Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Washington, January 30 to 31, 2008

Name: Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Washington, January 30 to 31, 2008
Start: 2008-01-30T22:00
End: 2008-01-31T22:00
Location: Washington

January 30 to 31, 2008 · NWS OTX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A strong winter storm brought heavy snow and areas of blowing snow to portions of Eastern Washington. Snow accumulations ranged mainly between four to seven inches.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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: 5

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 strong winter storm brought heavy snow and areas of blowing snow to portions of Eastern Washington. Snow accumulations ranged mainly between four to seven inches. The west plains area of Spokane was hit hard by strong winds and blowing snow during the early morning hours of the 31st with brief but occasional blizzard conditions between 2 AM and 4 AM. This resulted in the closure of highway two just west of Airway Heights on Highway two. Significant blowing and drifting snow was also reported on the Palouse. A trained spotter five miles southwest of Anatone picked up the most snow with ten inches of accumulation. After this storm the state governor of Washington declared a state of emergency for several counties, including Spokane and Whitman. Numerous road and school closures resulted from the storm. For the first time since 1985 Washington State University in Pullman was closed on the 31st and remained closed on February 1st. Transit buses in Pullman also stopped running.

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 Jan 30, 2:23 PM PST, 7 hours 37 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 30, 2:23 PM PST, 7 hours 37 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
223 PM PST WED JAN 30 2008

.SYNOPSIS...
A QUIET BREAK IN THE WEATHER WILL END TONIGHT AS A STRONG STORM
SYSTEM BRINGS WIDESPREAD SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TO THE AREA LATE
TONIGHT AND THURSDAY. UNSETTLED CONDITIONS WILL LINGER ON THROUGH
THE WEEKEND AND INTO THE EARLY PART OF NEXT WEEK.

&&

.DISCUSSION...

TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY NIGHT...LONGWAVE PATTERN REMAINS
SUCH...LONGWAVE TROF OVER CENTRAL US WITH RIDING WELL OFF THE
COAST OUT OVER THE EAST PACIFIC...TO GUIDE SYNOPTIC SCALE
DISTURBANCES DOWN INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WITH A NORTHWEST TO
SOUTHEAST TRAJECTORY. CURRENT INCOMING SYSTEM HAS A WELL
MAINTAINED TAP INTO SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE WRAPPING AROUND AND INTO
IT. THIS BAROCLINIC BAND THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SUBTROPICAL
MOISTURE TAP MAKES USE OF SIGNIFICANT ISENTROPIC UP-GLIDE AND
PRODUCES A PROLONGED PERIOD OF STABLE SNOWFALL WITH ITS PASSAGE
TONIGHT INTO TOMORROW. BY 18Z THURSDAY THE BACK EDGE OF THE
BAROCLINIC BAND PASSES...MORE OR LESS IN THE FORM OF A COLD FRONT
OR LEADING EDGE TO WHAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED A FAIRLY COLD AND
CONDITIONALLY UNSTABLE AIRMASS...REFLECTED IN FAIRLY STEEP LAPSE
RATES AT 700-500MB NEAR 8 C/KM. WOULD EXPECT A SUBSTANTIAL SNOW
SHADOW IN THE LEE OF THE CASCADES WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE COLD
FRONT AS THE WINDS SHIFT TO THE SOUTHWEST AND DOWNSLOPE OFF THE
CASCADES...THIS SNOW SHADOW BECOMES MORE WELL RESOLVED THURSDAY
NIGHT. ADDITIONAL ISSUE OF NOTE WILL BE SURFACE WINDS AS THE ABOVE
SYSTEM DRAGS A SURFACE LOW IN A WEST TO EAST FASHION IN CLOSE
PROXIMITY TO THE SOUTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA BORDER ALONG WITH THE
COLD FRONT. NUISANCE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS WILL BE BLOWING AND
DRIFTING OF THE NEW SNOWFALL...AND THIS TOO IS ADDRESSED IN THE
ONGOING WINTER WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS. ADDITIONALLY...THE MOISTURE TAP
ASSOCIATED WITH THIS WEATHER SYSTEM HAS SLIGHTLY MORE PRECIPITABLE
WATER CONTENT SO MORE MOISTURE IS ASSOCIATED WITH IT. THAT AND THE
INCREASED SURFACE WINDS WOULD IMPLY THERE IS A POSSIBILITY OF A
RAIN/SNOW MIX OR CHANGEOVER DOWN TO THE SOUTH NEAR LEWISTON. A
CHANGEOVER TO RAIN COULD MESS UP THE NEWLY ISSUED WINTER STORM
WARNINGS FOR LOCATIONS JUST EAST OF LEWISTON. TO SOMEWHAT ADDRESS
THIS POSSIBILITY HAVE WORDED THE WINTER STORM TO BETTER HIGHLIGHT
LOCATIONS EAST OF LEWISTON AND ABOVE 2000 FEET MSL. SNOW WATER
EQUIVALENTS USED TO COMPUTE THE SNOW AMOUNTS FROM LIQUID WATER
VARY WITH THIS EVENT AS THEY START OUT ABOVE ROUGHLY 16 TO 1
GIVEN THE ISENTROPIC OVERRUNNING STARTS THE SNOWFALL NEAR THE COLD
DENDRITIC LAYER...BUT THEN THE ONGOING WARM AIR ADVECTION COUPLED
WITH THE INCREASING WINDS COULD CAUSE SNOW TO FORM OUTSIDE OF THE
DENDRITIC LAYER...THUS HAVING MORE WATER CONTENT SO A LOWER RATIO
OF WATER TO SNOW IS USED UNTIL THE POST FRONTAL CONDITIONALLY
UNSTABLE AIRMASS PARKS OVERHEAD WHICH WOULD INCREASE THE WATER TO
SNOW RATIO AGAIN. SOME HIGH TEMPERATURES TOMORROW ARE A SLIVER
ABOVE FREEZING AND MORE THAN LIKELY THIS VERY BRIEF PERIOD OF
MELTING WILL ALLOW FOR SOME REFREEZE WHEREVER IT POOLS UP
THURSDAY NIGHT...WHICH COULD MAKE FOR RATHER INTERESTING ROAD
CONDITIONS. WITH THIS WILL ADD THAT THIS WARMING IS EXPECTED TO BE
SO BRIEF THAT IT WILL NOT MAKE ANY SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE
SNOW THAT IS CURRENTLY LINGERING ON THE GROUND AROUND THE REGION.

/PELATTI

FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...MODELS ARE IN GENERAL AGREEMENT THAT THE
ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN CONTINUES FOR THE INLAND NORTHWEST THROUGH
THE EXTENDED PERIOD BUT THERE ARE STILL RUN TO RUN CONSISTENCY
ISSUES.  WIDESPREAD SNOW SHOWERS WILL LINGER ACROSS THE EASTERN
ZONES IN UNSTABLE WESTERLY FLOW ON FRIDAY. THE WESTERLY FLOW THAT
SHADOWS THE BASIN OVERNIGHT FRIDAY WILL BECOME MORE SOUTHERLY ON
SATURDAY. ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE COMMENCES AND CONTINUES THROUGH SUNDAY
MORNING. THE 12Z ECMWF IS MORE IN LINE WITH THE 12Z GFS IN THE TRACK OF A
SURFACE LOW ACROSS THE NORTHWEST THAT WOULD MEAN A SIGNIFICANT
PERIOD OF EASTERLY UPSLOPE FLOW INTO THE WESTERN HALF OF THE
FORECAST AREA. LOW CONFIDENCE IN TIMING AS THIS IS NOW A SUNDAY
EVENT RATHER THAN SUNDAY NIGHT/MONDAY. AS THE TROUGH SLIDES EAST
ACROSS THE REGION SUNDAY THERE IS SYNOPTIC ASCENT FROM UPPER LEVEL
DIVERGENCE AND FROM THE RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION OF A DEPARTING JET
MAX. MODELS HAVE SIGNIFICANT QPF IN THE UPSLOPE AREAS OF OUR
SOUTHWEST ZONES AND THIS WILL HAVE TO BE MONITORED. WE COULD SEE A
BREAK ON MONDAY AS A BRIEF RIDGE BUILDS OVER THE REGION THEN THE
NEXT TROUGH APPROACHES ON TUESDAY BUT HAVE LOW CONFIDENCE IN THE
TIMING. /KELCH

