From the evening of December 18th through the morning of December 20th a deep fetch of Pacific moisture was directed into the region. This moisture enhanced along a warm front and produced heavy snow across the mountains of north Idaho.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 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.
From the evening of December 18th through the morning of December 20th a deep fetch of Pacific moisture was directed into the region. This moisture enhanced along a warm front and produced heavy snow across the mountains of north Idaho. In most of the valleys the warm front quickly raised snow levels limiting snow accumulations to 1 to 3 inches before changing over to rain, however the change over was slower in the far northern valleys where a number of reports indicated 4 to 6 inches of snow accumulated.
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 18, 2:53 PM PST, 13 hours 7 minutes earlier.
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</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
The Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort reported 13 inches of new snow accumulation from this storm.
An observer 6 miles north of Priest River recorded 5.3 inches of new snow accumulation from this storm.
An observer 6 miles southwest of Dover recorded 4.3 inches of new snow accumulation from this storm.
An observer 13 miles northeast of Sandpoint recorded 4.6 inches of new snow accumulation.
The Lookout Pass Ski Resort reported 11 inches of new snow accumulation from this storm.
The Silver Mountain Ski Resort reported 9 inches of new snow accumulation from this storm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, December 2019
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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 868313, 868314, 868315, 868316, 868317, 868318.