A strong arctic front pushed through portions of north central Idaho, bringing accumulating snow, strong winds and blowing and drifting snow reducing visibility. Snow accumulations ranged from 6 inches at the lower elevations, to 9 to 12 inches over the mountain passes.
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.
A strong arctic front pushed through portions of north central Idaho, bringing accumulating snow, strong winds and blowing and drifting snow reducing visibility. Snow accumulations ranged from 6 inches at the lower elevations, to 9 to 12 inches over the mountain passes.
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 12, 1:56 PM PST, 2 hours 4 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
256 PM MST FRI DEC 12 2008
..MAJOR WINTER STORM AND DANGEROUS WINTRY CONDITIONS THIS
WEEKEND...
.DISCUSSION...A MAJOR WINTER STORM IS EXPECTED TO IMPACT WESTERN
MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY.
FIRST...ONE OF THE BIGGEST IMPACTS WILL BE THE EXTREME COLD AND
VERY LOW WIND CHILLS. THE MODELS ARE STILL IN AGREEMENT ON
SHOWING THE BITTER COLD ARCTIC AIR FLOODING INTO NORTHWEST MONTANA
LATE TONIGHT AND THEN SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE REST OF WESTERN MONTANA
SATURDAY. THE INTENSITY OF THE COLD AIR INTRUSION WILL SUPPORT STRONG
WINDS IN MANY AREAS TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY. FRIGID TEMPERATURES
AND STRONG WINDS WILL CAUSE WIND CHILLS PLUMMETING INTO THE 15 TO
35 BELOW ZERO RANGE BY SATURDAY NIGHT. THE ARCTIC AIRMASS IS
EXPECTED TO BECOME DEEP ENOUGH TO CREST THE BITTERROOT MOUNTAINS
AND FLOOD INTO PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO BY SATURDAY NIGHT
INTO SUNDAY. THE INTENSITY AND DURATION OF THE BITTER COLD ARCTIC
AIR IN COMBINATION WITH THE WIND CAN AND WILL CREATE DANGEROUS
WINTRY CONDITIONS THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK.
SECOND...DISCUSSION OF SNOW AND POTENTIAL BLIZZARD CONDITIONS.
PRECIPITATION WILL SPREAD INTO NORTHWEST MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL
IDAHO THROUGH THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON THEN SPREAD SOUTH THIS EVENING
AND OVERNIGHT WITH THE INCOMING PACIFIC SYSTEM. EXPECT MODERATE TO
HEAVY GOOD SNOW ACROSS NORTHWEST MONTANA THROUGH THIS PERIOD. FARTHER
SOUTH...VALLEY PRECIPITATION WILL START AS A RAIN/SNOW MIX...THEN
CHANGE OVER TO ALL SNOW AFTER MIDNIGHT AS A COLD FRONT PASSES.
ANOTHER ROUND OF HEAVY SNOW WILL ACCOMPANY THE ARCTIC FRONT AS IT
PUSHES THROUGH WESTERN MONTANA SATURDAY MORNING. LIGHT SNOW WILL
LINGER BEHIND THE FRONT...BUT ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE DRAMATICALLY
DECREASED. HOWEVER...STRONG WINDS COMBINED WITH LIGHT FALLING SNOW
AND SNOW ALREADY ON THE GROUND WILL CREATE LOCAL BLIZZARD
CONDITIONS SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. THE ARCTIC FRONT WILL TAKE
A BIT MORE TIME TO MAKE ITS WAY THROUGH NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO...BUT
IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING. AGAIN A BURST OF
MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW WILL ACCOMPANY THE ARCTIC FRONT...THEN
STEADY SNOW WILL CONTINUE BEHIND THE FRONT AS UPPER LEVEL
SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL MAINTAIN THE MOISTURE FEED OVER THIS REGION
THROUGH SUNDAY. AGAIN...STRONG NORTH WINDS...FALLING TEMPERATURES
AND SNOW ARE EXPECTED TO MAKE TRAVEL EXTREMELY DIFFICULT ACROSS
NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY. LOCAL BLIZZARD
CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE OVER GRANGEVILLE...THE WHITE BIRD AND
GREER GRADES. THE ARCTIC AIR MASS NOW LOOKS LIKE IT WILL HAVE A
TOUGH TIME MAKING IT FULL FORCE INTO LEMHI COUNTY.
