A winter storm dropping down from the north brought heavy snow to North Idaho.
Every event with a place to put it; 54 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 OTX wrote it up.
A winter storm dropping down from the north brought heavy snow to North Idaho.
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 Dec 27, 2:45 AM PST, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Spokane WA
245 AM PST SAT DEC 27 2014
.SYNOPSIS...
A vigorous low pressure system will produce widespread
accumulating snow today and tonight. The heaviest snow amounts
will likely occur over the Idaho Panhandle where amounts of 6 to
10 inches will be a good bet. Bitterly cold northeast winds will
develop by Monday morning. Temperatures will be well below average
most of next week as arctic high pressure settles over the Inland
Northwest.
&&
...HEAVY SNOW THIS AFTERNOON INTO SUNDAY MORNING FOR THE IDAHO
PANHANDLE AND PORTIONS OF EASTERN WASHINGTON FOLLOWED BY ARRIVAL
OF MUCH COLDER WEATHER MONDAY...
Today and Tonight: The majority of the heavy snow expected this
weekend will fall this afternoon into the early morning hours
Sunday. A compact low pressure system currently moving onto the
central British Columbia coast will track into northeastern
Washington this evening. The combination of warm/moist advection
and positive vorticity advection ahead of the low will produce the
heavy precipitation shield this afternoon and evening. As the low
migrates into western Montana after midnight, west/northwest
upslope flow into the central and southern Idaho Panhandle will
produce additional heavy snow showers for places like Lookout
Pass, Mullan, Clarkia, Winchester, and the northern Blues.
* Snow Amounts: Through early Sunday morning, look for 3 to 6
inches of accumulation for Spokane, Pullman, Deer Park and
Metaline Falls. Orographic enhancement should yield higher snow
amounts for Sandpoint, Coeur D'Alene, Plummer, and St Maries
with 5 to 8 inches...and similar amounts are probable for the
Camas Praire above 3000 feet. Post-frontal convective snow
showers will likely persist over Shoshone county into Sunday
morning contributing to the potential for 6 to 12 inches in
Wallace, Mullan, and Deary.
* Highlights: Snow amounts for the northern and central Idaho
Panhandle look to be solidly withing Winter Storm Warning
criteria (4 inches in 12hrs or 6 inches in 24hrs). The
north/south corridor from Colville to Spokane to Pullman looks
to be borderline for Warning Amounts with 3 to 5 inches. Spokane
county looks funny on the map surrounded by Winter Storm
Warnings, but I will leave it as is. Stronger winds this evening
over the Washington Palouse will contribute to the potential for
blowing and drifting, and the deeper colder air from Deer Park
northward may experience higher snow ratios and more spots over
the 4 inch threshold.
* Bust potential: A change from snow to rain may bust the forecast
for heavy snow in the Pullman area. The track of the surface low
will make a big difference on whether portions of southeast
Washington make it into the warm sector with this storm. The NAM
and GFS suggest that the rain/snow line will be very close this
evening. It could be the difference between 6 inches of heavy
snow in Pullman or 2 inches of snow followed by rain.
Sunday and Sunday Night: The upper low responsible for the snow
is forecast to shear out and quickly move southeastward into
central Montana and Wyoming on Sunday. The models prog the
potential for a ragged lingering deformation band of snow over the
Idaho Panhandle on Sunday, but it does not appear to produce much
more than an inch of additional accumulation for the lowlands.
Weak to moderate post frontal northwesterly flow should enhance
snow showers over the mountains of southern Shoshone county, the
Camas Prairie, and the Blue Mountains for an additional 1 to 3
inches of accumulation. /GKoch
Monday through Wednesday night: Models are in good agreement of a
cold arctic air mass dropping into the area on Monday. A 1055mb
surface high over central British Columbia and southern Alberta
will result in a tight north-northeast pressure gradient with
850mb winds increasing to 30-35 kts. Model soundings, MAV
guidance, and UW WRF-GFS winds suggest sustained winds of 15-25
mph with gusts of 35-40 mph across the Columbia Basin and Spokane
area...with stronger winds of 20-30 mph with gusts to 45 mph down
the Purcell Trench affecting Sandpoint and Coeur D'Alene. These
winds will likely lead to areas of blowing snow. The Okanogan
Valley will also see elevated winds as northerly wind channel down
the valley. These winds will combine with afternoon temperatures
mainly in the lower to mid 20s creating wind chill values between
5-15F. These wind chill values will drop further Monday night with
below 0F readings possible. The coldest night for low temperatures
will likely be Tuesday night as pressure gradients relax allowing
for strong radiational cooling. Although some passing mid and high
clouds from the north may keep temperatures from dropping to full
potential. Model guidance and past pattern experience with arctic
air masses and fresh snow cover leads to the potential for the
colder locations to drop to between 0 to -10F. These below zero
readings are most likely in the typical cold spots like Mazama,
Republic, Priest Lake, and Deer Park. The arctic air mass will
usher in much drier air with dry conditions over all the area by
Monday night. A few lingering snow showers are expected during the
day on Monday mainly near the Cascades and southeast Washington
before the drier air arrives.
