When Will Boise See Significant Snow for the First Time in 2023?

While the two forecasts couldn’t be more different, both the Farmer’s Almanac and National Weather Service have shared their long-range Idaho forecasts for winter. 

How much of last winter do you remember? We don’t remember it being incredibly snowy, but if you look at the historical snowfall data, Winter 2022-2023 was the second snowiest winter we’ve seen in the last decade. With a total of 30.9” of snow falling between November 9 and April 18, last year was only bested by Winter 2016-2017. That winter is frequently nicknamed “Snowpocalypse” or “Snowmageddon” with 39.1” of the white stuff blanketing Boise that season. 

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While it’s highly likely that the upcoming winter will be drier and warmer than normal thanks to El Nino, we also know that Boise’s weather is anything but predictable. When can we expect to see snowflakes for the first time this year? We dug into some historical data to find out! 

The National Weather Service shares records of the first and last measurable snowfalls in Boise dating back to 1899 and we were surprised to discover that it is entirely possible for Boise to see significant snowfall during the spooky season. According to weather records, Boise has seen October snowfall 12 times. The earliest first snow in Boise happened on October 10, 2008, when 1.7 inches of snow piled up on the valley floor.  

The last time we saw October snow was just four years ago when we received .4” of snow on October 29, 2019. The high reached just 35º that day and the low got down to a bone-chilling 18º. 

That said if you look at all 123 years of historical data, Boise’s average first snowfall date is November 22. Over the last decade, it happened earlier than that seven times, including last winter. Here’s a look at the dates of the first snowfalls from 2012-2022. (Keep reading for the average first snowfall dates of Idaho’s other major cities.)

What About Other Major Cities in Idaho?

Believe it or not, Northern Idaho has already seen some snowflakes this year! It didn’t last long, but Schweitzer received its first snowfall at the summit on September 20. Of course, that was way up at 6,400 feet. 

A little bit lower, here's when some other major Idaho cities experience their first snowfalls.