Storm brings record snowfall to Boise. Here’s how much hit the Treasure Valley
A snowy week in Boise came to an end early Sunday as the final round of snowstorms passed through southern Idaho, dropping a record amount of snowfall.
The National Weather Service in Boise recorded 6.8 inches at the Boise Airport on Saturday before midnight, with just trace amounts falling Sunday morning. That Saturday total made for the snowiest Jan. 13 on record, breaking the previous record of 5.4 inches set in 1993.
Since the first round of snowstorms came through Boise on Tuesday morning, the city has picked up 16 inches of snow according to the weather service.
Boise-based National Weather Service meteorologist Jackson Macfarlane said there was a variety of snowfall amounts across the Treasure Valley on Saturday. Most areas received between 5.5 and 8 inches, according to the weather service.
Bogus Basin reported 5 inches of snow since Saturday and 17 inches of snow since Thursday.
Measurements taken in Nampa and Meridian showed an average of 7 inches in those cities, MacFarlane said.
The highest amount of snowfall in the lower Treasure Valley was in Mountain Home, where one snow recorder measured 10 inches.
Less snow fell than experts had initially predicted Wednesday, when meteorologists were warning of up to 18 inches.
“At the beginning of this storm — between around 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. — the air was a lot drier than we were forecasting,” Macfarlane said. “So that dropped our forecasted ranges to closer to seven inches. It dropped our low end by about an inch, maybe two inches in some areas.”
More Boise snow coming later this week
Macfarlane said the snow had stopped by Sunday morning, though it is possible higher terrain could continue to get minimal amounts Sunday.
Boise and the rest of the Treasure Valley could see a bit more snow by the end of the week. Snowfall is expected to start up again Tuesday night into Wednesday, with experts predicting another 2 to 4 inches at that time.
The Treasure Valley mountain areas could see significantly more, with 7 to 10 inches expected in higher altitudes, according to Macfarlane.
Recent weather hasn’t just brought precipitation. The unusual Arctic air mass, originating near the Arctic Circle, is stealing south through western Canada into the northwestern United States.
It has brought frigid temperatures that dipped as low as minus-13 degrees in some parts of the country.
Things won’t get that cold in Boise, with the Boise Mountains shielding the Treasure Valley from the worst of the cold, but it still won’t get above freezing in Boise until Thursday, the Idaho Statesman previously reported.
As of the afternoon, the weather service said Sunday’s high would reach 19 degrees, with temperatures dipping down to 11 degrees at night.
This story was originally published January 14, 2024 at 2:18 PM.
