A warm front lifting across Southeast Oregon and Southwest Idaho spread moderate wet snow over the area.
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The episode as NWS BOI wrote it up.
A warm front lifting across Southeast Oregon and Southwest Idaho spread moderate wet snow over the area.
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 Feb 6, 9:38 PM MST, 5 hours 22 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Boise ID
938 PM MST Mon Feb 6 2017
.DISCUSSION...Warm front will lift across the area tonight into
Tuesday. Haven't seen much change in timing of this event with
snow starting across far southeast Oregon zones and areas south of
the Snake River by 06Z this evening, reaching a Burns to Boise to
Fairfield line around 12Z Tuesday morning and to Baker and McCall
by 18Z. Latest model solutions have trended up with liquid
amounts and have made adjustments in the forecast to follow suit.
Still looks like a wet snow in much of the Snake Plain though
confidence on accumulations in the valleys remains low as
temperatures will be a couple of degrees on either side of
freezing. Have slightly bumped up snow amounts in the Snake Plain
with more areas in the 1-2 inch range. This is mostly in response
to the increased forecast liquid amounts. Don't see a need to add
valleys to the hazards at this time given amounts remain below
criteria. Will make some updates to current WSW products to adjust
amounts. Snow tapers off late Tuesday morning into Tuesday
afternoon from southwest to northeast, possibly ending as a brief
period of light rain at lower elevations.
&&
.AVIATION...Generally VFR this evening with isolated rain and
snow showers. Snow levels lowering to surface. Widespread snow
developing after 09z/Tues and moving northward. Warm front will
end precipitation from SW to NE from 18-22z/Tue. Mountains
obscured. Surface winds: generally 10kt or less becoming W-SW
10-20kt with gusts to around 30 kts over higher terrain on Tue
afternoon/evening. Winds aloft at 10k feet MSL: W-SW 45-60kt.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION...
SHORT TERM...Tonight through Wednesday...Showers will continue
ahead of a cold front through this evening. Moderate rain and
gusty winds have been reported with the stronger showers. At 21z,
the cold front was just west of Rome, Ontario and McCall. The
front will continue to move south-southeast tonight reaching the
Nevada border around midnight. The main challenge continue to be
precipitation type associated with warm frontal passage, moving
north from the Nevada border beginning Tuesday morning. The front
will interact with deep moisture plume from the central pacific
over the southern forecast area late Tuesday morning. Cold front
will bring cold air aloft (0 to -2 C at 850 mb) late tonight
though valley surface temperatures look to remain around freezing
Tuesday morning. Moisture will overspread the front Tuesday
morning for significant snowfall over Southeast Oregon, Owyhee
mountains and the Southwest Highlands. The question remains how
much of the precipitation will fall as snow before the change over
rain especially in the Treasure and Western Magic valley. Based on
current guidance, expect about an inch of wet snow late Tuesday
morning in the valleys. However, confidence is low as temperatures
aloft 1 or 2 degrees one way or the other could produce more or
less snow before the change over to all rain late Tuesday morning.
Warm front lifts north of the forecast area Tuesday night ending
much of the precipitation. Another warm front with even more
moisture starts to over spread the area Wednesday afternoon for
rain below 4500 feet.
LONG TERM...Wednesday night through Monday...A moist warm front
will move through Wednesday night with snow levels rising to 6500
feet north portion/8500 feet south portion of the forecast area by
early Thursday morning. A very moist southwest flow will continue on
Thursday with snow levels averaging 7000 to 8000 feet. Models are
targeting the Central ID mountains with the highest QPF amounts
through the period, with impressive snowfall amounts on the peaks.
Main concern during this period will be the possibility for
localized flooding in the mountain valleys north of the Treasure
Valley. The precipitation will persist into Friday as a upper trough
approaches the PacNW while the very moist southwesterly plume shifts
east. Snow levels will start to lower on Friday, although the snow
will remain confined to the higher elevations. The upper trough and
accompanying cold front will swing through Friday night followed by
a drier and cooler air mass on Saturday. Dry cool weather will
continue through early next week as a strong upper ridge builds into
the PacNW.
&&
.BOI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...Winter Storm Warning until 11 AM MST Tuesday IDZ015-029.
Winter Weather Advisory from 5 AM to 5 PM MST Tuesday IDZ028.
OR...Winter Storm Warning until 11 AM MST /10 AM PST/ Tuesday
ORZ061-063.
Winter Weather Advisory from 4 AM to 4 PM PST Tuesday ORZ062.
&&
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DISCUSSION...DG
AVIATION.....KA
PREV SHORT TERM...JDS
PREV LONG TERM....BW/BWThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Trained spotters from Rome to Jordan Valley reported 6 inches of moderate wet snow.
Trained spotters reported 6 inches of moderate wet snow.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, February 2017
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: 690521, 690517.