Thursday through Friday...The 00z GFS and ECMWF models were
showing a bit more flattening of the offshore ridge during this
period with the potential for weak waves to drop down in northwest
flow compared to previous model runs. If these new solutions pan
out this would lead to a gradual increase in snow chances with
northwest flow most favoring the Cascade crest and Idaho
Panhandle. The best chances for the Cascades looks to hold off til
Friday...although given model changes during this period
confidence is not very high in the details. JW
&&
.AVIATION...
06Z TAFS: A winter storm will bring moderate snow accumulations
during the next 24 hours to Ern WA and Nrn ID. Little to no snow
will fall in the lee of the Cascades at Wenatchee and Moses
Lake. Stubborn fog between Spokane and Coeur D Alene will give way
to light snow btwn 13-15z with periods of moderate snow likely
in the afternoon and evening roughly 19-03z. Pullman, Spokane, and
Coeur D Alene will likely receive several inches of snow from
this storm system with potentially heavy amounts at Pullman and
Coeur D Alene. Although intensity decreases after 00z, periods of
light snow will be possible through Sunday. A surge of warmer air
could also bring a rain/snow mix or very heavy wet snow to Pullman
for a few hours Saturday afternoon. Restrictions of vis/cigs are
likely to fall into IFR/LIFR categories with some improvement to
MVFR at times. Gusty downslope winds off the Cascades should keep
rapid improvement to any short term restrictions develop in the
lee of the Cascades. /sb
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Spokane 32 27 31 18 21 6 / 100 70 40 30 20 0
Coeur d'Alene 31 27 31 18 20 5 / 100 100 60 20 10 0
Pullman 33 29 33 18 21 3 / 100 100 70 50 30 10
Lewiston 38 32 38 24 28 9 / 70 100 70 50 30 10
Colville 32 26 33 20 24 1 / 100 50 30 30 10 0
Sandpoint 30 27 32 19 21 2 / 100 100 60 20 10 10
Kellogg 30 26 30 15 17 -1 / 100 100 80 40 20 10
Moses Lake 34 27 32 23 29 12 / 30 10 10 30 20 0
Wenatchee 35 28 33 25 30 13 / 10 10 10 50 40 0
Omak 30 25 29 21 25 9 / 20 20 20 40 10 0
&&
.OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...Winter Storm Warning until 4 PM PST Sunday for Central Panhandle
Mountains.
Winter Storm Warning from 10 AM this morning to 4 PM PST Sunday
for Lewis and Southern Nez Perce Counties.
Winter Storm Warning until 4 AM PST Sunday for Coeur d'Alene
Area-Idaho Palouse-Northern Panhandle.
WA...Winter Storm Warning from 10 AM this morning to 4 PM PST Sunday
for Northeast Blue Mountains.
Winter Storm Warning until 4 AM PST Sunday for Northeast
Mountains-Washington Palouse.
Winter Weather Advisory until 4 AM PST Sunday for East Slopes
Northern Cascades-Okanogan Highlands.
Winter Weather Advisory until 10 PM PST this evening for Spokane
Area.
