Boise’s First Snowfall: When Could We See White in 2020?

Hey. It's 2020. Anything is possible. 

In all seriousness, I've actually found myself experiencing real frustration opening the weather app on my phone this week. Why? Unlike most of my friends in the running club I belong to, it's nearly impossible for me to get up and run before work. Instead, I find myself getting off work in the hottest part of the day and I'm tired of running when it feels like it's 1000º. I'm ready for the string of 80+º days to break.

At the same time, I'm not exactly ready to pull out my YakTrax and try to stay upright on an icy Greenbelt. Plus, Boise State will be playing clear into December. We still don't know if fans will be allowed inside Albertsons Stadium this year, but if we are not many of us want a repeat of 2014's San Diego State game.

The day before the game, nearly 7 inches of snow piled up inside Albertsons Stadium. It took a small tractor and the shovel power of the athletic department to clear enough snow out of the stadium to prepare it for the teams and fans. With a kickoff temperature of 9º, that November 15 game became the coldest game in Boise State history.

I was at that game. I think I made it halfway through the third quarter before throwing in the towel and going to watch the rest of the game at The End Zone.

So, when will there be a measurable amount of snow in the Treasure Valley? It's a little hard to tell. Looking at the National Weather Service's historical data over the past six years, it could be mid-November or early December. Last year, it was before Halloween.

Here are the dates we had our first measurable snowfall dating back to the year of that frigid, frigid BSU game.

• 2014: November 13 - 3.3 inches
• 2015: November 15 - 0.4 inches
• 2016: December 6 - 0.3 inches
• 2017: December 3 - 0.1 inches
• 2018: December 1 - 0.4 inches
• 2019: October 29 - 0.4 inches
• 2020: ???

With the Mountain West Championship game set for December 19, I think it's pretty safe to assume that we'll probably see snow at some point during college football this year!