THIRD...TEMPERATURES INTO NEXT WEEK.
THE ARCTIC AIRMASS WILL BE WELL ENTRENCHED IN THE VALLEYS OF
WESTERN MONTANA AND PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO NEXT WEEK. A
WEAK RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE REGION
MONDAY INTO TUESDAY ALLOWING STRONG VALLEY INVERSIONS TO STRENGTH.
THE LOWEST TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR MONDAY NIGHT INTO
TUESDAY MORNING WITH PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST MONTANA POTENTIALLY SEEING
READINGS 20 TO 40 BELOW ZERO TUESDAY MORNING. THESE EXTREMELY COLD
TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN OVER THE REGION UNTIL THURSDAY WHEN A
WEAK DISTURBANCE COULD HELP SCOUR OUT SOME OF THE COLD AIR.
&&
.AVIATION...A MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION THIS
EVENING WITH AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT TO FOLLOW EARLY SATURDAY. AS A
RESULT THE WEATHER WILL PROVIDE MAJOR ISSUES TO AVIATION INTERESTS
IN NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL MONTANA. KGPI WILL EXPERIENCE
GRADUALLY DETERIORATING CONDITIONS THROUGHOUT THE EVENING WITH
SNOWFALL BECOMING HEAVIER OVERNIGHT. STRONG EASTERLY WINDS WILL
COMBINE WITH FALLING SNOW TO CREATE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS AT KGPI
BEGINNING LATE FRIDAY NIGHT AND CONTINUING THROUGH SATURDAY
AFTERNOON. AT KMSO SNOW WILL BEGIN TO FALL AFTER 06Z. EASTERLY
WINDS WILL BE INCREASING THROUGHOUT THE DAY PRODUCING BLOWING SNOW
AND REDUCED VISIBILITY. WINDS WILL BECOME QUITE GUSTY DURING THE
AFTERNOON AS COLD ARCTIC AIR MOVES INTO THE VALLEY. KBTM WILL SEE
SNOW BEGINNING SHORTLY AFTER 06Z AND CONTINUING THROUGH UNTIL
SATURDAY EVENING. REDUCED VISIBILITY IN SNOW AND OCCASIONALLY
BLOWING SNOW CAN BE EXPECTED. CONDITIONS AT KSMN ARE EXPECTED TO
DECREASE AFTER 06Z THIS EVENING AS SNOW MOVES INTO THE REGION.
&&
.MSO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 5 AM MST SUNDAY
FOR BITTERROOT/SAPPHIRE MOUNTAINS-BUTTE/BLACKFOOT REGION-
POTOMAC/SEELEY LAKE REGION.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 5 AM MST
SUNDAY FOR MISSOULA/BITTERROOT VALLEYS.
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 5 PM MST
SATURDAY FOR KOOTENAI/CABINET REGION-LOWER CLARK FORK
REGION.
BLIZZARD WARNING FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 5 PM MST SATURDAY
FOR FLATHEAD/MISSION VALLEYS.
BLIZZARD WARNING FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 5 PM MST SATURDAY
FOR WEST GLACIER REGION.
ID...WINTER STORM WATCH FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH LATE SATURDAY NIGHT
FOR EASTERN LEMHI COUNTY-WESTERN LEMHI COUNTY.
WINTER STORM WATCH FROM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING
FOR LOWER HELLS CANYON/SALMON RIVER REGION-
OROFINO/GRANGEVILLE REGION.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR LOWER HELLS
CANYON/SALMON RIVER REGION-OROFINO/GRANGEVILLE REGION.
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 10 AM PST
SUNDAY FOR NORTHERN CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS.
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 10 AM PST
SUNDAY FOR SOUTHERN CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS.
&&
WHITMORE/SMITH/DICKERSONThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Up to 6 inches of snow fell over the lower elevations, while up to 12 inches fell over the higher terrain.
Nine to twelve inches of snowfall accumulations reported, including over Lolo Pass.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, December 2008
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: 142558, 142560.