Boise didn’t get a white Christmas. But it did get a white New Year’s Day.
The area accumulated about 1.3 inches of snow as of 1 p.m. Wednesday and should top off at nearly 2 inches by the end of the day, according to Les Colin, senior forecaster for the National Weather Service in Boise. The record for the day is 6 inches in 1910.
“On some of the pavement, especially that’s been tracked over by lots of vehicles, it’s not been able to accumulate as much, but on the grass and undisturbed areas it’s sticking to the ground,” Colin said.
Children sled at Camel’s Back Park in the North End on New Year’s Day.
Bogus Basin rang in the new year with fresh powder. The ski hill north of Boise picked up several inches of snow by Wednesday afternoon, with more on the way. Colin told the Idaho Statesman that Bogus could tally up to 10 inches through the night.
The snowstorm marks the first measurable snowfall the Treasure Valley has seen this winter.
December was unusually warm and while the area got less than three inches of rain, nearly double the average for the month, it only got a few traces, or flurries, of snow — not enough to be measured. Colin said a trace of snow means less than a tenth of an inch. The last trace of snow was on Dec. 16.
Snow and fog shroud Bogus Basin Road late Wednesday afternoon.
There’s only one occasion on record where Boise’s first measurable snowfall arrived later than this, on Jan. 9, 1918, according to Colin. The National Weather Service in Boise began collecting the data in 1878.
“It’s only the second time we’ve gone all the way through December without more than a trace,” the meteorologist said by phone. “We should have had, by now, 7.5 inches already this winter, and we hadn’t even measured a tenth yet, until today.”
Even that won’t last long. Temperatures are expected to rise throughout the day and at around sunset Wednesday, or about 5:30 p.m., the snow is forecast to turn to rain. Any snow on the ground should melt or turn to slush.
“We’re not going to get any more snow here for a while,” Colin said. “It won’t be cold enough.”
Families sled and play in the snow at the foggy Simplot Hill near the corner of Cartwright and Bogus Basin roads in Boise on New Year’s Day.
Over the next few days, temperatures are expected to get warmer, with a high of 45 degrees Thursday and 51 Friday. By Saturday, temperatures are forecast to be back down to the mid-40s.
“That’s high,” Colin said. “We shouldn’t be out of the upper 30s at this time. Right about now, we’re near the coldest time of the year, and the normal high for these days is in the upper 30s, so if we’re in the 50s, we’re much warmer than normal.”
By Monday, it could be cold enough to snow again, but the region is slated to dry out, so it’s unlikely, according to Colin. He expects another inversion to plague the Boise area next week. An inversion occurs when warm air traps colder air beneath it, causing fog in the valley.
The inversion should start on Tuesday and hang around for most of the week, until Jan. 11, Colin said.
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