A series of storms hit parts of Eastern Oregon and West Central Idaho bringing heavy snow to mountain locations.
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 series of storms hit parts of Eastern Oregon and West Central Idaho bringing heavy snow to mountain locations.
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 23, 3:12 PM MST, 48 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Boise ID
312 PM MST Sat Feb 23 2019
.SHORT TERM...Tonight through Tuesday...Precipitation coverage
will increase tonight as a prolonged winter storm event ramps up
over the east-central Oregon and west-central Idaho mountains. The
initial band of precipitation will setup along a line from Burns
to Boise to Fairfield this evening with areas to the north seeing
the heaviest precipitation. Snow will fall to valley floors,
though accumulations in the lower Snake Plain will be limited due
to above freezing temperatures early this evening. Strong flow
aloft will keep a steady snowfall in the mountains through
Tuesday. Being an orographic event lower terrain of southeast
Oregon and the lower Snake Plain will see less precipitation
during this event with some areas in the lee of the Owyhees and
along the NV border remaining dry. Snow levels will rise from
valley floors to between 3500 and 4500 feet by Sunday afternoon.
While sheltered valleys of Baker county and the Weiser Basin could
keep snow into Monday, less confident on the snow amounts in
these zones given the warming surface temperatures. Breezy
conditions develop at the surface on Sunday as the flow aloft
strengthens. The strongest winds will come on Monday as the flow
aloft shifts to the southwest. Mountain areas will see gusts of 20
to 30 mph accompanying the heavy snowfall during the day Monday.
Precipitation continues in the mountains on Tuesday with little
change in snow levels. Have kept the forecast more in line with
the ECMWF and NAM solutions which keep the cold front north of the
area through the day Tuesday. Temperatures will warm to around
normal for Monday and Tuesday.
.LONG TERM...Tuesday night through Saturday...The active pattern
continues with a stalled trough/closed low off the PACNW coast
impacting the area on Wednesday. Snow levels will rise early
Wednesday as a warm front moves in from south to north, with ample
moisture, so rain and snow is expected steadily through the day.
Snow levels are expected to top out late Wednesday around
4500-5500 feet. Sometime Thursday morning, this low will move
inland and across the area, and push a cold front through, which
will keep a chance of precip across the entire area. Pops decrease
rapidly behind the front, when snow levels drop to valley floors,
so little to no accumulations are expected in the snake river
valley. However, mountain locations could see another 6-12 inches,
or possibly more, on Wednesday and Thursday. Models are in good
agreement of drier conditions on Friday, with temperatures close
to normal, however the active pattern continues with another low
moving inland later on Saturday.
.Aviation...Snow showers through the weekend will produce periods
of IFR/MVFR. Significant accumulations are expected in the
mountain locations through Tuesday. Snow levels rise to 3000-4000
ft by Sunday afternoon, so the lower valley locations will switch
over to rain. Surface winds: SSE 10-15 kts, with gusts to 30 kts
in SE OR. Winds aloft near 10 KFT MSL: West at 40-50 kts.
&&
&&
.BOI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...Winter Weather Advisory until 5 PM MST Monday IDZ033.
Winter Storm Warning until 5 PM MST Tuesday IDZ011-013-028.
OR...Winter Weather Advisory until 4 PM PST Monday ORZ062.
&&
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SHORT TERM...DG
LONG TERM....EP/EP
AVIATION.....EPThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Trained spotters in Keating and McEwan reported 4 inches of new snow.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, February 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 810620.