The second in a series of winter storms spread heavy snow across parts of Eastern Oregon and Southwest Idaho.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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.
The second in a series of winter storms spread heavy snow across parts of Eastern Oregon and Southwest 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 Boise, ID wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 14, 2:35 AM PST, 1 hour 25 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Boise ID
335 AM MST Wed Dec 14 2016
.SHORT TERM...Today through Thursday...The next winter event
remains on the doorstep, as moisture continues to advance towards
SE Oregon this morning. Snowfall associated with this upcoming
event is expected to start prior to the morning commute for areas
of SE Oregon, and spread quickly northeast through the day. The
greatest areas of impact from this event are expected to remain in
eastern Oregon where a Winter Storm Warning is in effect through
the evening hours. These areas are expected to see significant
accumulating snowfall with gusty wind expected during the late
afternoon/early evening hours. With these gusty winds,
temperatures are expected to rise to help convert activity to
rainfall, with periods of freezing rain possible.
Lesser, though still significant impacts are anticipated for
portions of central Idaho, mainly northwest of, and including, the
Treasure Valley. Winter Weather Advisories are in effect for these
areas. Snowfall is expected to move over the area this morning and
continue through the afternoon hours. Warming temperatures will then
be found beginning this evening, with the warmer air moving
northeast through the overnight hours. As the warmer air advances,
snowfall will convert to rain, with brief periods of freezing rain
possible during the changeover. The presence of freezing rain is not
anticipated to be as significant as the last event, though still
could accumulate briefly.
Significant winter weather is anticipated to move out of the area by
Thursday afternoon, though showers remain possible, especially
across central and southern Idaho and and southeastern Oregon.
.LONG TERM...Thursday night through Tuesday...Models in fairly good
agreement through the extended period. Thursday night a cold front
will shift southeast over the forecast area with valley rain
changing to snow. Precipitation will remain over Southwest Idaho
Friday as the axis of an upper level trough shifts over the region
with mostly dry conditions developing over southeast Oregon.
Precipitation will continue to shift east Friday night with dry
conditions over the forecast area Saturday and Saturday night. Once
the upper level trough shifts east of Idaho a northwesterly flow
will develop over the Pacific Northwest by Saturday morning. This
flow will bring colder temperatures to the region with the coldest
temperatures on Saturday. Northwesterly flow aloft will remain over
the region Sunday through Tuesday with models indicating several in
a series of weak systems moving through the flow. With these weak
systems there is enough moisture in the flow for a slight chance of
snow over the higher terrain. High temperatures on Friday will
average in the 20s over the forecast area, falling to the teens for
Saturday and Sunday then warming back up to the 20s for Monday and
Tuesday. Low temperatures will be the coldest so far with lows
averaging from 10 above to 10 below zero for the weekend and then
slowly warming a few degrees Monday and Tuesday with lows by Tuesday
averaging in the single digits above zero.
&&
.AVIATION...Deteriorating conditions from south to north as a warm
front moves north over the region. Precipitation with this front
will start out as snow with widespread MVFR and areas of IFR
conditions developing with the snow along with widespread mountain
obscuration. Snow will change to rain below 5,000-5,500 feet MSL by
00Z south of a KBNO-KTWF line. Surface winds variable 12 knots or
less this morning, becoming southeast to south 10-20 knots with
gusts in the Snake River Valley near 25 knots this afternoon. Winds
aloft southwesterly 20-30 knots up through 10K feet MSL.
&&
.BOI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...Winter Weather Advisory from 11 AM this morning to 11 AM MST
Thursday IDZ011-013-028-033.
Winter Weather Advisory from 8 AM this morning to 7 PM MST this
evening IDZ012-014.
OR...Winter Weather Advisory from 8 AM this morning to 7 PM MST this
evening ORZ064.
Winter Storm Warning until 8 PM MST /7 PM PST/ this evening
ORZ061-063.
Winter Storm Warning from 10 AM this morning to 10 PM PST this
evening ORZ062.
&&
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SHORT TERM...KB
LONG TERM....JA
AVIATION.....JAThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Trained spotters in Burns, Diamond and Andrews reported 5 to 7 inches of snow mainly before noon.
The COOP observer in Halfway reported 4 inches of new snow and law enforcement in Baker City reported 4 to 8 inches of snow around the area.
A CoCoRaHS observer in Brogran reported 4 inches of snow and law enforcement in Ontario reported 4 to 6 inches across most of Malheur County.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, December 2016
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: 671724, 671723, 671725.