2009: Snow accumulations of 4-8 inches of snow were common from the morning of the 1st through the morning of the 2nd, except for 10 to 12 inches over portions of the North Idaho Panhandle. A spotter three miles east of Spirit Lake picked up 12 inches, while 10 inches fell four miles southeast of Sandpoint. The heavy snow resulted in a few power outages in the Idaho Palouse as the weight of the snow knocked down tree branches onto power lines.

1997: Rapidly warming temperatures and heavy rains cause significant runoffs of snow packs in the Idaho mountains. This caused major flooding of many rivers throughout Idaho. Many roads were washed out and structures became eroded. Many homes and properties were damaged. Some cattle were washed away. The entire state was declared a major disaster area by President Clinton on the 4th. Estimated damages throughout the state come to $25 million.

January 2nd

2007: Heavy snow fell across the higher elevations of the Central Panhandle mountains. Over a 24 hour period, 18 inches of snow fell at Lookout Pass. Significant ice accumulations occurred the east sloped of the Cascades. 1 inch of freezing rain fell northwest of Plain. A quarter inch of ice accumulated in Winthrop. Icy conditions delayed schools and caused many traffic accidents in Wenatchee. Near Stevens Pass, 10 inches of snow fell.

1999: Dense fog in Lewiston led to icy conditions along Highway 95, causing an accident.

1997: Hangman and Rock Creek overflow their banks, flooding the towns of Rosalia, Rockford, Tekoa and Oaksdale.

January 3rd

2007: Heavy rains and snowmelt led to flooding in Oaksdale and Colfax. Many basements and roads were flooded. 1.31 inches of rain fell at Pullman, the most precipitation to fall in the city for a January day.

January 4th

2009: Heavy snow fell across northern Idaho and eastern Washington from the afternoon of the 4th through the late morning of the 5th. Snow from this event in combination with several prior snowfalls resulted in additional roof collapses over parts of northern Idaho and eastern Washington, including 50 in Spokane county, that resulted in 10-million dollars worth of damages. An estimated 200 Air and National Guard troops were called in to assist with snow removal in Spokane. Several road closures resulted from the heavy snow. Snow accumulations ranged mainly from four to seven inches throughout Idaho and from five to nine inches in Washington, but with higher amounts on the Palouse and in the mountains. Five miles north of Moscow, 11 inches of snow accumulated, with eight inches 15 miles north of Moscow. Along the East Slopes of the North Washington Cascades, snow accumulations ranged from eight inches in Leavenworth to 15 inches at Holden Village. In the Blue Mountains, a spotter five miles southwest of Anatone picked up 11 inches of accumulation.

2007: Palouse Heavy Snow Event

2004: Extreme cold gripped northern Idaho and eastern Washington through the 6th. The cold caused numerous power outages and broken water pipes.

January 5th

2010: 1 inch of rain and frozen ground led to rapid runoff into the Cow Creek Drainage, which went out of its banks and flooded portions of the east side of Genesee through the afternoon of the 6th. One home reported having water underneath it in crawl spaces. Walnut Street in Genesee had about two and a half feet of water on the road. About 40 people filled sandbags to protect property.

2006: A landslide of debris occurred 8 miles east of Leavenworth, on Highway 2. An accident was reported, with no serious damage.

January 6th

2009: 5 inches of snow fell at Sandpoint and at Newport in 12 hours. In Entiat, the Mad River flooded due to an ice jam, flooding two homes. Strong winds were also reported by Wenatchee in the evening. The strongest winds were observed in the Wenatchee Heights area on the south side of Wenatchee, where gusts as high as 78 MPH were recorded with even an unofficial gust of 98 mph. These high winds blew off an entire roof. Elsewhere, two windows were blown out of a building in downtown Wenatchee. Numerous power outages resulted from the downslope windstorm. Additionally, a carport was blown down along with over 200 trees. Seven miles southwest of Quincy, an irrigation circle was blown across the Columbia River south of Crescent Bar. Total property damage from this event was estimated at nearly $65,000.

