Here’s how Tuesday’s ‘unusual’ snowstorm fits in Boise history
Pull those coats out of storage, Boiseans.
After getting a glimpse of warm weather Friday, the Treasure Valley took a sharp detour into freezing temperatures. Now, on Tuesday, Boise-area residents woke to roughly 0.7 inches of snow, according to readings near the airport.
The record for April 12 is 1.4 inches of snow, which was set in 1972.
“Even though it’s unusual, it’s not extraordinary,” meteorologist Bill Wojcik told the Idaho Statesman by phone, referring to the April snowfall.
Though the weather service recorded close to an inch of snow near the airport, Wojcik said, snowfall varied throughout the Valley. Wojcik said the Meridian area barely had snow, while the southeast Boise and downtown Boise areas had close to 1.5 inches.
The highest recorded snowfall on an April day was 7.2 inches, Wojcik said. That was on April 6, 1969.
The National Weather Service expects Boise to reach a high of 42 degrees Tuesday, with a low of 23. The lowest recorded temperature for April 12 — 21 degrees — was set over a century ago in 1890.
Cold weather is expected to continue throughout the week and potentially into the weekend as a cold front passes over Southern Idaho. The storm hitting the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday is a “very cold, deep winter-like storm system,” Wojcik said.
Portland set a record Monday after recording an inch of snow. Additionally, blizzard-like conditions closed a portion of Interstate 84 in eastern Oregon, the Tri-City Herald reported.
“People out there need to think winter weather,” Wojcik said.
Anyone traveling through the week or over the weekend should consider having a winter kit with them and be prepared for winter weather, he said.
This story was originally published April 12, 2022 at 10:55 AM.
