High Wind in Idaho, May 7, 2002

Name: High Wind in Idaho, May 7, 2002
Start: 2002-05-07T10:00
End: 2002-05-07T21:00
Location: Idaho

May 7, 2002 · NWS PIH · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Strong winds behind a cold front affected the Snake River Plain and Eastern Magic Valley from late morning through the evening hours. Sustained winds of 40 to 45 mph were commonplace.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 13
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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.

Strong winds behind a cold front affected the Snake River Plain and Eastern Magic Valley from late morning through the evening hours. Sustained winds of 40 to 45 mph were commonplace. The winds caused blowing dust from a newly plowed field and reduced visibilities to less than a mile on interstate 84. This caused a 20 vehicle accident on interstate 84 eastbound two miles south of the I-84 and I-86 interchange. There were no fatalities but 13 people were transported to local hospitals.

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 May 7, 8:30 AM MST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 7, 8:30 AM MST, 1 hour 30 minutes before

SOUTHEAST IDAHO AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO/IDAHO FALLS ID
930 AM MDT TUE MAY 7 2002

CURRENT RADAR LOOP SHOWING SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS ACROSS THE
SOUTHEAST HIGHLANDS WITH ANOTHER AREA OF SNOW SHOWERS (ASSOCIATED
WITH THE COLD FRONT) TRACKING ACROSS THE CENTRAL MTNS (I.E. SUN
VALLEY). SFC FRONT SHOULD SLIDE ACROSS EASTERN ID EARLY THIS AFTN
AND THEN WINDS SHOULD START TO BLOW. MID LEVEL JET OF 35 KTS SHOULD
MIX DOWN TO THE VALLEY SFC SO FCST ON TARGET WITH SUSTAINED WINDS
BETWEEN 30-40KTS WITH GUSTS NEAR 60KTS. VERY DRY...COOL...STABLE AIR
WILL RAPIDLY INVADE THE AREA DURING THE AFTN SO SLIGHT CHC POPS IN
THE VALLEYS/CHC POPS IN THE MTNS LOOKS GOOD. THE OTHER QUESTION IS
THE POSSIBLE CONVERGENT ZONE TO SLIDE INTO THE SNAKE PLAIN THIS
EVENING. MESOETA STILL ON TARGET WITH THIS FEATURE FOR THE UPPER
SNAKE VALLEY. NO CHANGES TO ZONES ATTM.

WINTHER

.KSFX...OPERATIONAL...VCP 32.

BYI 51/30/52 200

.PIH...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT TODAY FOR ZONES 17/20/21. PLEASE
REFER TO THE LATEST STATEMENT FOR DETAILS.

PIH NB 055/029 050/025 060 13230

Event by event

3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Eastern Magic Valley

When: May 7, 10:00 AM MST to 9:00 PM MST
Where: Eastern Magic Valley forecast zone
Measured: 40 kt (46 mph)
Injuries: 13 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

High Wind, Lower Snake River Plain

When: May 7, 10:00 AM MST to 9:00 PM MST
Where: Lower Snake River Plain forecast zone
Measured: 40 kt (46 mph)
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

High Wind, Upper Snake River Plain

When: May 7, 10:00 AM MST to 9:00 PM MST
Where: Upper Snake River Plain forecast zone
Measured: 47 kt (54 mph)
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Idaho in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Idaho, May 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: 5299834, 5299835, 5299836.