WEST CENTRAL
MONTANA...THEN SLOWLY SPREAD NORTH OVERNIGHT. SNOW LEVELS WILL
BEGIN TO FALL NORTH OF THE FRONT...BUT REMAIN FAIRLY HIGH ACROSS
SOUTHWEST MONTANA AND LEMHI COUNTY IDAHO. IN THE COOLER AIR...SNOW
ACCUMULATIONS OF 8 TO 16 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN THE MOUNTAINS
ABOVE 5000 FEET...AND THE POTENTIAL FOR 3 TO 6 INCHES DOWN TO 4000
FEET FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON. BREEZY WEST WINDS
COULD CAUSE SOME BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF THE SNOW AS WELL.
THE JET AND FRONT WILL SAG SOUTH MONDAY AFTERNOON...ALLOWING THE
STEADY PRECIPITATION TO BECOME MORE SHOWERY AND SLOWLY TAPER FROM
THE NORTH.
COOLER AIR WILL ADVECT IN OVER MUCH OF THE NORTHERN ROCKIES SLOWLY
TODAY...THEN IN MORE ERNEST MONDAY. THEREFORE...HIGHS TODAY WILL
LIKELY REMAIN STEADY OR FALL SLIGHTLY THROUGH THE DAY AND THEN BE
NOTICEABLY COOLER MONDAY.
A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO BUILD OFF THE PACIFIC
COAST TUESDAY...BRINGING A DRIER AND COOLER NORTHERLY FLOW TO THE
NORTHERN ROCKIES. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO COOL TO SLIGHTLY BELOW
NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR WITH MANY VALLEY LOCATIONS
STRUGGLING TO WARM ABOVE FREEZING BY WEDNESDAY. WITH COMBINATION
OF CLEARING SKIES AND REMNANT SURFACE MOISTURE FROM PRECIPITATION
THIS WEEKEND...EXPECT TO SEE FREEZING FOG FORM IN FAVORED VALLEY
LOCATIONS EACH MORNING THROUGH FRIDAY.
FORECAST BECOMES A LITTLE MORE UNCERTAIN BEYOND FRIDAY AS FORECAST
MODELS VARY ON THE STRENGTH AND POSITION OF THE PREVIOUSLY
MENTIONED RIDGE. IN EITHER CASE...SEEMS THAT COOL TEMPERATURES
WILL PERSIST WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF WEAK WEATHER DISTURBANCES
BRUSHING THE REGION.
&&
.MSO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...WINTER STORM WATCH FROM 5 PM MST THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY
AFTERNOON FOR BITTERROOT/SAPPHIRE MOUNTAINS-LOWER CLARK
FORK REGION-POTOMAC/SEELEY LAKE REGION-WEST GLACIER REGION.
ID...WINTER STORM WATCH FROM 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY
AFTERNOON FOR NORTHERN CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS-SOUTHERN
CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS.
&&
SHORT TERM...RPN
LONG TERM....RPN
AVIATION...RPNThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
A weather spotter in Weippe reported that between 8 and 11 inches of new snowfall had fallen across town. Snotel observations also reported snowfall amounts as high up to 11 inches.
The weather observation site at Lolo Pass reported 14 inches of new snowfall. Weather spotters in Elk City and Red River Hot Springs reported between 6 and 8 inches of new snowfall.
Trained weather spotters in Grangeville reported 11 inches of new snowfall. Weather spotters in Cottonwood reported between 6 and 8 inches of new snowfall.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, November 2007
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: 65182, 65183, 65185.