&&HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA 631 AM PST FRI DEC 26 2014 IDZ001>004-271500- NORTHERN PANHANDLE-COEUR D'ALENE AREA-IDAHO PALOUSE- CENTRAL PANHANDLE MOUNTAINS- 631 AM PST FRI DEC 26 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH IDAHO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE CHANCE FOR LIGHT SNOW WILL INCREASE OVER THE IDAHO PANHANDLE WELL AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AFTER SUNRISE ON SATURDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY CONFIDENCE IS HIGH THAT WIDESPREAD ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL OCCUR OVER THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL IDAHO PANHANDLE SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY MORNING. THIS STORM SYSTEM WILL LIKELY PRODUCE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT LOW ELEVATION OF THE WINTER SEASON SO FAR. SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED TO FALL IN THE SANDPOINT...COEUR D'ALENE...KELLOGG...ST MARIES...AND MOSCOW AREAS. TRAVEL WILL LIKELY BECOME TREACHEROUS BY MID DAY SATURDAY AND DETERIORATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. MUCH COLDER AIR WILL ARRIVE BEHIND THIS STORM SYSTEM SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY. BLUSTERY NORTHEAST WINDS MONDAY WILL PRODUCE COLD WIND CHILLS. COLDER THAN AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WILL LIKELY PERSIST FOR MUCH OF NEXT WEEK. IDZ026-027-WAZ031>033-035>038-271500- 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- 631 AM PST FRI DEC 26 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO...EAST CENTRAL WASHINGTON...NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON... NORTHEAST WASHINGTON AND SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE CHANCE FOR LIGHT SNOW WILL INCREASE LATE TONIGHT OVER NORTHEAST WASHINGTON. ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE MINOR PRIOR TO SUNRISE ON SATURDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY CONFIDENCE IS MODERATE TO HIGH THAT ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL OCCUR SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT OVER NORTHEAST WASHINGTON...THE WEST PLAINS...THE SPOKANE AREA...AND THE WASHINGTON PALOUSE. BY MID DAY SATURDAY...TRAVEL WILL LIKELY BECOME TREACHEROUS AROUND THE COMMUNITIES OF REPUBLIC...COLVILLE...CUSICK...SPOKANE... DAVENPORT...PULLMAN...WINCHESTER...AND PEOLA. PERIODS OF LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. MUCH COLDER AIR WILL ARRIVE BEHIND THIS STORM SYSTEM SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY. BLUSTERY NORTHEAST WINDS MONDAY WILL PRODUCE COLD WIND CHILLS. COLDER THAN AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WILL LIKELY PERSIST FOR MUCH OF NEXT WEEK. WAZ034-041>044-271500- MOSES LAKE AREA-WENATCHEE AREA-EAST SLOPES NORTHERN CASCADES- OKANOGAN VALLEY-WATERVILLE PLATEAU- 631 AM PST FRI DEC 26 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL WASHINGTON...EAST CENTRAL WASHINGTON AND NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SNOW WILL DEVELOP OVER THE NORTH CASCADE MOUNTAINS TONIGHT WITH THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS ALONG THE CASCADE CREST. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY CONFIDENCE IS HIGH THAT THE NORTH CASCADE MOUNTAINS WILL RECEIVE HEAVY SNOW ALONG THE CREST SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. STEVENS PASS WILL LIKELY RECEIVE IN EXCESS OF A FOOT OF SNOW. A PRONOUNCED PRECIPITATION SHADOW IS EXPECTED THIS WEEKEND. UPPER REACHES OF THE METHOW VALLEY...THE YAKIMA VALLEY...AND LAKE CHELAN WILL LIKELY RECEIVE LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS. THE COMMUNITIES OF WENATCHEE...OMAK...AND MOSES LAKE WILL RECEIVE VERY LITTLE SNOW WITH THIS STORM. MUCH COLDER AIR WILL ARRIVE BEHIND THIS STORM SYSTEM SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY. BLUSTERY NORTH WINDS MONDAY WILL PRODUCE COLD WIND CHILLS. COLDER THAN AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WILL LIKELY PERSIST FOR MUCH OF NEXT WEEK.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
53 heavy snow, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
A spotter reported 16 inches of snow 6 miles southeast of Clark Fork, Idaho.
Seven inches of snow 10 miles north/northeast of Hope, Idaho.
A spotter reported 4.0 inches of snow 12 miles south/southeast of Priest River, Idaho.
CoCoRaHS reported 7 inches of snow in SW Dover, Idaho.
A spotter 4 miles east/southeast of Osburn, Idaho reported 7 inches of new snow at 3100 feet elevation.
A Facebook post noted 6 inches of snow at Priest River, Idaho.
A Facebook post nted 6.5 inches of snow at Oldtown, Idaho.
Public report of 7 inches of snow 5 miles east of Sandpoint, Idaho.
COOP observer reported 8 inches of snow at Clarkia Ranger Station, Idaho.
A spotter reported 7 inches of snow 1 mile north northeast of Hayden Lake, ID.
A spotter reported 9.1 inches of snow one mile east northeast of Kellogg, Idaho.
