A powerful Pacific storm system with abundant moisture interacted with a very cold arctic air mass to produce heavy snow with areas of blowing snow and very cold wind chill temperatures.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 powerful Pacific storm system with abundant moisture interacted with a very cold arctic air mass to produce heavy snow with areas of blowing snow and very cold wind chill temperatures.
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 28, 1:22 PM PST, 38 minutes earlier.
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</html>HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT 335 PM MST MON DEC 27 2010 IDZ007-008-281200- OROFINO/GRANGEVILLE REGION-LOWER HELLS CANYON/SALMON RIVER REGION- 235 PM PST MON DEC 27 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO TONIGHT...WITH LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS EXPECTED IN VALLEY LOCATIONS AND MODERATE ACCUMULATION OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN. HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS WILL EXIST DURING THIS TIME...PARTICULARLY AT HIGH ELEVATIONS AND OVER MOUNTAIN PASSES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A STRONGER WINTER STORM IS EXPECTED WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT OVER NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO. STORM TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 15 TO 20 INCHES OVER HIGHER TERRAIN...AND 5 TO 10 INCHES FOR VALLEYS AND ELEVATIONS ABOVE 2000 FEET...ARE ANTICIPATED. HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS ARE PROBABLE DURING THIS TIME. THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...A COLD AIRMASS WILL MOVE WEST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE AND SPREAD ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO. THIS WILL DROP DAYTIME HIGHS INTO THE MID TEENS AND OVER NIGHT LOWS TO THE SINGLE DIGITS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Pierce Idaho spotter reported near blizzard conditions for 2 to 5 hours, and measured 8 inches of snow.
Trained spotter in Elk River reported 12 inches of snow.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, December 2010
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: 272863.