Heavy Snow, Big and Little Wood River Region
- When
- February 16, 1:00 AM MST to 8:00 PM MST
- Where
- Big and Little Wood River Region forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
Heavy Snow in Idaho, February 16, 2003
A pacific storm brought heavy snow the the central mountains and upper snake river highlands. 6 to 10 inches fell in Ketchum, 8 inches fell in Stanley, 12 inches at Lakeside Lodge in Fremont County, and 8 inches at Ashton.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- 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.
A pacific storm brought heavy snow the the central mountains and upper snake river highlands. 6 to 10 inches fell in Ketchum, 8 inches fell in Stanley, 12 inches at Lakeside Lodge in Fremont County, and 8 inches at Ashton.
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 15, 9:00 PM MST, 4 hours earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 15, 9:00 PM MST, 4 hours before
SOUTHEAST IDAHO AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO/IDAHO FALLS ID 900 PM MST SAT FEB 15 2003 PACIFIC STORM STILL ON TRACK FOR SUNDAY. QPF FOR CENTRAL MOUNTAINS COULD BE MARGINAL AND FAVOR 2 TO 5 INCHES. SNOW LEVELS LOOK TO BE NEAR 6000 FEET EARLY SUNDAY DROPPING TO AROUND 5500 FEET IN THE AFTERNOON SO HIGH ELEVATION SNOW MAY BE THE ORDER. JET IS FARTHER SOUTH IN GREAT BASIN DURING THE AFTERNOON THAN MODELS INDICATED PAST DAY OR SO. LOCAL STUDY INDICATES LOW CONFIDENCE WIND ADVISORY IN THE EASTERN MAGIC AND UPPER SNAKE RIVER VALLEY DURING THE AFTERNOON. HOWEVER...THE CASE STUDY LACKS HISTORICAL SYSTEMS OF THIS PATTERN. H7 WINDS OF 40KTS OVERHEAD...STRONG OMEGA COULD HELP WINDS MIX DOWN. HEAVY QPF OF .25 TO .30 INCH OVER THE UPPER VALLEY MAY WORK AGAINST ADVISORY LEVEL WINDS. LOTS TO CONSIDER. WILL LET WINTER STORM WATCH CONTINUE. NO WIND ADVISORY AT THIS TIME BUT WILL ADD SOME HIGHER GUSTS TO FORECAST. ALSO...LIS NEAR MINUS 2 IN CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND NEAR ZERO IN UPPER SNAKE RIVER VALLEY. WILL ADD MENTION OF ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TO FORECAST. SURVICK .KSFX...NOT OPERATIONAL. MAINTENANCE IN PROGRESS. .PIH...A WINTER STORM WATCH HAS BEEN POSTED FOR THE MOUNTAINS ABOVE 6000 FEET SUNDAY/SUNDAY NIGHT. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST STATEMENTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 15, 4:30 AM MST, 20 hours 30 minutes before
IDZ017>023-031-032-152345- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO/IDAHO FALLS ID 430 AM MST SAT FEB 15 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN IDAHO .DAY ONE... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. PATCHY AREAS OF DENSE FOG ARE POSSIBLE IN THE UPPER VALLEY THIS MORNING AS STABLE CONDITIONS TRAP MOISTURE FROM RECENT RAINFALL IN THE VALLEYS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... A PACIFIC STORM WILL SPREAD INTO THE REGION SUNDAY DEPOSITING 5 TO 10 INCHES IN THE MOUNTAINS ABOVE 6000 FEET BY MONDAY MORNING. HENCE...A WINTER STORM WATCH HAS BEEN POSTED FOR THE MOUNTAINS ABOVE 6000 FEET FOR SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
Event by event
3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Sawtooth Mountains
- When
- February 16, 1:00 AM MST to 8:00 PM MST
- Where
- Sawtooth Mountains forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
Heavy Snow, Upper Snake Highlands
- When
- February 16, 1:00 AM MST to 8:00 PM MST
- Where
- Upper Snake Highlands forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
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
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, February 16 to 17, 2003
- Storm Surge and Winter Storm in New Jersey, February 16 to 17, 2003
- Ice Storm in South Carolina, February 16 to 17, 2003
- Flooding in Kentucky, February 16 to 20, 2003
- Cold in Illinois, February 16, 2003
- Ice Storm in West Virginia, February 16 to 17, 2003
- Storm Surge and Winter Storm in Delaware, February 16 to 17, 2003
- Ice Storm in Ohio, February 16 to 17, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Ohio, February 16 to 17, 2003
- Winter Storm in West Virginia, February 16 to 17, 2003
- Ice Storm in Kentucky, February 16 to 17, 2003
- Winter Storm in Ohio, February 16, 2003
More
Every storm in Idaho in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, February 2003
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: 5340253, 5340254, 5340255.