&&

.AVIATION...
A GRADUAL IMPROVEMENT IN CEILINGS IS ANTICIPATED THIS AFTERNOON IN
THE SPOKANE AND COUER DALENE AREAS. MOIST SOUTHWEST SURFACE FLOW
HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF MORNING STRATUS...BUT THERE IS
LITTLE IN THE WAY OF AN INVERSION TO TRAP STRATUS THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON. EXPECT IFR CEILINGS TO IMPROVE TO MVFR BY 20-22Z. THE
NEXT WINTER STORM WILL SPREAD SNOW INTO EASTERN WASHINGTON AND
NORTHERN IDAHO TONIGHT. SNOW WILL LIKELY DEVELOP BETWEEN 06Z-09Z.
THE MOST PROLONGED SNOW WILL OCCUR OVER NORTHERN IDAHO AND ADJACENT
PORTIONS OF EASTERN WASHINGTON. SPOKANE AND PULLMAN WILL LIKELY
EXPERIENCE IFR TO LIFR VISIBILITIES DUE TO SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW
BETWEEN 09Z AND AT LEAST 15Z. STRONG WESTERLY FLOW WILL SHADOW THE
WENATCHEE AND MOSES LAKE TERMINALS. A BRIEF PERIOD OF SNOW BETWEEN
06Z AND 10Z IS EXPECTED FOR THESE SITES. /GKOCH

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
SPOKANE        26  34  25  32  20  29 / 100 100  50  30  10  40
COEUR DALENE  26  35  26  33  22  30 / 100 100  70  50  30  40
PULLMAN        26  34  28  32  23  30 /  80  90  50  30  10  40
LEWISTON       32  42  33  40  30  36 /  60  70  20  20  10  30
COLVILLE       23  33  22  31  17  29 / 100 100  60  40  20  50
SANDPOINT      24  33  27  30  23  28 / 100 100  90  60  40  40
KELLOGG        24  33  26  31  22  29 / 100 100  90  70  40  40
MOSES LAKE     21  32  16  31  15  29 /  50  60  10  10  10  40
WENATCHEE      18  31  20  29  20  26 /  60  60  10  10   0  40
OMAK           19  29  16  28   9  22 /  60  60  10  10   0  50

&&

.OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 12 PM PST
     THURSDAY FOR COEUR DALENE AREA.

     WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 2 AM TO 6 PM PST THURSDAY FOR LEWIS
     AND SOUTHERN NEZ PERCE COUNTIES...LEWISTON AREA.

     WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 PM PST
     THURSDAY FOR IDAHO PALOUSE.

     WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 AM PST FRIDAY
     FOR CENTRAL PANHANDLE MOUNTAINS...NORTHERN PANHANDLE.

WA...WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 12 PM PST
     THURSDAY FOR SPOKANE AREA.

     SNOW ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM PST THURSDAY FOR EAST SLOPES NORTHERN
     CASCADES.

     WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 PM PST
     THURSDAY FOR WASHINGTON PALOUSE.

     SNOW ADVISORY FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM PST THURSDAY FOR
     OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS.

     SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM
     PST THURSDAY FOR UPPER COLUMBIA BASIN.

     SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 PM
     PST THURSDAY FOR NORTHEAST BLUE MOUNTAINS.

     WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 12 PM PST
     THURSDAY FOR NORTHEAST MOUNTAINS.

