Idaho, 2005

Heavy Snow in Idaho, December 28 to 29, 2005

December 28 to 29, 2005 · NWS PIH · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A strong pacific storm brought heavy snow to the central mountains and upper snake highlands of southeast Idaho. Some heavier amounts were 14 inches at Swede Peak, 13 inches at Handyman, 14 inches at Galena Summit, 14 inches at Chocolate Gulch, 14 inches at Bear Canyon, 27 inches at White Elephant, and 25 inches at Lost Wood Divide.

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 strong pacific storm brought heavy snow to the central mountains and upper snake highlands of southeast Idaho. Some heavier amounts were 14 inches at Swede Peak, 13 inches at Handyman, 14 inches at Galena Summit, 14 inches at Chocolate Gulch, 14 inches at Bear Canyon, 27 inches at White Elephant, and 25 inches at Lost Wood Divide.

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 Dec 27, 7:59 PM MST, 4 hours 1 minute earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 27, 7:59 PM MST, 4 hours 1 minute before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 27, 4:35 PM MST, 7 hours 25 minutes before
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Event by event

3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Big and Little Wood River Region

When
December 28, 12:00 AM MST to December 29, 5:00 AM MST
Where
Big and Little Wood River Region forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heavy Snow, Sawtooth Mountains

When
December 28, 12:00 AM MST to December 29, 5:00 AM MST
Where
Sawtooth Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heavy Snow, Upper Snake Highlands

When
December 28, 12:00 AM MST to December 29, 5:00 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 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, December 2005

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5483326, 5483327, 5483328.