S. Highway 20 corridor.
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 BOI wrote it up.
A warm front carrying copious moisture from the Pacific moved into Southest Oregon spreading heavy snow over parts of Northern Harney County impacting the U.S. Highway 20 corridor.
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 24, 8:34 AM PST, 1 hour 26 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOISE ID
934 AM MST TUE JAN 24 2012
.SHORT TERM...LATEST NORTH PACIFIC STORM ON ITS WAY IN...PCPN
STARTING IN OREGON ZONES MID-DAY AND IDAHO ZONES LATE TODAY OR
THIS EVENING...WITH THE PCPN SHIELD MOVING TOWARD THE ESE AND
SETTLING OVER OUR SRN ZONES WEDNESDAY. NAM AND GFS BUFR
SOUNDINGS STILL INDICATING FREEZING RAIN AND/OR SLEET IN BAKER
COUNTY FOR UP TO 4 HOURS THIS EVENING AFTER SEVERAL INCHES OF
NEW SNOW DEPENDING ON ELEVATION...AND THEN LIGHT RAIN ALL THE
WAY UP TO 7500 FEET. MAIN PCPN DUE TO A STRONG WARM FRONT
RAISING SNOW LEVEL SHARPLY THIS EVENING. MODEL SOUNDINGS ALSO
INDICATE BRIEF FREEZING RAIN IN OTHER MOUNTAIN ZONES DURING THE
CHANGEOVER FROM SNOW TO RAIN...BUT ONLY IN BAKER COUNTY AND THE
UPPER WEISER AREA IS THE FREEZING RAIN/SLEET EXPECTED TO LAST
MORE THAN AN HOUR OR SO. NEW 12Z MODEL DATA INDICATE PCPN
DECREASING AFTER 06Z TONIGHT. WINTER WX ADVISORY WILL PROBABLY
BE CONTINUED IN BAKER COUNTY AND THE UPPER WEISER RIVER AREA BUT
WITH LESS SNOW ACCUMULATION...FINAL DECISION AND UPDATED FORECASTS
AVAILABLE BY 1030 AM MST.
&&
.AVIATION...MVFR WITH AREAS OF IFR IN SNOW WILL DEVELOP AFTER 18Z
TODAY....BEGINNING IN SE OREGON...AND MOVING INTO SW IDAHO BY LATE
AFTERNOON. LOWER VALLEYS WILL BE VFR-MVFR WITH PATCHY IFR IN ALL
RAIN AFTER 00Z WEDNESDAY. KBKE AND KBNO WILL BEGIN AS ALL SNOW AFTER
19Z. KBNO MAY HAVE A BRIEF PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN BEFORE
TRANSITIONING TO ALL RAIN BY 00Z...WHILE AT KBKE FREEZING RAIN
WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM 02Z-06Z WEDNESDAY. SOUTHERLY OR SOUTHEASTERLY
SURFACE WINDS WILL AVERAGE 15 KTS. WESTERLY WINDS ALOFT 40-60 KTS AT
10K FT MSL.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION...
TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...COLD AIR WILL BE IN PLACE ACROSS MUCH OF
SE OREGON AND SW IDAHO AHEAD OF A WARM FRONT THAT WILL BRING
MODERATE SNOW ACROSS THE NORTHERN ZONES FROM BAKER COUNTY THROUGH
THE UPPER WEISER BASIN AND THE WEST CENTRAL AND BOISE MOUNTAINS.
SOME LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATION IS EVEN EXPECTED TONIGHT ACROSS THE
FOOTHILLS IN THE NORTH PART OF THE TREASURE AND MAGIC VALLEYS. LIGHT
WINDS WILL INCREASE AS THE WARM FRONT NEARS...WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH
THIS AFTERNOON /EVENING IN WINDIER SPOTS. WARM AIR WILL FLOW IN ON
THESE WINDS WITH SIGNIFICANT WARMING ALOFT AS WELL SO THERE IS A
CHANCE OF FREEZING RAIN IN SHELTERED SPOTS OF BAKER COUNTY AND THE
UPPER WEISER BASIN. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND A CHANCE
OF FREEZING RAIN HAS BEEN HOISTED FOR THAT. ZONAL FLOW WITH SNOW
SHOWERS FAVORING THE MOUNTAINS WEDNESDAY WILL ALSO FEATURE SLIGHTLY
ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES.
LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY...VERY MOIST ZONAL FLOW
WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY. SOME DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN THE MODELS
IN TIMING OF THURSDAYS SYSTEM. NAM AND GFS IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH
LATER TIMING /LATE THURSDAY-EARLY FRIDAY/ VERSUS THE ECMWF TIMING OF
EARLY THURSDAY. HOWEVER...ALL MODELS SHOWING SIGNIFICANT
PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE CWA THURSDAY. SNOW LEVELS WILL REMAIN ABOVE
VALLEY FLOORS...RANGING FROM ABOUT 5500 FEET IN THE NORTH TO 7500
FEET ALONG THE NEVADA BORDER. QPF AMOUNTS WILL BE
SUBSTANTIAL...RANGING FROM A QUARTER TO HALF INCH IN THE VALLEYS
WITH UP TO AN INCH IN THE MOUNTAINS...WHICH WILL AMOUNT TO ANOTHER
6-12 INCHES IN THE BOISE/WEST CENTRAL MTNS ABOVE 6500 FEET. NO
WINTER WEATHER HEADLINES ARE ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME ALTHOUGH THE
FLOODING SITUATION WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED. AFTER THURSDAY...THE
PATTERN SHIFTS TO A DRIER AND COOLER WEST-NORTHWEST FLOW WITH A
CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE NORTH AND TEMPERATURES CLOSER TO NORMAL.
&&
.BOI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM NOON TODAY TO 3 AM MST WEDNESDAY
IDZ033.
OR...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 2 AM PST
WEDNESDAY ORZ062.
&&
WEATHER.GOV/BOISE
DISCUSSION...LC
AVIATION.....BB
PREV SHORT TERM...VM
PREV LONG TERM....JDSHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOISE ID 450 AM MST TUE JAN 24 2012 IDZ011-013-033-ORZ062-251200- WEST CENTRAL MOUNTAINS-BOISE MOUNTAINS-UPPER WEISER RIVER- BAKER COUNTY- 450 AM MST TUE JAN 24 2012 /350 AM PST TUE JAN 24 2012/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL IDAHO AND NORTHEAST OREGON. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW WILL SPREAD INTO BAKER COUNTY LATE THIS MORNING AND ACROSS SOUTHWEST IDAHO NORTH AND EAST OF BOISE TONIGHT. THERE IS A CHANCE OF FREEZING RAIN AS WELL. SNOW WILL DIMINISH ACROSS THE VALLEYS AND BAKER COUNTY EARLY WEDNESDAY WHILE SNOW SHOWERS SLOWLY DIMINISH IN THE MOUNTAINS WEDNESDAY. SEE BOIWSWBOI FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY ANOTHER MOIST PACIFIC WEATHER SYSTEM WILL CROSS THE REGION LATE THURSDAY TO EARLY FRIDAY...POSSIBLY SOONER. THE COMBINATION OF SNOW TONIGHT AND MILDER RAIN EVENTS EARLY WEDNESDAY AND AGAIN THURSDAY NIGHT WILL PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT SNOW ABOVE 6000 TO 7000 FEET AND COPIOUS RAINFALL BELOW 5500 FEET WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY. THIS SITUATION WILL BE MONITORED FOR HYDROLOGY/RIVER CONCERNS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. IDZ012-014-016-ORZ064-251200- LOWER TREASURE VALLEY ID-UPPER TREASURE VALLEY- WESTERN MAGIC VALLEY-LOWER TREASURE VALLEY OR- 450 AM MST TUE JAN 24 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL IDAHO...SOUTHWEST IDAHO AND SOUTHEAST OREGON. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A CHANCE OF FREEZING RAIN FOR THE OREGON LOWER TREASURE VALLEY TONIGHT. LIGHT SNOW IS POSSIBLE IN THE FOOTHILLS MAINLY NORTH OF THE SNAKE RIVER LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. IDZ015-028>030-ORZ061-063-251200- SOUTHWEST HIGHLANDS-CAMAS PRAIRIE-OWYHEE MOUNTAINS- SOUTHERN TWIN FALLS COUNTY-HARNEY COUNTY-MALHEUR COUNTY- 450 AM MST TUE JAN 24 2012 /350 AM PST TUE JAN 24 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 NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Trained observers and spotters reported five inches of new snow around Burns and eight inches at Drewsey.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, 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: 362399.