February 1st

2020: As a cold front passed through the Inland Northwest, strong winds impacted much of eastern Washington and North Idaho Panhandle. Widespread tree damage was reported in Post Falls, Idaho, especially in the Lucky Pines Mobile Home Estates and surrounding neighborhoods. Around 6:00 AM to 7:00 AM  on February 1st, nearly 50 homes were evacuated after leaning trees were reported to the local police. A total of 3 homes were severely damaged and several received minor damage due to fallen trees. There were 5000 power outages occurred in the North Idaho Panhandle, due to toppled trees onto power lines. A wind gust of 65 mph was measured at a close DOT site located on Railroad Bridge around 8:00 AM.

2006: Rain, followed by freezing conditions brought icy conditions through the Wenatchee River Valley. Several serious accidents occurred around Cashmere, and 3 people were seriously injured.

2003: Periods of heavy rain and snowfall cause flooding to small rivers, the Palouse River, and the Coeur d'Alene River. Flooding occurred in eastern Kootenai, Shoshone, Latah and Whitman counties. A home near Wolf Creek Lodge was flooded, as well as several roads. Minor flooding was also reported at Palouse Park in the city of Palouse.

February 2nd

2001- Winter Storm

2000: Rapid snow melt and local heavy rains caused flooding across the Palouse. Flooding occurred north of Moscow and in several farms in Washington. Highway 27 from Oakesdale to Tekoa was closed.

1999: Wind Storm

February 3rd

February 4th

2020: A winter storm brought multiple rounds of snow across the Inland Northwest on February 4-5, 2020. The first wave arrived the afternoon of February 4 and brought light snow accumulations (<= 1”). Multiple reports of extremely icy road conditions led to a high number of collisions, one of which resulted in a fatality near Ritzville. Most accidents and closures occurred on Interstate 90 through Adams and Spokane County, and Kootenai County in Idaho, with over 150 collisions reported in the region by Washington State Patrol. 

February 5th

1991: 0.5 inches of rain melted 5 inches worth of snow in Colville, causing some flooding. Some minor damage reported.

February 6th

2020: A stalled atmospheric river was followed by a shortwave trough bringing record breaking moderate to heavy precipitation. This led to a mix of heavy rain and wet snow which caused sharp rises in small streams and creeks across parts of the central Idaho Panhandle into the Camas Prairie. Numerous sites reached 24 hour rainfall accumulations of 1” or greater on the 6th. Lewiston Airport had a record breaking rainfall of 1.24”. With the contributing snow melt, there were reports of flooding and rock slides in Nez Perce and Latah Counties. Trained spotters reported flooding on Lapwai Creek, Potlatch River, Mission Creek, and Cottonwood Creek. In Latah County, sharp rises brought Paradise Creek to flood stage in Moscow.

2015: Milky Rain

2008: Winter Storm

1999: Heavy snow and gusty winds combined to create white-out conditions on Schweitzer Mountain. 5 skiers disappeared, and were found with some minor injuries 24 hours later. 1.09 inches of precipitation fell at Quincy, the most precipitation recorded in the city for a February day.

February 7th

2008: Heavy snow and considerable blowing storm occurred in the morning and early afternoon hours. In the Lewiston area, strong winds led to damage to one building, with areas of blowing snow in the higher elevations surrounding Lewiston. This blowing snow created brief blizzard like conditions between Lewiston and Moscow which temporarily closed U.S. Highway 95. The winds also knocked down a power pole in the Lewiston Orchards area. All schools were closed on the Camas Prairie, with numerous other school closed in North Idaho. In southern Kootenai county, nearly all roads became impassable after the storm, with many other roads closed in North Idaho. Peak wind gusts from this event include 59 MPH in Lewiston which occurred at 6:56 AM. Snow accumulations ranged mainly between three to six inches in valley areas and six to 11 inches in the mountains. In Washington, Highway two from Wilbur to Creston was closed. In southern and western Spokane county, all county roads were closed on February 8th because of high snow drifts after the storm. In the Spokane and Pullman areas, snow ended between 3-4 AM, but considerable blowing snow occurred through the morning. At Spokane International, a peak wind gust of 52 MPH was measured at 5:02 AM. In Pullman, a peak wind gust of 58 MPH was recorded at 5:06 AM. In Clarkston, the Asotin County Library was closed after a combination of ongoing maintenance and strong winds caused some sheet rock to crack. Snow accumulations from this event ranged mostly from four to six inches. In the afternoon, an avalanche occurred near Lake Wenatchee, destroying a $1.1 million vacation home.

February 8th

2019: An arctic front brought northeast winds with gusts up to 40 mph to much of the Pacific Northwest. This created significant drifting snow and blizzard-like conditions with many road closures, such as Highway US-2. The drifting snow also impacted areas such as State Route 27 near Colfax and on the Waterville Plateau and Moses Lake. There was more snow later in February, but not as bad as the storm on February 8th & 9th. February 2019 was the snowiest February for many locations. Lewiston got 31.3” snow which was 4.1” more than normal.

2002: A low pressure system brought snowfall and high winds into the Palouse early in the morning. 40mph sustained winds and gusts as high as 53 mph cause deep drifting, which closed several highways, including Highways 270 and 195 around Pullman, and reduced visibility. Trees and power lines were blown down, several onto major roadways.

1996: Historic Flooding. Rainfall in northern Idaho cause severe and near-record flooding along the rivers until the 20th. Some rivers flowed up to 8 feet above their banks. Several levees in Meadowhurst and Riverdale failed. The St. Joe's river caused $20 million in damages, destroying 179 homes and forcing 400 people to evacuate. 350 were left homeless. The Coeur d'Alene caused $24 million in damages, destroyed 167 homes and displaced 2000 people and stranded 4000. 1.32 inches of rain fell at Pullman, the most precipitation to fall in the city for a February day.

