Heavy Snow — Coeur D'alene Area, Idaho

2020-10-24 · Coeur D'alene Area, Idaho

Event narrative

Idaho Transportation Department reported that State Highway 97, between Coeur d'Alene and Harrison, was closed in both directions due to roads blocked from downed power lines and fallen trees. The time of closure is approximate.

Wider weather episode

A complex early winter storm moved through the region on October 23rd as a deep low tracked southeast over the region. This kept most of the Inland Northwest on the cold side of the storm bringing low snow levels and temperatures at or below freezing. There was heavy wet snow, many with snow up to 6-8, across much of the northern Idaho Panhandle.

There were numerous collisions and spin outs due to the snow and poor visibility. Trees down and collisions closed many roadways and highways for hours, such as Interstate 90. Tree limbs on power lines created many outages in the northern counties, especially Kootenai County and the Coeur d'Alene area.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 926316. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.