2007: High winds occurred in Coeur d'Alene, Spokane, and near Dreary. 70 mph gusts were recorded at Otis Orchards, 67 mph gusts were recorded at Pleasant View, 58 mph gusts recorded at Uniontown, 55 mph gusts reported at the Spokane airport and at Pullman and 45 mph gusts reported at Post Falls. The winds tore off a roof in Dreary and knocked down several trees and power lines. A car was damaged in Coeur d'Alene. 2,150 people lost power in Idaho and 8,000 homes lost power in Washington.

1993: Sub-zero temperatures (-15 degrees F) caused an elderly man in Okanogan Country to die from hypothermia.

January 7th

2020: An avalanche occurred at Silver Mountain Ski Resort on Wardner Peak. This portion of the resort was closed off due to high avalanche danger. In the 8:00 AM report, there was a total 25” of snow in the past 48 hours, with 17” of that in the past 24. In total, seven skiers were impacted by the avalanche; five were rescued and two fatalities.

2011: Light freezing rain created icy roadways in Grant County resulting in more than 25 collisions during the Friday morning commute. Three county roads were temporarily closed.

2009: Very heavy rain and snow melt led to flooding across parts of Chelan and Whitman counties. 4.14 inches of precipitation fell at Plain, an all-time record for the city. 3.76 inches of precipitation fell at Leavenworth, the most precipitation on-record to fall in the city. The flooding prompted Chelan County commissioners to declare a State of Emergency. Part of highway 97 over Blewett Pass was washed away by the heavy rain. A large mudslide also came down and covered 200 feet of the highway with six feet of mud, rock, and trees. This led to the closure of the pass for ten days. In addition, a plugged culvert led to flooding on Butcher Creek Road near Highway two. The floods in Chelan receded by the afternoon on the 8th, but not before inflicting around $1.1 million in property damages. An ice jam resulted in minor flooding near Colfax.

2007: High Wind Event

1993: Snow drifts caused a roof in Rathdrum to collapse, causing $150,000 in damages and a further $150,000 in destroyed merchandise.

January 8th

2019: Mountain snow and freezing rain fell from the afternoon of January 8th into the early morning hours of the 9th. The eastern slopes of the Cascades received heavy snow accumulations. Freezing rain fell on parts of northeastern Washington and the northern Idaho Panhandle with a total of 0.15”- 0.25” reported at the Deer Park and Spokane Airports. The weight of the ice resulted in many downed trees in the area.

2009: Heavy rain and snowmelt led to flooding in portions of Latah, Shoshone and Kootenai counties. The Palouse river at Potlatch, the Coeur d'Alene river at Cataldo, and the St. Joe river at Calder all exceeded flood stage. Rose Lake came very close to exceeding flood stage, but it was still enough to wash away a foundation. Several road closures resulted from the flooding in Latah County. Schools also closed down due to flooding concerns in Potlatch, Kendrick, and Juliaette. Minor flooding was also reported near Tekoa in Whitman county due to an ice jam.

2008: Heavy snow fell across northern Idaho and eastern Washington. Over a 24 hour period extending into the 9th, 5-9 inches of snow fell across most of the region. Some reported amounts in Idaho include: 9.5 inches five miles north of Moscow, eight inches near Spirit Lake and Athol, five inches in the Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry areas, five inches in Coeur D'Alene, and four to six inches in the Kellogg and St. Maries areas. Over 1,000 customers lost power in the Coeur D'Alene area from falling debris onto power lines. Snow amounts in Washington include 8.5 inches in Clayton, five to eight inches in the Spokane area, and seven inches in Pullman. Over 200 customers lost power in the Spokane area from falling debris onto power lines. School delays and closures were common from the storm. A multiple-car crash on Highway 291 just north of Spokane resulted in five indirect injuries and a temporarily closing of the highway. T.J. Meenach Drive was also closed in Spokane for a few hours from cars sliding off the road. Snow and drifting snow contributed to a temporary closing of State Routes 272, 194 and 72 in Whitman County, with highway 26 partially blocked seven miles west of Colfax due to multiple slide-offs.

