A deep upper level low moved into the region, bringing cold temperatures and subtropical moisture to the region. This allowed for ample snowfall to fall over the region, creating transportation impacts across southwest Idaho.
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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 low moved into the region, bringing cold temperatures and subtropical moisture to the region. This allowed for ample snowfall to fall over the region, creating transportation impacts across southwest Idaho.
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 2, 3:11 AM MST, 2 hours 49 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Boise ID
311 AM MST Sun Feb 2 2025
.KEY POINTS..
*Heavy mountain snow through Monday morning with sharp temperature
gradient creating uncertainty in the valley snow forecast on Monday
morning.*
*Strong winds this afternoon near the Idaho-Nevada border with gusts
up to 50 mph.*
*Active pattern through the week, with colder air and widespread
valley snow anticipated for Thursday-Friday.*
.SHORT TERM...Today through Tuesday night...Rain and snow is
falling across the region tonight, while temperatures in the Snake
River Valley remain around 35-40. Mountain locations received
slightly more snow than forecast yesterday morning, with some
locations receiving as much as 5-8" pm at 6000-7000 feet.
The main forecast problem with this ongoing winter storm is where
the rain-snow line will be with this upper level zonal flow. Hi- res
models have indicated that warmer air will likely push northward as
this stationary front continues a slow northward trajectory on
Sunday. This warm air will intrude into the Snake River Valley and
raise snow levels to around 4000-5000 feet through the morning, with
rain falling in lower elevations for most of the day. Warm air over
the Nevada border will raise temperatures to near 50F today, while
most other locations will stay around 35-43F. Cold air will stay
trapped northwest of the Steen's Mountains, allowing snow
accumulations to be much higher over Burns, OR, the Highway 20
corridor, and most of northwest Harney County. This will contrast
snow totals in Malheur County, where warm air will push north
without much terrain impediment and keep rain through the morning.
Strong winds will stay isolated south of the Snake River Valley and
the I-84 corridor, but gusts near 45-55 mph will be likely near the
Idaho-Nevada border tomorrow afternoon. Therefore, the wind advisory
is still in effect for the Southwest Highlands and Southern Twin
Falls County.
Models have been fairly consistent with a upper level trough digging
over Vancouver Island on Sunday, which will push some colder air
slightly south Sunday evening-Monday morning. This, combined with
cooler overnight temperatures will allow snow levels to drop to
valley floors very early Monday morning. Wet snow will accumulate in
the Treasure Valley, with current forecasts around 1" of snow during
the Monday AM commute. There is some lingering uncertainty around
this snowfall forecast, mainly due to the track of the colder air
and when rain will change over to snow on Monday. This means we
could see isolated higher snowfall amounts near 2-4 inches in higher
elevations in the valley (mainly Horseshoe Bend Hill and the lower
Boise foothills) or much lower snow amounts across the valley due to
increasing trends of warmer air pushing further north. Current
forecast model ensembles have about a 30-40% chance of greater than
inch of snow for the downtown Boise area by Monday morning.
Higher confidence exists in Central ID Mountain and Owyhee Mountain
48 hour snowfall forecasts with elevations above 5000 feet seeing 10-
14 inches and 15-25 inches over 5500 feet in the Boise Mountains by
Tuesday morning.
The low will then deepen off the Washington coast during the day on
Monday, allowing for warmer southwest flow to move in over the
region and raise snow levels back to 5000-6000 feet for most of the
region through Tuesday. The exception is Baker County, although
precipitation amounts will be much lower over the valley with a
shadowing effect thanks to the southwest flow.
Current winter weather products look good, with the heaviest impacts
from snowfall amounts in Harney County and the Owyhee/West
Central/Boise Mountains. The winter weather advisory in the West
Central Mountains has been upgraded to a winter storm warning to
account for the potential for heavier snow accumulations. Winter
weather advisories might be needed to account for the uncertainty in
snowfall for the Lower and Upper Treasure Valley during the Monday
morning commute.
.LONG TERM...Wednesday through Sunday...An upper short wave will
break away from the parent low off the PacNW coast and drive a cold
front across our area early Wednesday. The front will push the plume
of moisture to our east with the more persistent precipitation
ending and replaced by lighter showers by the afternoon. Above-
valley snow levels ahead of the front will lower to valley floors.
Several more inches of snowfall are forecast in the mountains,
mainly central Idaho, with much lighter amounts in the valleys. A
drier westerly flow, and even weak upper ridging, will follow
Wednesday night through early Thursday morning for lower chances
(generally less than 40 percent) of snow favoring the higher
elevations. A more robust short wave trough, accompanied by deeper
Pacific moisture, could deliver a round of moderate to locally heavy
snowfall as the system rolls through the area Thursday through
Friday. A cold front accompanies the system on Friday for breezy
post-frontal winds, which will also bring colder temperatures to the
region into next weekend. An upper trough moving through the PacNW
would also support a chance (15-30 percent) of snow showers Saturday
and Sunday, although any snowfall amounts will be light.
&&
.AVIATION...Widespread MVFR/IFR conditions in rain and snow.
Mountains obscured. Snow levels ranging from around 3500 feet MSL
north of a KBNO-KMYL line, to around 7000 feet MSL south of a KREO-
KJER line. Surface winds: variable 10 kt or less, except SW 15-30 kt
with gusts to 45 kt near the NV border, mainly this afternoon. Winds
aloft at 10kft MSL: W-SW 30 kt north to 70 kt south.
KBOI...MVFR in occasional light rain. SE winds 5-10 kt.
&&
.BOI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...Winter Storm Warning until 5 PM MST Monday IDZ011-013-029.
Wind Advisory from 11 AM this morning to 5 PM MST this
afternoon IDZ015-030.
Winter Weather Advisory until 5 PM MST Monday IDZ028-033.
OR...Winter Storm Warning until 4 PM PST Monday ORZ061.
Winter Weather Advisory until 5 PM MST /4 PM PST/ Monday
ORZ063.
&&
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SHORT TERM...SA
LONG TERM....BW
AVIATION.....BWThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 winter weather, 1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Several CoCoRaHS stations reported 2-4 inches of snow across the region, with higher amounts in the foothills of the Boise Mountains.
Several members of the public, including CO-OP observers and CoCoRaHS stations reported 5-12 inches of snow. Heavier amounts were reported near Deadwood Reservoir.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, February 2025
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: 1239801, 1239800.