Boise snowfall surpasses typical December pace. Here’s when more is in the forecast
Snow flurries fell across the Boise area Thursday morning, but overnight accumulation was light during the current weather system’s last gasp before giving way to a drier weekend forecast.
Boise and surrounding areas throughout Ada County received a half-inch of snow in the past 24 hours, up to a full inch in some select locations, according to the National Weather Service office in Boise. Through Thursday afternoon, a dusting is expected across the valley, at no more than another quarter-inch.
“That half-inch looks pretty common across Ada. We haven’t received a ton,” National Weather Service meteorologist Katy Branham told the Idaho Statesman. “It’s snowing here now, but we’re not expecting too much additional in Boise.”
Higher elevations saw greater measures on the snow gauges. On Thursday, Bogus Basin ski area reported 5 inches of new snow in the last 24 hours to build on the inch it received the day prior. Bogus listed a base depth of 25 inches and a season total of 44 inches as of Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, central and eastern parts of Idaho received more overnight snowfall than Boise from the current system, Branham said. Several areas, including Elmore, Gooding and Valley counties, reported up to 3 inches of new snowfall in the last 24 hours. The town of Placerville in Boise County reported a whopping 8.5 inches.
“That might be the winner,” Branham said.
So far for December, the Boise area is about a half-inch ahead of seasonal averages of snowfall at the halfway mark of the month, at about 2.9 inches, she said. But the area also trails the 4.5-inch total it has historically received by this point of the year, according to 70 years of weather data.
Temperatures in Boise for the month of December have been about 5 degrees higher than normal, largely due to several days in the 50s early in the month skewing the averages, Branham said.
The next chance for Boise to see snowfall is early next week. Light flakes could hit as soon as Tuesday, though warmer temperatures may prevent precipitation from solidifying, current weather models project.
If chillier temperatures prevail, however, it could lead to a white Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Branham said.
“If the snow continues through Thursday when it’s cooler, there could be some dusting on the ground,” she said. “It’s still nine days out, and we have to see how everything changes. So it’s not out of the question.”
This story was originally published December 16, 2021 at 10:01 AM.
