A deep upper level trough brought several frontal passages which brought several days of blizzard like conditions and widespread heavy snow. Thunderstorms and snow squalls with heavy winds caused power outages in Mountain Home, Idaho.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 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 deep upper level trough brought several frontal passages which brought several days of blizzard like conditions and widespread heavy snow. Thunderstorms and snow squalls with heavy winds caused power outages in Mountain Home, Idaho. Schools were closed across the Treasure Valley area due to travel difficulties from heavy snow. Highway 20 in the Camas Prairie was closed for several days due to blizzard like conditions.
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 Jan 8, 2:51 PM MST, 1 hour 9 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Boise ID
251 PM MST Mon Jan 8 2024
.SHORT TERM...Today through Wednesday night...A warm front has
arrived from the northwest and light snow is expected area wide
this afternoon and evening. Snow accumulations of up to an inch
possible with this first wave through early Tuesday morning. Then,
the main frontal system and associated cold front will move into
the region on Tuesday morning. Winds aloft increase significantly
and many places reach advisory level or warning level thresholds.
A blizzard warning has been added to the southwest Idaho
highlands for strong winds and snow, especially along ID Highway
51, and remains in effect for the Owyhee Mountains and Camas
Prairie for snow and wind gusts up to 60 mph. Travel in these
areas is not advised. As the cold front moves through, winds will
significantly increase, and temperatures in the Treasure and
Magic Valleys will warm up as the cold front mixes out the
temperature inversion, and values are forecast into the upper 30s
to low 40s. Precipitation will become showery in nature behind the
cold front with showery conditions through Tuesday evening. There
will be a brief lull in precipitation, early Wednesday morning,
before the next shortwave brings increased winds and snow showers
on Wednesday. Precipitation will be focused especially over the
mountains, with the heaviest amounts of precipitation over the
west central Idaho, Boise and Owyhee Mountains. With light amounts
in the Treasure Valley, due to shadowing. Moderate snow
accumulations expected in the Magic Valley with the passage of the
second shortwave on Wednesday, where a Winter Storm Warning has
been issued for snow and wind.
.LONG TERM...Thursday through Monday...Models agree that the
unsettled pattern will continue to bring periods of snow at least
through Sunday. The National Blend Model still shows a wide range of
temperature possibilities Thursday night through Monday, but it is
trending warmer than previous runs. The proximity of Arctic air
makes temperature forecasts uncertain. Latest WPC forecasts bring
the edge of the Arctic air across southeast Oregon and southwest
Idaho Friday night. Weather systems riding over the top of cold air
often yield moderate to heavy snowfalls in the valleys. Current snow
amount estimates show around an inch in the valleys and up to 4
inches in the mountains on Thursday. Thursday night and Friday, 1-3
inches are forecast for the valleys and around twice that in the
mountains. Heaviest accumulations are expected Friday night and
Saturday, with 3-5 inches in the valleys and up to 2 feet in the
mountains. An additional 1-3 inches are expected the the valleys
Saturday night and Sunday, with 3-12 inches in the mountains. Less
than an inch is forecast for Sunday night and Monday. Temperatures
are now expected to average near normal Thursday through Sunday,
then 5-10 degrees below normal on Monday.
&&
.AVIATION...Clouds are increasing and lowering from the west this
afternoon, with snow moving into southeast Oregon and the west
central Idaho and Owyhee Mountains by evening. Precipitation will
spread across the rest of southwest Idaho tonight and continue
across the entire area through Tuesday. Snow levels will rise to
near 4k feet MSL by Tuesday afternoon. Expect widespread MVFR/IFR
conditions and mountain obscuration. Visibilities will be locally
restricted by blowing snow. Pockets of LLWS are possible in
southeast Oregon tonight. Surface winds: SE-SW 5-15 kt. Winds aloft
at 10k feet MSL: NW 20-35 kt.
&&
.BOI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...Winter Storm Warning from 11 PM this evening to 11 AM MST
Wednesday for IDZ011-013-033.
Winter Weather Advisory from 11 PM Tuesday to 5 PM MST Wednesday
for IDZ014-030.
Blizzard Warning from 11 AM Tuesday to 5 PM MST Wednesday for
IDZ015-029.
Wind Advisory from 2 PM to 11 PM MST Tuesday for IDZ016-030.
Winter Storm Warning from 5 AM to 5 PM MST Wednesday for IDZ016.
Blizzard Warning from 11 AM Tuesday to 11 AM MST Wednesday for
IDZ028.
OR...Winter Weather Advisory from 11 PM MST /10 PM PST/ Tuesday to 5
PM MST /4 PM PST/ Wednesday for ORZ061-063.
Wind Advisory from 5 AM MST /4 AM PST/ to 11 PM MST /10 PM PST/
Tuesday for ORZ061-063.
Winter Weather Advisory until 4 PM PST Wednesday for ORZ062.
&&
SHORT TERM...KA
LONG TERM....JT
AVIATION.....JTThe Boise radar (KCBX), 74 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:56 UTC.
6 heavy snow, 5 thunderstorm wind, 1 blizzard, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A trained spotter measured 8.0 inches of Snow near Featherville, ID, 8.0 inches in Garden Valley, ID and 5.0 inches 11 miles south of Horseshoe Bend.
Members of the public measured 8.0 inches in Garden Valley, ID and 5.0 inches 11 miles south of Horseshoe Bend.
The Idaho Transportation Department closed US Highway 20 from milepost 115 to 152 due to whiteout conditions. This also affected the Pine-Featherville road.
NWS Employees measured 5.2, 6.0, and 6.0 inches of snow around the Boise area.
Members of the public measured 15.0 inches of snow in Idaho City.
South 18 street in Mountain Home from Beet Dump Road to Rockin Road was closed due to 20 plus power poles on the road. There were 100 plus homes affected and without 911 landline capabilities. This also affected the Mountain Home Air Force Base operations.
Idaho Power reported 1,500 customers near Milner, Idaho were without power due to thunderstorm wind gusts.
The mesonet station MTHI1, Mountain Home AFB RAWS, measured a 67 mph wind gust.
Power outages were reported for nearly 33 customers near Mountain Home due to wind gusts bringing power poles.
A member of the public reported their portable shed was lifted and damaged siding on their house from the outflow wind gust from a thunderstorm near Kuna, ID.
The ASOS in Twin Falls, ID and AWOS in Jerome, ID measured wind gusts at 58 mph and 60 mph.
The COOP Observer at Deadwood Reservoir measured 11.2 inches of snow about 30 miles north of Lowman, ID.
The CoCoRaHS station two miles northwest of New Meadows measured 6.0 inches of snow.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, January 2024
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: 1155254, 1155255, 1155252, 1157392, 1157393, 1155251, 1155250, 1155253, 1155248, 1155249, 1157412, 1157413, 1157418.