A COOP Observer reported 5.7 inches of snow at Naples, Idaho.
A COOP Observer reported 10 inches of snow in Kellogg, Idaho.
A COOP Observer reported 7.5 inches of snow 6 miles west southwest of Sagle, Idaho.
A COOP Observer reported 5 inches of snow in Fernwood, Idaho.
A spotter reported 5.7 inches of snow in Northwest Naples, Idaho.
A COOP Observer reported 8 inches of snow at Clarkia, Idaho.
A COOP Observer reported 6.5 inches of snow at Bonners Ferry, Idaho.
A spotter reported 6.2 inches of snow 2 miles north of Naples, Idaho.
A Facebook post noted 6 inches of snow in Sandpoint, Idaho.
A Facebook post noted 6 inches of snow accumulation at Winchester, Idaho.
A Facebook post noted 5 inches of snow at 2336 feet elevation 6 miles east/northeast of Rathdrum, Idaho.
A facebook post noted 6 inches of snow at Rose Lake, Idaho.
Clarkia Ranger Station reported 8 inches of snow.
One mile east/northeast of Kellogg, Idaho 9.1 inches of snow was reported.
CoCoRaHS report of 5.8 inches of snow 1 mile north/northwest of Hayden, Idaho.
A spotter reported 4 inches of new snow northwest of Blanchard, Idaho at 2200 feet elevation.
A Facebook post noted 6 inches of new snow at Spirit Lake, ID.
A Facebook post noted 6 inches of new snow at Rathdrum, Idaho.
A spotter in Southeast Winchester, Idaho reported 8.3 inches of snow.
A Facebook post noted 7 inches of snow 4 miles east southeast of Osburn, Idaho.
A Facebook post noted 6 inches at Rose Lake, Idaho.
A spotter reported 11.5 inches of snow 20 miles east southeast of Coeur d' Alene, Idaho at 2667 feet elevation.
A spotter reported 9 inches of snow 4 miles west of Beauty Creek Campground, Idaho.
A spotter reported 6.6 inches of snow 6 miles south/southwest of Coeur d' Alene, Idaho.
A Facebook post noted 5 inches of snow at Laclede, Idaho.
A Facebook post noted 4.5 inches of snow at Athol, Idaho.
Silver Mountain ski resort, 4 miles south of Kellogg, Idaho reported 12 inches of new snow.
Lookout Pass Ski Resort, at Lookout Pass, Idaho, reported 17 inches of new snow.
A spotter reported 9.0 inches of new snow 4 miles west of Beauty Creek Campground in Kootenai County, Idaho at 2800 feet elevation.
A Facebook post noted 6 inches of new snow 3 miles south of Harrison, Idaho.
A Facebook post noted 6 inches of new snow 4 miles southwest of Coeur d' Alene, Idaho at 2900 feet elevation.
A trained spotter reported 6.5 inches of snow 5 miles west of St Maries, Idaho.
A Facebook post noted 4 inches of snow at Garwood, Idaho at 2290 feet elevation.
A Facebook post noted 4.5 inches of snow at Worley, Idaho.
A Facebook post noted 6 inches of snow fell 3 miles south of Harrison, Idaho at elevation of 2400 feet.
A Facebook post noted 4 inches of snow fell in Pullman, WA.
CoCoRaHS 1 mile east of Moscow, Idaho reported 2.0 inches of snow.
A facebook post noted 8 inches of new snow near Plummer, Idaho.
A Facebook post noted 6 inches of snow accumulation at Troy, Idaho at 2800 feet elevation.
A Facebook post noted between 5 and 6 inches of new snow 7 miles south of Tensed, Idaho.
A spotter reported 11 inches of new snow 3 miles east /southeast of Prichard, Idaho at 2500 feet elevation.
Online version of local newspaper noted at 8 pm PST Kootenai Electric reported 1,000 customers without power and Avista Utilities had more than 2,600 customers without power due to heavy snow downing power lines in the Coeur d' Alene area.
A spotter 5 miles north northeast of Moscow, Idaho reported 4 inches of snow.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, December 2014
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: 546355, 546359, 546362, 546363, 546382, 547414, 547415, 547418, 547420, 547421, 547422, 547424, 547425, 547426, 547427, 547428, 547429, 547430, 547431, 547432, 546356, 546357, 546358, 546360, 546361, 546364, 546380, 546390, 546391, 546624, 547416, 547417, 547419, 547423, 546394, 546400, 546402, 546373, 546374, 546376, and more.