One storm leaves Boise area. Another is on the way. What happened, and what’s coming
It was the Treasure Valley’s biggest snowfall of the winter, and now it’s over.
Almost 10 inches of snow fell at the Boise Airport between Thursday, when the storm arrived, and Saturday afternoon, when a cold front pushed it out, the National Weather Service said in a tweet. That’s the eighth-highest total for a two-day storm since records began in 1892.
Friday’s snowfall total also set a record for Feb. 12 of 4.4 inches, the Weather Service said. The old record was 1.3 inches in 1966. Saturday added 5.5 inches, and some places got more.
The storm forced Boise police to close a 4-1/2-mile section of the westbound lanes of Interstate 84 for about 2-1/2 hours Friday night — the second time police closed a freeway segment in the city that day. Traffic was barred between Gowen Road and Orchard Street.
“There have been multiple crashes involving multiple vehicles on I-84 in the last 20 minutes,” the police said in a tweet at 6:35 p.m.
Crashes and slide-offs were a problem much of Friday. Boise police closed the inbound and outbound Interstate 184 Connector near downtown during Friday morning’s rush hour.
Roadways were slippery Friday not only from snow and ice, but because rain fell before snow did while temperatures hovered around freezing. That prevented Idaho Transportation Department crews from treating highways with magnesium chloride, the department said. Magnesium chloride boosts the effectiveness of salt on melting snow.
A “rain-before-snow weather event” makes it “more challenging to maintain roadways that are free of snow and ice compared to a straight snowstorm,” ITD said in a news release.
A few slide-offs created a snowball effect that resulted in significant travel delays Friday, the department said. “Just a few crashes can be enough to gum up the whole system,” ITD Operations Manager Michael Garz said.
Angry drivers didn’t help, Garz said.
“One of my operators on I-84 was trying to get in front of traffic to clear the road using the shoulder, and people were pulling off the travel lane to block the shoulder and prevent him from getting to the trouble spot,” Garz said. “I’m imploring the public to please reduce their anger, be considerate, and help us do our job to serve you.”
Idaho State Police said some impatient Connector drivers were using shoulder lanes, which are not meant for traffic.
“On I-184 this AM, troopers on a crash were passed by a driver going too fast for conditions, going between the patrol cars & the barrier,” State Police said in a tweet, accompanied by a dashboard video. “That’s not a lane of travel. One trooper was standing nearby. Thankfully, no one was hurt.”
No serious injuries were reported.
Bogus Basin: Bogus Basin Road was closed briefly Friday night, but skiers and snowboarders took advantage of the snow on Saturday. Lift tickets at the Bogus Basin ski area were sold out for Saturday, Sunday, and for day skiing Monday, President’s Day, a holiday for many workers.
Avalanche danger: The risk of avalanches was deemed moderate in Idaho’s West Central Mountains, including the Tamarack and Brundage ski resorts. ]
“Natural avalanches are unlikely, but human triggered avalanches remain possible,” the Friends of the Payette Avalanche Center said Saturday on Facebook. “Expect increasing avalanche hazard as new snow begins to pile up over the next few days. “
Snowpocalypse: The snow reminded some Boiseans of the heavy snows in the winter of 2016-17, known locally as snowmageddon or snowpocalypse. Snow on the ground reached 15 inches Jan. 5, 2017, a record. It made for great skiing, but the lack of plowing on residential streets in Ada County brought residents’ wrath down upon the Ada County Highway District, which later bought additional plows so it would be better prepared in the future.
Sunday and Monday forecast: Forecasters said Sunday would be partly sunny and dry, but another, smaller storm would reach the Boise area late Sunday night and could deposit 3” to 4” of snow by Tuesday morning. The Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory effective from 11 p.m. Sunday to 11 a.m. Monday.
Reporter Jacob Scholl contributed.
This story was originally published February 12, 2021 at 8:11 AM.
