A potent snow storm ripped through Southwest Idaho on December 19th bringing strong winds and six to twelve inches of snow to the West Central and Boise Mountains and the Camas Prairie. Many of the area roads experienced heavy drifting.
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 BOI wrote it up.
A potent snow storm ripped through Southwest Idaho on December 19th bringing strong winds and six to twelve inches of snow to the West Central and Boise Mountains and the Camas Prairie. Many of the area roads experienced heavy drifting.
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 Boise, ID wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 18, 9:23 PM MST, 2 hours 37 minutes earlier.
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</html>HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOISE ID 334 PM MST THU DEC 18 2008 IDZ014>016-030-192245- UPPER TREASURE VALLEY-SOUTHWEST HIGHLANDS-WESTERN MAGIC VALLEY- SOUTHERN TWIN FALLS COUNTY- 334 PM MST THU DEC 18 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL IDAHO AND SOUTHWEST IDAHO. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND GUSTY WINDS REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR TONIGHT AND EARLY FRIDAY. ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 4 INCHES ARE EXPECTED IN THE VALLEYS AND UP TO 6 INCHES IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. GUSTY WINDS WILL CAUSE AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WITH REDUCED VISIBILITIES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE SNOW WILL TAPER OFF DURING THE DAY FRIDAY. ANOTHER STRONGER SYSTEM WILL BRING POSSIBLY HEAVY SNOW TO THE AREA LATE SATURDAY NIGHT CONTINUING THROUGH MONDAY. THIS COULD BE A MAJOR SNOW PRODUCER. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS SHOULD REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS THROUGH ESTABLISHED PROCEDURES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... IDZ012-029-ORZ061>064-192245- LOWER TREASURE VALLEY ID-OWYHEE MOUNTAINS-HARNEY COUNTY- BAKER COUNTY-MALHEUR COUNTY-LOWER TREASURE VALLEY OR- 334 PM MST THU DEC 18 2008 /234 PM PST THU DEC 18 2008/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST IDAHO...NORTHEAST OREGON AND SOUTHEAST OREGON. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND GUSTY WINDS REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR TONIGHT AND EARLY FRIDAY. ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 4 INCHES ARE EXPECTED IN THE VALLEYS AND UP TO 6 INCHES IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. GUSTY WINDS WILL CAUSE AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WITH REDUCED VISIBILITIES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE SNOW WILL TAPER OFF DURING THE DAY FRIDAY. ANOTHER STRONGER SYSTEM WILL BRING POSSIBLY HEAVY SNOW TO THE AREA LATE SATURDAY NIGHT CONTINUING THROUGH MONDAY. THIS COULD BE A MAJOR SNOW PRODUCER. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS SHOULD REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS THROUGH ESTABLISHED PROCEDURES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... IDZ011-013-028-192245- WEST CENTRAL MOUNTAINS-BOISE MOUNTAINS-CAMAS PRAIRIE- 334 PM MST THU DEC 18 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST IDAHO AND WEST CENTRAL IDAHO. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A WINTER WEATHER WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW AND GUSTY WINDS IS ISN EFECT UNTIL EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. SNOW COULD ACCUMULATE 6 TO 12 INCHES IN THE VALLEYS AND UP TO 15 INCHES IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. GUSWTY WINDS WILL CAUSE AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW AND REDUCED VISIBILITIES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY HE SNOW WILL TAPER OFF DURING THE DAY FRIDAY. ANOTHER STRONGER SYSTEM WILL BRING POSSIBLY HEAVY SNOW TO THE AREA LATE SATURDAY NIGHT CONTINUING THROUGH MONDAY. THIS COULD BE A MAJOR SNOW PRODUCER. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS SHOULD REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS THROUGH ESTABLISHED PROCEDURES.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Trained spotters reported eight to fourteen inches of snow. The heaviest concentration of snowfall was between the Donnelly and McCall areas.
Three to four inches of snow combined with strong winds closed area roads and schools around Twin Falls and Jerome.
Trained spotters reported six to eight inches around the Idaho City area and up to eleven inches near Garden Valley.
Trained spotters in Fairfield and Blaine reported six to eight inches of snow overnight with considerable drifting due to strong winds.
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 147826, 147829, 147824, 147827.