Heavy snow fell in southeast Oregon, causing traffic delays and brief closures on Interstate 84 in Baker County and US Highway 20 in Malheur County.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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.
Heavy snow fell in southeast Oregon, causing traffic delays and brief closures on Interstate 84 in Baker County and US Highway 20 in Malheur County.
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 16, 8:13 PM MST, 3 hours 47 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Boise ID
813 PM MST Tue Jan 16 2024
.DISCUSSION...Latest guidance is consistent with earlier
guidance in that a significant snow is coming tonight and Wed.
Snow totals in the new models are slightly higher than previous
runs, so confidence is even higher. Wouldn't be surprised to see
amounts end up just a little higher than our current forecast,
but not by enough to warrant an update at this time. Snow has
already begun in eastern Oregon, and Burns already has about an
inch of new accumulation. Current forecast looks good and no
changes are planned at this time.
&&
.AVIATION...Snow becoming widespread tonight through Wednesday
morning, with IFR/LIFR conditions in snow. Mountains obscured. Snow
in SE Oregon will move into KBOI-KEUL-KONO around 17/05Z and KJER-
KTWF aft 17/07Z. Mixed wintry precipitation is likely near OR/NV
border with snow levels around 3500-4500 feet MSL in this area.
Surface winds: SE to NE 5-15 kt overnight. Winds becoming SW 10-20
kt with gusts to 25-35 kt across SE Oregon and south of Snake Plain
Wednesday afternoon. Winds aloft at 10k feet MSL: westerly 30-40
kt.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION...
SHORT TERM...Tonight through Thursday night...Approaching
Pacific warm front will push the arctic air out of our CWA
overnight and Wednesday but not as fast as models have been
predicting. The warm front will bring several more inches of
snow to our CWA with enough for a Winter Storm Warning in the
Treasure Valley, Upper Weiser River Valley, Owyhee Mountains,
and Malheur County late tonight through Wednesday morning.
For the Upper Treasure Valley this represents an upgrade from
the previous Winter Weather Advisory. Most of the snow in
eastern Oregon will fall between 7 PM MST and midnight, in
western Idaho between 10 PM MST and 3 AM MST Wednesday, and
in the western Magic Valley between midnighT and 6 AM MST
Wednesday. Snow will continue all the way to Thursday morning
north of the Snake Basin. After brief clearing another north
Pacific storm will bring more precipitation into eastern Oregon
Thursday afternoon and western Idaho Thursday night, except near
the Nevada border. Idaho will be cold again this evening but
after that temperatures will be steady or slowly rising
overnight and through Wednesday in all areas. The snow level
will rise rapidly to 4000-5000 feet MSL in eastern Oregon late
Wednesday/Wednesday night, and in western Idaho Wednesday
night, except more slowly in Baker County/OR and in Adams,
Washington, and Valley Counties in Idaho. Snow will mix with
or change to rain at low elevations but pockets of sub-
freezing air will cause a chance of freezing rain in those
colder counties.
LONG TERM...Friday through Tuesday...A ridge will amplify over the
region on Friday, bringing milder temperatures and elevating snow
levels. Pacific moisture will likely move over the top of the ridge,
bringing light mountain snow and valley rain/rain snow mix to Baker
County, OR and the Central ID Mountains on Friday. Snow levels are
anticipated to be around 4000-5000 feet through Saturday AM. The
upper level pattern will transition to a more zonal flow Sunday
through Tuesday which will allow moist and relatively mild from the
Pacific to flow across the Pacific NW into southeastern Oregon
and southwestern Idaho. Minor shortwave troughs embedded in the
zonal flow will help focus precipitation events during this
time, but will be difficult to time this far in advance. There
is roughly a 40 to 50 percent chance of rain in valley locations
each day, and a 60 to 70 percent chance of snow in the mountains
each day through the extended forecast. Snow levels should be
above valley floors through this period ranging from 5000 to
6000 feet. The unusually deep snow currently on the ground in
lower valley locations will slowly melt through the weekend into
early next week and could result in minor ponding of water in
areas with with poor drainage or ice-clogged drains.
&&
.BOI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...Winter Weather Advisory until 8 AM MST Thursday IDZ011-013-028.
Winter Storm Warning until 11 AM MST Wednesday
IDZ012-014-029-033.
Winter Weather Advisory until 11 AM MST Wednesday IDZ015.
Winter Weather Advisory from midnight tonight to 11 AM MST
Wednesday IDZ016-030.
OR...Winter Storm Warning until 11 AM MST /10 AM PST/ Wednesday
ORZ063-064.
Winter Weather Advisory until 7 AM PST Wednesday ORZ061-062.
&&
www.weather.gov/Boise
www.facebook.com/NWSBoise
www.twitter.com/NWSBoise
DISCUSSION...SP
AVIATION.....SH
SHORT TERM...LC
LONG TERM....JBThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
A member of the public measured 5.0 inches of snow in Ontario, OR.
A member of the public measured 4.0 inches of snow in Baker City, OR.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, 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: 1157476, 1157477.