2006: Heavy snow fell across northern Idaho and eastern Washington during the afternoon hours of the 8th through the early morning hours of the 11th. Many valley locations received 4 to 6 inches of new snow while the mountain locations received 10 to 20 inches. The strong winds caused many trees to fall. Heavy winds also caused power lines in northern Idaho to topple, cutting power to 7,000 buildings.

January 9th

2010: Very icy conditions were reported across the Camas Prairie, with a spotter at Winchester measuring 0.25 inch ice accumulation. Other spotters in the area reported a mix of rain and snow with little ice accumulation.

2007: High winds occurred in Coeur d'Alene, near Sandpoint and near Moses Lake. 68 mph gusts were recorded in Desert Aire, 58 mph gusts were recorded in Coeur d'Alene and at Priest Rapids Dam, and 50 mph gusts were recorded in Sandpoint. The winds knocked down trees and power lines, causing 1000 people to lose power.

2000: 40-60 mph winds were recorded throughout most of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho. There were numerous reports of downed trees and power lines, leading to power outages.

January 10th

2017- Palouse Blizzard

2007- Heavy Snow in Spokane

2006: Heavy rain and snowmelt occurred throughout Whitman and Spokane Counties in Washington from the 10th through the 12th of January. Estimated basin rainfall of 0.75 to 1.50 inches caused Pine Creek to flood and close Highway 27 between Tekoa and Oakesdale in Whitman County. The Little Deep Creek near Colbert in Spokane County flooded and closed Dunn Road. The Little Spokane River in Spokane County flooded and caused some homes and parks along the river to become partially inundated. 47 mph winds were recorded at Coeur d'Alene, knocking over trees. A tree fell on a house in Coeur d'Alene, and another tree fell on a carport in Post Falls.

2001: Winter Storm

1992: Snowfall blamed for 18 accidents throughout the panhandle.

January 11th

2008: A roof off an old Silver King School building in Smelterville collapsed from the weight of snow. Two injuries resulted from flying debris during the collapse. The property damage from this event is not known.

2005: A strong jet stream moved across eastern Washington and northern Idaho, bringing heavy snow to parts of Idaho and strong winds throughout the region through the 12th. 15 inches was reported at Silver Mountain while Lookout Mountain reported 20 inches of new snow. Genesee, Moscow, Pullman and Colfax received power outages due to the 60mph gusts that blew through the Palouse.

January 12th

1999: The Milo creek in Kellogg flooded its banks through the 14th, flooding several basements.

1991: North Fork of the Palouse River overflowed its banks. Some damage was reported to Colfax area.

January 13th

2009: Rime in North Columbia Basin

January 14th

2008: Heavy snow and gusty winds create blowing snow across the Idaho Palouse between 9 PM to midnight on the 14th. Sustained winds around 25 to 30 mph with gusts to 45 MPH resulted in considerable blowing and drifting snow through the early morning hours on the 15th. Most schools in the area were closed or delayed. Several thousand homes and businesses lost power because of the storm. An estimated three inches of accumulation occurred from this system.

2001: An upper level low caused upslope northwest flow and unstable conditions over the southern Idaho Panhandle and southeastern Washington in the early morning and afternoon. Most snowfall occurred above 1500 feet. Most of the snowfall occured in the Blue Mountains. Bluewood Ski area received 14 inches of snow, Pullman received 6 inches, Winchester got 5.5 inches, Anatone and Oakesdale received 5 inches, Saint John received 4.5 inches, Rosalia got 4 inches, and Saint Maries received 3.8 inches.