February 9th

February 10th

2017: Ice Jam Flooding on St. Joe

1999: Heavy snow, gusty winds and bitter cold temperatures cause hazardous conditions along the east slopes of the Cascades. 2 snowmobilers went missing for 11 days. One died; the other was injured.

February 11th

February 12th

2014: Frozen Ground Flooding

2011: Strong winds were reported in northern Idaho and eastern Washington in the evening of the 12th through the 13th. Several reports of wind gusts between 35 to 50 mph were observed in the Idaho valleys with one report of a wind gust up to 75 mph at roughly 6,500 feet elevation in the Selkirk Mountains. Several trees and power lines were reported down during the event. 30-50 mph winds were reported along the Columbia Basin. 50-72 mph gusts were reported in southern Grant county. The towns of Mattawa, Royal City, and Othello received reports of blowing dust. Several shingles were blown off a residential home and two inch diameter tree limbs reportedly broken off near Beverly.

February 13th

February 14th

February 15th

2001: A cold arctic air mass moved rapidly over eastern Washington and Northern Idaho. This brought heavy winds into the region. 57 mph gusts were recorded at Oroville. A low pressure system then formed in the area in the afternoon, bringing warm moist air in the evening. This produced heavy snowfall in the wee hours of the morning of the 16th.

February 16th

February 17th

2003: An isolated thunderstorm occurred in Pinehurst, which led to wind damage to several homes. One residence that was hit the hardest sustained roof damage to the home and nearby shed, along with knocking down a 70 foot section of fencing and half a dozen tall shrubs.

1994: Wind gusts reached 72 mph at Othello and 60 mph at Royal City. The strong winds uprooted numerous trees in southern Grant and western Adams Counties.

February 18th

2015: Hole Punch Clouds

1993: 12 inches of snow fell in Wenatchee over a 16 hour period. One person was killed when his car slid into a guardrail due to ice on the road.

February 19th

February 20th

1991: Moderate rains in addition to melting snow causes flooding of farmlands by the St. Joe River and the Coeur d'Alene.

February 21st

2011: A long duration heavy snow event buried eastern Washington and northern Idaho from the evening of the 21st to the afternoon of the 24th. Numerous disturbances brought constant heavy snow throughout. Most locations in northern Idaho experienced 36 to 56 hours of snowfall over the four day period with valley locations receiving between one and two feet of snow while the mountains received upwards of two to five feet. A strong arctic front moved through the region on the evening of the 23rd. A combination of heavy snow bands developing along the front followed by strong northeast winds behind the front resulted in blizzard conditions for several hours across Boundary, Bonner, and Kootenai County's before the storm subsided the morning of the 24th. Law enforcement reported that whiteout conditions contributed to 85 car accidents and 50 vehicle slide-offs. Several highways were temporarily closed due to drifting snow including highway 195, highway 41 between Post Falls and Rathdrum, and westbound lanes of Interstate 90 near the highway 41 exit. Most school districts cancelled school on February 24th. Eastern Washington snowfall amounts over the three day period in these mountain zones ranged from one to three feet. Several rounds of heavy snow also impacted the upper Columbia Basin and Spokane area mainly on the 23rd and 24th but due to the highly convective nature of the snowfall, storm total snowfall amounts varied from four to fourteen inches. On the evening of the 23rd, a strong arctic front moved into the region. A combination of heavy snow bands developing along the front and strong northeast winds behind the front resulted in blizzard conditions for several hours across Spokane County.

2002: A strong upper-level jet cause high winds on ridge tops in the panhandle mountains and in the Cascades through the 22nd. Silver Mountain recorded a 99 mph gust, Mission Peak recorded 50 mph sustained winds and a 94 mph gust, and Schweitzer recorded an 80 mph gust.

February 22nd

2007: Steady snow causes several accidents across the Palouse, most in the Moscow-Pullman area. Several indirect injuries were reported.

2003: Two avalanches occurred 90 minutes apart within 20 miles due to warming temperatures and earlier snowfall. The first avalanche occurred around 11:30 AM near Keokee Lake, about 10 miles northwest of Schweitzer Ski Resort. Two back country skiers were caught, and one of them was killed. The second occurred around 1:00 PM about 5 miles east of Priest Lake. Three snowmobilers were caught and one of them was killed.

February 23rd

February 24th

1999: Heavy rains and snow melt caused widespread flooding across Benewah and Latah counties in Idaho, and Whitman and Lincoln counties in Washington through the 25th. Many roadways, businesses and basements were flooded. Highway 2 in Lincoln county was closed.

February 25th

2019: Northeast winds of 25-35 mph, along with light snowfall, resulted in considerable drifting and blowing snow in eastern Washington. Four Washington state highways were closed all day due to the drifting snow: SR 221 (near Prosser),  SR 27 (near Lind), SR 21 (near Latah), and SR 241 (near Sunnyside).

February 26th

February 27th

February 28th

2018: Snowstorm in Republic, Conconully, and surrounding mountains

2011: The upper level trough that hung over Idaho the day before slowly sagged into eastern Washington from the afternoon of the 28th to the afternoon of March 1st. Elevation played a large role in snowfall totals which ranged from nine to fifteen inches above 2000 feet to less than one inch at elevations below. Although never reported, blowing snow may have had a significant impact on travel across the Northern Blue Mountains. Alder Ridge RAWS at an elevation of 4500 feet reported sustained winds between 15 and 25 mph with gusts to 40 mph.

2010: Hole Punch Clouds - Wenatchee

1991: An inch of snowfall caused icy conditions, resulting in two people injured by Peterson Hill, near Bonners Ferry.

February 29th