From record-breaking snowfall to record warmth, the Treasure Valley has dealt with a rollercoaster ride of extremes this month. Boise sees an average snowfall of around 5 inches during January, but this year the City of Trees saw nearly quadruple its normal values with over 22 inches of snowfall piling up.
Temperatures ranged from 3° (January 15th and 16th) to 61° (January 30th). Boise set a news record on January 29th and 30th, rising to 58° and 61° respectively. This was the first 60° reading during January in Boise in nearly 30 years. There is a chance Boise ties or surpasses its warmest January temperature on record on Wednesday.
For newer residents of the valley, it may seem that the recent winter blast was an extreme event. While the snowfall did break records, the frigid temperatures are nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, winters used to be much colder. This chart indicates the coldest temperatures recorded each year from 1970 to 2023. Subzero nights are becoming much more uncommon in the Boise area. The average lowest temperatures rose by nearly 16° over the course of more than 5 decades.
