Heavy Snow — Southern Clearwater Mountains, Idaho

2022-01-05 to 2022-01-06 · Southern Clearwater Mountains, Idaho

Event narrative

More than 2 feet of heavy snow fell across the region with the Idaho Department of Transportation stating that the snow rates were up to 3 inches per hour at times. US-12 between Kooskia and Powell was closed from 2 pm PST Jan. 6 through 4 pm Jan. 9 due to avalanche and treefall danger. It was estimated that 150 trees fell due to the weight of the snow along the highway. Also a large avalanche occurred at milepost 136. Power outages were reported east of Kooskia and also in the Elk City area.

Wider weather episode

An atmospheric river brought very heavy snow to north-central Idaho that triggered multiple impacts including treefall, avalanche, road closures, and hazardous travel.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1004361. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.