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.
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.