January 15th

2010: A large boulder, 25 feet long by 20 feet wide, slid down a hillside onto Highway 2 just west of Leavenworth, causing extensive damage to the roadway. The boulder created a hole in the highway three to five feet deep, and cracks in the pavement 75 to 100 feet long.

2006: A rock slide occurred around two miles west of Avery along the Saint Joe Road. The road was not fixed until the 20th.

January 16th

2014: Extended Freezing Fog

2007: More than 100 accidents were reported in 4.5 hours due to icy conditions in Moses Lake. 3 people were injured.

2005: Two snowmobilers perished in an avalanche south of Mullan.

2000: Snow, Sleet, and T-Storms

January 17th

2017: Central Washington Ice Storm

2011: The heavy rains led to the St. Joes River overflowing its banks at St. Maries on the 17th and receded on the 20th. The river also overflowed at Calder, which only lasted for 10 hours. Significant flooding reported along the St. Joe River Road from St. Maries to Avery in Shoshone County. The road to St. Joe City was completely under water and flooding reported five miles up St. Maries River Road at Kittle Loop. Avery Creek rose above its banks and flooded parts of the old Forest Service building and nearby residences in the town of Avery. The old highway from Marble Creek to Avery was washed out as well. Mudslides and high water wiped out sections of Calder Road and Trout Creek Road near Calder. More flooding was reported along the St. Joe River downstream of Calder into Benewah County.

2010: Rain and frozen ground led to a small mudslide which went across the Loomis Highway near Whitestone Lake in the Okanogan Valley. The mudslide blocked westbound traffic which forced a brief road closure. The rain and frozen ground led to rapid runoff along hillsides and creating flooding at the intersection of Highway 20 and Pleasant Valley Road in the Okanogan Valley. The upper end of Lower Pleasant Valley Road was also partially washed out. One residence had a thick layer of rock and soil in the yard with minimal damage to the home. The flood occurred in the Oden Road Fire area which burned during the summer of 2009.

2006: Heavy rains flooded the library and all classrooms on the east side of Chewelah High School. $20,000 of damage was reported.

January 18th

1993: Heavy snow was responsible for 22 accidents in Wenatchee Valley. 4 people were injured.

January 19th

2005: Ice Jam on Entiat River

2005: Ice Flow on Hangman Creek

2005: High Water on Stehekin River

January 20th

2002: Heavy snow fell in the northeast Blue Mountains. Bluewood Ski Area recorded 19 inches of snow, and Spruce Springs received 11 inches. High winds were reported in the Wenatchee valley and the Waterville Plateau. Mission Ridge recorded 103 mph gusts, Douglas measured a 76 mph gust, and the Wenatchee airport recorded a 53 mph gust. These winds knocked down trees and power lines, causing sporadic power outages in and north of Wenatchee. A tree fell onto a house. An intersection was shut down for 2 hours when a power pole toppled, knocking down a street light and utility lines. Mission Ridge and Stevens Pass closed their ski runs for the day due to the winds knocking down trees onto the ski paths.

1996: 3-5 inches fell around the Spokane area in 8 hours. Over 100 accidents and numerous power outages were reported.

1993: Winds were recorded at 49 mph at Coeur D'Alene and 47 mph at the Spokane Airport. 3 people in Post Falls were killed when the wind tore off a roof they were working on. 7 inches of snow fell at Omak, tying the most snowfall recorded in the city for a January day.

January 21st

January 22nd

January 23rd

January 24th

1996: Blowing snow results in the stranding of 40 people on Highway 195. 3 other highways were closed because of snowdrifts up to 5 feet deep. 133 snow-related accidents were reported. Sustained winds of 29mph were recorded in Pullman.

January 25th

January 26th

2008: Heavy Snow

2003: Heavy rain and rapid snowmelt lead to localized small stream flooding in Chelan County. The White River northwest of Lake Wenatchee overfilled its banks and caused a road closure on the roadway adjacent to the river.