&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 30, 3:58 PM PST, 6 hours 2 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
358 PM PST WED JAN 30 2008

IDZ001>004-026-027-WAZ031>033-035>038-042-311400-
NORTHERN PANHANDLE-COEUR DALENE AREA-IDAHO PALOUSE-
CENTRAL PANHANDLE MOUNTAINS-LEWISTON AREA-
LEWIS AND SOUTHERN NEZ PERCE COUNTIES-NORTHEAST BLUE MOUNTAINS-
LOWER GARFIELD AND ASOTIN COUNTIES-WASHINGTON PALOUSE-
UPPER COLUMBIA BASIN-SPOKANE AREA-NORTHEAST MOUNTAINS-
OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS-EAST SLOPES NORTHERN CASCADES-
358 PM PST WED JAN 30 2008

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

.DAY ONE...REST OF TODAY AND TONIGHT

ANOTHER STRONG STORM SYSTEM WILL TRACK ACROSS THE REGION AND
PRODUCE HEAVY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...EXPECIALLY IN THE MOUNTAINS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

HEAVY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER EASTERN WASHINGTON AND
NORTH IDAHO THROUGH THURSDAY. THOUGH A LESSER THREAT OF SNOW WILL
EXIST AFTER THIS THROUGH SATURDAY...ANOTHER STRONG LATE WEEKEND
STORM WILL BRING THE NEXT CHANCE OF HEAVY ACCUMULATIONS.

WAZ034-041-043-044-311400-
MOSES LAKE AREA-WENATCHEE AREA-OKANOGAN VALLEY-WATERVILLE PLATEAU-
358 PM PST WED JAN 30 2008

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

.DAY ONE...REST OF TODAY AND TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

THOUGH A LESSER THREAT OF SNOW WILL EXIST THROUGH SATURDAY...ANOTHER
STRONG LATE WEEKEND STORM WILL BRING THE NEXT CHANCE OF HEAVY
ACCUMULATIONS.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 30, 7:28 PM PST, 2 hours 32 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
728 PM PST WED JAN 30 2008

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0610 AM     HEAVY SNOW       5 SW ANATONE            46.08N 117.20W
01/30/2008  M9.5 INCH        ASOTIN             WA   TRAINED SPOTTER

            OVERNIGHT SNOWFALL. EL.3800 FT. ASO. 13.

0750 AM     HEAVY SNOW       3 E SPIRIT LAKE         47.97N 116.81W
01/30/2008  M7.0 INCH        KOOTENAI           ID   TRAINED SPOTTER

            24-HOUR SNOWFALL TOTAL. EL.2550 FT. KOT. 27H.

1050 AM     HEAVY SNOW       1 ENE ATHOL             47.95N 116.69W
01/30/2008  M6.5 INCH        KOOTENAI           ID   TRAINED SPOTTER

            PAST SNOWFALL TOTAL...1/29 4AM-4PM. EL.2445 FT. KOT. 17.

&&

MMAAS

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 winter storm, 1 heavy snow, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Northeast Mountains

When: January 30, 10:00 PM PST to January 31, 7:00 AM PST
Where: Northeast Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: NWS Employee
Coordinates: 48.184, -117.511 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Northeast Blue Mountains

When: January 30, 10:00 PM PST to January 31, 10:00 PM PST
Where: Northeast Blue Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 46.312, -117.374 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Spokane Area

When: January 30, 10:00 PM PST to January 31, 7:00 AM PST
Where: Spokane Area forecast zone
Reported by: NWS Employee
Coordinates: 47.599, -117.911 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Washington Palouse

When: January 30, 10:00 PM PST to January 31, 7:00 PM PST
Where: Washington Palouse forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 47.261, -117.463 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Upper Columbia Basin

When: January 30, 10:00 PM PST to January 31, 7:00 AM PST
Where: Upper Columbia Basin forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 47.610, -119.173 (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 Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
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 Washington in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in Washington, January 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 74872, 74873, 74874, 74876, 74877.