Idaho, 2002

Heavy Snow in Idaho, February 19 to 20, 2002

February 19 to 20, 2002 · NWS PIH · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Heavy snow fell in the eastern mountains of Idaho with 6 to 8 inches reported at SNOTEL sites and 10 inches reported at the Island Park ranger station and 6 inches at Lakeside Lodge just south of Island Park.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS PIH wrote it up.

Heavy snow fell in the eastern mountains of Idaho with 6 to 8 inches reported at SNOTEL sites and 10 inches reported at the Island Park ranger station and 6 inches at Lakeside Lodge just south of Island Park.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Pocatello, ID wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 19, 2:05 PM MST, 1 hour 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 19, 2:05 PM MST, 1 hour 55 minutes before
SOUTHEAST IDAHO AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO/IDAHO FALLS ID
205 PM MST TUE FEB 19 2002

MAIN FOCUS OF THIS FORECAST WILL BE ON SNOWFALL AMOUNTS FOR THE MTN
ZONES TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY AND WINDS FOR THE VALLEY ZONES ON
WEDNESDAY.  00Z TO 12Z RAOB TRENDS INDICATE A NRLY MOVEMENT OF THE JET
CAUSED BY BUILDING PAC RIDGE ALONG 140W AND UPPER LOW TRACKING NORTH
INTO CENTRAL BC.  THIS WILL PLACE CWA UNDER FAVORABLE JET DYNAMICS
DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.  ADDITIONALLY A MOIST WRLY H7 FLOW WILL
PROVIDE ADDITIONAL OROGRAPHIC LIFT ON WEST FACING SLOPES.  THINKING IS
HIGHEST SNOWFALL TOTALS WILL OCCUR IN ZONES 19 AND 23 WHERE THE
AFOREMENTIONED LIFT/DYNAMICS WILL LINGER UNTIL WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.
SO WILL UPGRADE WATCH TO WARNING THERE.  WATCH ALSO IN EFFECT FOR
ZONES 18 AND 31...BUT 12Z MODELS PROG DRY AIR ADVECTION AND SUBSIDENCE
OVER THE CNTRL MTNS AS HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES IN BEHIND THE DEPARTING
SYSTEM.  SO WILL NEED TO CUT THE SNOW TOTALS FOR ZONES 18 AND 31 ON
WEDNESDAY...WHICH WILL LEAVE THOSE ZONES BELOW WARNING CRITERIA.  ZONE
22 NOT INCLUDED IN WATCH BUT COULD SEE SOME ISOLATED SNOWFALL TOTALS
ABOVE WARNING CRITERIA IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN...WITH SUFFICIENT WARMING
IN THE VALLEY FOR A RAIN SNOW MIX DURING ON WED.

WINDS IN THE VALLEY ZONES ON WED LOOK TO BE BREEZY/WINDY AS MODELS
HAVE BACKED OFF ON STRENGTH OF H7 FLOW.  WITH DEWPTS PROGED TO
INCREASE AND UPSTREAM VALLEY TRENDS FEEL ZONE 17 WILL SEE RAIN/SNOW
MIX TONIGHT ALL SNOW FOR 20 AND 21.  ANY VALLEY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS
WILL BE MINIMAL BUT WILL HIGHLIGHT AROUND 1 INCH FOR THE BENCHES OF
ZONES 20 AND 21.

RIDGE BUILDS IN QUICKLY WITH CLEARING FOR THE SRN CWA AND CHANCE OF
MTN SNOW/ VALLEY RAIN THURSDAY AND FRIDAY FOR THE CNTRL MTNS WITH JET
DYNAMICS OVER THE ID PANHANDLE.  WILL HIGHLIGHT BREEZY ON FRIDAY FOR
THE VALLEY ZONES BASED ON LOCAL WIND STUDY.

DAY 4 TO DAY 7...ECMWF IN LINE WITH AVN FOR H5 S/W TRACKING ALONG THE
SRN ID BORDER SAT NIGHT/SUNDAY MORNING AND SFC LOW DEVELOPING OVER SE
ID.  MRF IS A BIT TOO FAST WITH THIS FEATURE.  SO WILL GO CHANCE
SAT/SUN WITH SUN BEING THE COOLER DAY.  LONG FETCH NRLY FLOW SETS UP
FOR BELOW NORMAL TEMPS AND DRY CONDITIONS MON AND TUE.

BRONG

KSFX WSR-88D...OPERATIONAL...VCP 21.

BYI 31/44/29/42 5410

.PIH...

PIH NE 028/039 025/040 026 15551

Event by event

2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, South Central Highlands

When
February 19, 4:00 PM MST to February 20, 10:00 AM MST
Where
South Central Highlands forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heavy Snow, Upper Snake Highlands

When
February 19, 4:00 PM MST to February 20, 10:00 AM MST
Where
Upper Snake Highlands forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Idaho in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, February 2002

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5283477, 5283478.