Heavy Snow in Idaho, November 11 to 12, 2011

Name: Heavy Snow in Idaho, November 11 to 12, 2011
Start: 2011-11-11T17:00
End: 2011-11-12T09:00
Location: Idaho

November 11 to 12, 2011 · NWS OTX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A strong Pacific storm system brought heavy snow to the mountains of the Idaho Panhandle. Snow levels rose near 4000 feet during the event with snowfall amounts ranging anywhere from 8 to 11 inches.

Where it happened

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.

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: 1

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 Pacific storm system brought heavy snow to the mountains of the Idaho Panhandle. Snow levels rose near 4000 feet during the event with snowfall amounts ranging anywhere from 8 to 11 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 Nov 11, 3:45 PM PST, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 11, 3:45 PM PST, 1 hour 15 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 11, 6:26 AM PST, 10 hours 34 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
626 AM PST FRI NOV 11 2011

IDZ001-004-WAZ042-121430-
NORTHERN PANHANDLE-CENTRAL PANHANDLE MOUNTAINS-
EAST SLOPES NORTHERN CASCADES-
626 AM PST FRI NOV 11 2011

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE IDAHO PANHANDLE LATE THIS
AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT. THIS FRONT WILL BRING MODERATE SNOWS TO
THE MOUNTAINS AS WELL AS WINDY CONDITIONS. TRAVEL COULD BECOME
DIFFICULT AT TIMES OVER THE MOUNTAIN PASSES. A WINTER STORM
WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

COLD AIR WILL REMAIN ENTRENCHED OVER THE AREA THROUGH MOST OF NEXT WEEK
WHILE UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL PERSIST. SEVERAL STORMS WILL IMPACT
THE REGION THROUGH THAT TIME...HOWEVER NONE LOOK TERRIBLY
STRONG. THIS WEATHER PATTERN WILL LIKELY LEAD TO PERIODS OF SNOW
THROUGH NEXT WEEK OVER THE MOUNTAINS. THE VALLEYS ALSO BEGIN TO
ACCUMULATE THE FIRST SNOWS OF THE SEASON. WINTER TRAVEL CONDITIONS
ARE EXPECTED AT TIMES.

IDZ002-003-026-027-WAZ031-032-037-038-041-043-121430-
COEUR D'ALENE AREA-IDAHO PALOUSE-LEWISTON AREA-
LEWIS AND SOUTHERN NEZ PERCE COUNTIES-NORTHEAST BLUE MOUNTAINS-
LOWER GARFIELD AND ASOTIN COUNTIES-NORTHEAST MOUNTAINS-
OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS-WENATCHEE AREA-OKANOGAN VALLEY-
626 AM PST FRI NOV 11 2011

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

MUCH COLDER AIR IS EXPECTED TO SURGE INTO THE REGION BY EARLY
SATURDAY AND REMAIN ENTRENCHED THROUGH MUCH OF NEXT WEEK.
MEANWHILE UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL LIKELY PERSIST RESULTING IN THE
FIRST ACCUMULATING SNOWS FOR MUCH OF THE AREA. THE BEST THREAT OF
ACCUMULATING SNOW FOR THE VALLEYS WILL ARRIVE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO
SUNDAY WITH ANOTHER SYSTEM FOR LATE MONDAY. NEITHER STORM LOOKS
STRONG AT THIS POINT AND SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL BE RELATIVELY LIGHT
HOWEVER WINTER TRAVEL CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED.

WAZ033>036-044-121430-
WASHINGTON PALOUSE-MOSES LAKE AREA-UPPER COLUMBIA BASIN-
SPOKANE AREA-WATERVILLE PLATEAU-
626 AM PST FRI NOV 11 2011

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP THROUGH EASTERN WASHINGTON LATE
THIS AFTERNOON INTO EARLY THIS EVENING BRINGING WINDY CONDITIONS
ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA. WIND GUSTS OF 40-50 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE
AND A WIND ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

MUCH COLDER AIR IS EXPECTED TO SURGE INTO THE REGION BEHIND THE
COLD FRONT AND REMAIN IN PLACE THROUGH MOST OF NEXT WEEK. MEANWHILE
UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL LIKELY PERSIST RESULTING IN THE FIRST
ACCUMULATING SNOWS FOR MUCH OF THE AREA. THE BEST THREAT OF
ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL ARRIVE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY WITH
ANOTHER SYSTEM FOR LATE MONDAY. NEITHER STORM LOOKS STRONG AT THIS
POINT AND SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL BE RELATIVELY LIGHT HOWEVER WINTER
TRAVEL CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Central Panhandle Mountains

When: November 11, 5:00 PM PST to November 12, 9:00 AM PST
Where: Central Panhandle Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.265, -116.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

SNOTEL sites from the Northern Idaho Panhandle measured 0.60 to 1.30 inches of liquid precipitation during the event. Temperatures were in the upper teens to lower twenties |Fahrenheit suggesting precipitation fell as snow. Using a rough 10 to 1 snow to liquid ratio, most locations received eight to eleven inches. This was confirmed by the Northern Rockies Avalanche Center.

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Idaho in 2011 Every state in 2011 This day in weather history Warnings in Idaho, November 2011

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: 350285.