January 27th

2009: Freezing Drizzle Closes I-90

2006: A winter storm system moved across eastern Washington and northern Idaho from the afternoon of the 27th through the afternoon of the 30th. Storm totals over the panhandle mountains ranged from 12 to 24 inches of new snow, while the valleys picked up 4 to 7 inches of new snow. Strong winds with these storms caused blowing and drifting snow at times along with some white out conditions for some of the ski resorts. The mountain locations along the east slopes of the Cascades received 15 to 30 inches of new snow, while the Okanogan Highlands and Northeast Washington mountains received 12 to 20 inches. The east slopes of the Cascade valleys received 12 to 20 inches of new snow, while the Okanogan Highland and Northeast Washington valleys received 5 to 8 inches of new snow. The Okanogan Valley and the Waterville Plateau received 4 to 7 inches of new snow with these storms.

January 28th

2007: Brief, yet heavy snow contributed to at least 42 accidents over a 7 hour period between Kellogg and Coeur d'Alene on I-90. No serious injuries were reported.

1991: 70 mph gusts recorded in Othello, causing falling trees and power outages.

1950: A cold snap moves through Coeur d'Alene. Temperatures reached -20 degrees or below every day in the area until February 3rd. The Chief Joseph Dam recorded a temperature of -19 degrees, the coldest January temperature recorded at the dam.

January 29th

2007: Icy Roads in Coeur d'Alene

2001: An avalanche occurred northwest of Lake Wenatchee, burying two snowshoers. One of them, a 33-year-old male, died. The other freed herself and escaped serious injury.

January 30th

2008: A strong winter storm blew across northern Idaho and eastern Washington on the evening of the 30th into the morning of the 31st. In Idaho, Snow accumulations ranged mainly between 6 to 10 inches. In the Lewiston area, most of the heavy snow fell east of Lewiston with the Lenore area picking up six to 10 inches. Gusty winds up to 40 MPH resulted in blowing snow in Saint Maries, the Palouse, and the Coeur D'Alene area. A state of emergency was declared by the Idaho State Governor for Bonner, Kootenai, Latah, and Boundary counties. Numerous road and school closures resulted from the storm. The University of Idaho in Moscow was closed on the 31st, with the closure extended to February 1st. In Washington, Snow accumulations ranged mainly between four to seven inches. The west plains area of Spokane was hit hard by strong winds and blowing snow during the early morning hours of the 31st with brief but occasional blizzard conditions between 2 AM and 4 AM. This resulted in the closure of highway two just west of Airway Heights on Highway two. Significant blowing and drifting snow was also reported on the Palouse. A trained spotter five miles southwest of Anatone picked up the most snow with ten inches of accumulation. After this storm the state governor of Washington declared a state of emergency for several counties, including Spokane and Whitman. Numerous road and school closures resulted from the storm. For the first time since 1985 Washington State University in Pullman was closed on the 31st and remained closed on February 1st. Transit buses in Pullman also stopped running.

2004: 50 mph winds were recorded near Leavenworth, where a 71 year old man was killed when a tree fell on him while he was skiing. A tree also fell onto a home in the same area. A tree fell onto an apartment complex in Wenatchee. Other minor damage was reported in the area.

1996: Two men died of hypothermia in the Okanogan when their car ran off the road in -27 degree temperatures.

January 31st

2003: Heavy snowfall occurred in the early morning hours over Okanogan County. Okanogan received 4 inches of snow and Malott received 5 inches. 3 inches of rain fell in Troy, in Latah County, in an hour. A tree fell onto a truck, igniting a small fire. Power was also cut for about 100 people for 4 hours. The rains caused some minor flooding in the community park and the mobile park in Troy and Bovill.

2000: 0.5 inches of rain, alongside with the melting of 8 inches of snow, caused flooding in Coeur d'Alene. Streets were flooded and sewers were overflowing in the city.

Back-to-Back Pacific Storms to Impact the West Coast; Heavy Snow in the Central Appalachians

January - Weather History