A major winter storm slammed into the Pacific Northwest and spread heavy snow across parts of Eastern Oregon and Southwest Idaho on the 17th and 18th. Impacts were felt in many of the major population centers including the Boise metro area and along the Interstate 84 corridor.
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.
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 major winter storm slammed into the Pacific Northwest and spread heavy snow across parts of Eastern Oregon and Southwest Idaho on the 17th and 18th. Impacts were felt in many of the major population centers including the Boise metro area and along the Interstate 84 corridor. The storm continued in the mountains through the 20th where two to three feet of snow fell over a four day period.
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 Jan 17, 9:00 PM MST, 0 minutes earlier.
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</html>HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOISE ID 612 AM MST TUE JAN 17 2012 IDZ011-013-028-033-ORZ062-181315- WEST CENTRAL MOUNTAINS-BOISE MOUNTAINS-CAMAS PRAIRIE- UPPER WEISER RIVER-BAKER COUNTY- 612 AM MST TUE JAN 17 2012 /512 AM PST TUE JAN 17 2012/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST IDAHO...WEST CENTRAL IDAHO AND NORTHEAST OREGON. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR THE POTENTIAL OF HEAVY SNOW. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST WINTER STORM STATEMENT /WSWBOI/ FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR THE POTENTIAL OF HEAVY SNOW. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST WINTER STORM STATEMENT /WSWBOI/ FOR FURTHER DETAILS. A VERY MOIST WEST FLOW FROM ACROSS THE PACIFIC WILL BRING A VERY WET WEEK TO THE AREA WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF HEAVY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS THROUGH SATURDAY. THIS COULD CAUSE HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS WITH ICY ROADS AND TEMPORARY ROAD CLOSURES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... REPORTS OF SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL AND ANY ADVERSE DRIVING CONDITIONS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. IDZ012-014-016-029-ORZ064-181315- LOWER TREASURE VALLEY ID-UPPER TREASURE VALLEY- WESTERN MAGIC VALLEY-OWYHEE MOUNTAINS-LOWER TREASURE VALLEY OR- 612 AM MST TUE JAN 17 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL IDAHO...SOUTHWEST IDAHO AND SOUTHEAST OREGON. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING FOR THE POTENTIAL OF HEAVY SNOW. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST WINTER STORM STATEMENT /WSWBOI/ FOR FURTHER DETAILS. A VERY MOIST WEST FLOW FROM ACROSS THE PACIFIC WILL BRING A VERY WET WEEK TO THE AREA WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF HEAVY WET SNOW IN THE VALLEYS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON BEFORE TURNING TO RAIN EARLY THURSDAY MORNING AND FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. THIS COULD CAUSE HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS WITH SLICK ROADS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... REPORTS OF SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL AND ANY ADVERSE DRIVING CONDITIONS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. IDZ015-030-ORZ061-063-181315- SOUTHWEST HIGHLANDS-SOUTHERN TWIN FALLS COUNTY-HARNEY COUNTY- MALHEUR COUNTY- 612 AM MST TUE JAN 17 2012 /512 AM PST TUE JAN 17 2012/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL IDAHO...SOUTHWEST IDAHO AND SOUTHEAST OREGON. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR THE POTENTIAL OF MODERATE SNOW AND GUSTY WINDS. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST WINTER STORM STATEMENT /WSWBOI/ FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... REPORTS OF SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL AND ANY ADVERSE DRIVING CONDITIONS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.
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</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Ten inches of new snow were reported by trained spotters and observers around McCall. Two to Three feet of additional snow fell in the surrounding mountains, as reported by Snotel sites, through the 20th of the month.
Four to Eight inches of new snow were reported by various sources in the Treasure Valley and nine inches at Mountain Home.
Six inches of new snow were reported by trained spotters and observers around Jerome.
Eight inches of new snow were reported by trained spotters and observers around Idaho City and seventeen inches were reported at Pine. Two to Three feet of additional snow fell in the surrounding mountains, as reported by Snotel sites, through the 20th of the month.
Eleven inches of new snow were reported by trained spotters and observers around Fairfield and along U.S. Highway 20. One to two feet of additional snow fell in the surrounding mountains, as reported by Snotel sites, through the 20th of the month.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, January 2012
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: 362394, 362389, 362391, 362395, 362396.