Heavy Snow in Northeast Blue Mountains, Washington

An observer 6 miles east of Anatone reported 10.0 inches of snow accumulation from this storm.

A persistent area of low pressure along the boundary of a stalled Arctic front set the stage for another round of heavy snow accumulations over north Idaho and northeast Washington during the third week of January. Moist air feeding into the area of low pressure impacted primarily the Northeast Mountains zone where the low level wind flow was favorable for upslope enhancement. Areas on the periphery of the mountains including the Upper Columbia Basin and the Spokane Area zones received generally 1 to 3 inches of snow from this round of precipitation in this active pattern.

Heavy orographic snow also impacted the Blue Mountains of southeast Washington during this period. The western Columbia basin and the East Slopes of the Cascades zone benefited from a precipitation shadow with largely dry conditions or minor accumulations from scattered snow showers.