Boise issued ‘pretty rare’ snow squall warning as storm bursts through city

The downtown Boise area was issued a rare snow squall warning at 6:35 p.m. on Wednesday, lasting until 7:15 p.m.

The warning, sent out as an emergency alert on smartphones, warned drivers to “slow down or delay travel” and to be “prepared for a sudden drop to near zero visibility and icy roads in heavy snow.”

A snow squall is an intense but fast-moving snowstorm accompanied by heavy winds, resulting in low visibility. The warning was issued from Boise to Grand View, which follows closely along Interstate 84.

National Weather Service meteorologist Sophia Adams told the Idaho Statesman that snow squall warnings are rare. The storms can drop from half an inch to an inch of snow in 30 minutes.

She also noted that while snow would be heavy, it likely wouldn’t stick because of warmer road temperatures.

“It’s actually pretty rare,” Adams said. “It happens when we get convective snow showers, which tends to happen kind of later on in the season when things start to warm up a little bit.”