Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Idaho, December 12 to 14, 2008

Name: Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Idaho, December 12 to 14, 2008
Start: 2008-12-12T13:00
End: 2008-12-14T08:00
Location: Idaho

December 12 to 14, 2008 · NWS OTX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A deep surface low tracked through North Idaho followed by an arctic front passage. Numerous vehicle collisions occurred in Moscow on the Idaho Palouse.

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 OTX wrote it up.

A deep surface low tracked through North Idaho followed by an arctic front passage. Numerous vehicle collisions occurred in Moscow on the Idaho Palouse. Snow accumulations ranged mainly from six to ten inches with lighter amounts in the Coeur D'Alene area and on the palouse. The Naples area however received heavier amounts with reports ranging from 13 to 16 inches.

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 Spokane, WA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 12, 10:58 AM PST, 2 hours 2 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 12, 10:58 AM PST, 2 hours 2 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 12, 6:36 AM PST, 6 hours 24 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
636 AM PST FRI DEC 12 2008

IDZ001-004-WAZ037-131500-
NORTHERN PANHANDLE-CENTRAL PANHANDLE MOUNTAINS-
NORTHEAST MOUNTAINS-
636 AM PST FRI DEC 12 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH IDAHO AND
NORTHEAST WASHINGTON.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A VERY STRONG WINTER STORM WILL BRING HEAVY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...
FOLLOWED BY STRONG WINDS AND BITTER COLD. SNOW WILL BEGIN THIS
AFTERNOON...BECOME HEAVY BY THIS EVENING...AND CONTINUE THROUGH
SATURDAY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE REGION ON SATURDAY
USHERING SOME OF THE COLDEST AIR INTO THE INLAND NORTHWEST IN
ALMOST FIVE YEARS. NORTHEAST WINDS GUSTING AS HIGH AS 40 MPH
WILL DEVELOP ON SATURDAY BRINGING BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW AND
DANGEROUSLY COLD WIND CHILLS. MONDAY NIGHT WILL LIKELY BE THE
COLDEST NIGHT OF THE WEEK...WITH LOW TEMPERATURES OF -10 TO -20
POSSIBLE IN THE VALLEYS OF NORTHEAST WASHINGTON AND NORTHERN
IDAHO.

IDZ002-003-026-027-WAZ031>036-038-041-043-044-131500-
COEUR DALENE AREA-IDAHO PALOUSE-LEWISTON AREA-
LEWIS AND SOUTHERN NEZ PERCE COUNTIES-NORTHEAST BLUE MOUNTAINS-
LOWER GARFIELD AND ASOTIN COUNTIES-WASHINGTON PALOUSE-
MOSES LAKE AREA-UPPER COLUMBIA BASIN-SPOKANE AREA-
OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS-WENATCHEE AREA-OKANOGAN VALLEY-
WATERVILLE PLATEAU-
636 AM PST FRI DEC 12 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH IDAHO...
NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO...CENTRAL WASHINGTON...EAST CENTRAL
WASHINGTON...NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON...NORTHEAST WASHINGTON AND
SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A POWERFUL WINTER STORM WILL BRING THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG
WINDS...SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...DANGEROUSLY COLD WIND
CHILLS...AND BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW THIS WEEKEND. SNOW WILL
DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON...MAINLY ALONG AND NORTH OF
INTERSTATE 90...AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT. THIS STORM SYSTEM
WILL ALSO BRING THE THREAT OF WIND GUSTS OF 35 TO 40 MPH TO
PORTIONS OF THE COLUMBIA BASIN THROUGH THE PALOUSE THIS EVENING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

SIGNIFICANT SNOW WILL PERSIST INTO SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT AS
A STRONG ARCTIC FRONT MOVES FROM NORTH TO SOUTH OVER THE REGION.
BEHIND THE ARCTIC FRONT...BLUSTERY NORTHEAST WINDS WILL CONTRIBUTE
TO BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. THE GUSTY WINDS WILL PERSIST INTO
SUNDAY...CAUSING DANGEROUSLY COLD WIND CHILLS.

WAZ042-131500-
EAST SLOPES NORTHERN CASCADES-
636 AM PST FRI DEC 12 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL
WASHINGTON.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

HEAVY SNOW WILL IMPACT THE CASCADES TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT.
TRAVEL THROUGH THE PASSES WILL BECOME DIFFICULT AS EARLY AS THIS
AFTERNOON.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF SIX TO ELEVEN INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE
BY SATURDAY EVENING IN THE VALLEYS...AND ONE TO TWO FEET ARE
LIKELY OVER THE MOUNTAIN PASSES. BITTERLY COLD TEMPERATURES WILL
DESCEND UPON THE REGION SATURDAY NIGHT AND CONTINUE THROUGH MUCH
OF NEXT WEEK.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 heavy snow, 2 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Northern Panhandle

When: December 12, 1:00 PM PST to December 13, 10:00 AM PST
Where: Northern Panhandle forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 48.247, -116.588 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Coeur D'Alene Area

When: December 12, 1:00 PM PST to December 13, 3:00 PM PST
Where: Coeur D'Alene Area forecast zone
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 47.675, -116.700 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Central Panhandle Mountains

When: December 12, 2:00 PM PST to December 13, 1:00 PM PST
Where: Central Panhandle Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 47.265, -116.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Idaho Palouse

When: December 13, 7:00 AM PST to December 14, 8:00 AM PST
Where: Idaho Palouse forecast zone
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 47.017, -116.685 (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.
Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Idaho in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in Idaho, December 2008

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 141256, 142723, 141257, 142720.