Snow in June?! Parts of Idaho hit by winter-like weather

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — An unusual June cold snap showed up in Idaho this weekend, turning parts of the Gem State into a winter wonderland.

For Boise, that meant unseasonably chilly weather. The historic average high for June 21 in Boise is 83 degrees, but Saturday’s high reached only 64 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

“That is 16 degrees below normal,” Korri Anderson, Boise-based National Weather Service meteorologist, told the Idaho Statesman by phone Sunday.

Other areas across Idaho were hit even harder. Mountain peaks in central Idaho above 7,000 feet saw snow, ranging from a dusting to nearly an inch on Sunday, Anderson said. The affected areas included Sun Valley and places just outside Stanley, like Redfish Lake.

McCall was hit with graupel — a weather phenomenon that is a cross between hail and snow — on Saturday. The snow didn’t last long though. The sun quickly melted away any trace of it by morning.

“Winter barely had time to unpack at Redfish Lake before the summer sun angle barged in, turned up the heat, and sent all the snow packing,” the National Weather Service said on social media.

Anderson said cool weather from up north was to blame.

“It’s a low-pressure system that’s come in from the Gulf of Alaska,” Anderson said. “Basically, it’s a cold core system, so that’s when the center of the system moves overhead, and it gets much cooler than the surrounding areas. We had that move over us.”

Fortunately for those missing the summer heat, warmer weather is on the way.

Anderson said by Tuesday, highs should be back up to between 85 and 90 degrees and last through the week.