An intense pacific storm brought heavy snow and strong winds to southeast Idaho. Blizzard conditions occurred across much of the southern and eastern highlands with many road closures.
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.
The episode as NWS PIH wrote it up.
An intense pacific storm brought heavy snow and strong winds to southeast Idaho. Blizzard conditions occurred across much of the southern and eastern highlands with many road closures. Heavy snow fell in parts of the central mountains and Upper Snake River Highlands.
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 29, 7:40 PM MST, 2 hours 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO ID 740 PM MST SAT DEC 29 2007 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY. LATEST OBSERVATIONS SHOWING WARM FRONT AND ASSOCIATED SNOWFALL WORKING INTO WRN IDAHO AHEAD OF DEVELOPING COLD FRONT CURRENTLY LOCATED ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE CASCADE RANGE. 00Z NAM CONTINUES TO SHOW WARM FRONTAL PRECIPITATION WORKING ACROSS WRN ZONES LATE THIS EVENING AND EAST INTO THE SNAKE PLAIN BY AROUND 3AM. A MARKED INCREASE IN WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO ACCOMPANY THE COLD FRONT AS IT SWEEPS THROUGH THE REGION LATE TONIGHT/EARLY SUNDAY MORNING AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY SUNDAY AS A STRONG UPPER LEVEL JET SINKS OVERHEAD. LOOSE SNOW AND STRONG WINDS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS IN A NUMBER OF LOCATIONS ACROSS SE IDAHO SUNDAY. CURRENT WARNINGS START A BIT EARLY GIVEN CURRENT TIMING BUT OVERALL ENCOMPASS BRUNT OF ENTIRE STORM. THUS NO UPDATES REQUIRED THIS EVENING GIVEN TIMING NOTED ABOVE. SEE PREVIOUS DISCUSSION BELOW. HUSTON A STRONG COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE TONIGHT WILL BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF LIGHT SNOW...BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY ...STRONG WINDS TO MUCH OF THE FCST AREA LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY. ALTHOUGH SNOW AMOUNTS ARE ONLY EXPECTED IN THE 1 TO 2 INCH RANGE IN THE SNAKE PLAIN AND 4 TO 10 INCHES IN THE MOUNTAINS...THE STRONG WINDS WILL PICK UP THE POWDERY SNOW AND CAUSE SEVERE VISIBILITY RESTRICTIONS. WINDS/BLOWING SNOW IN THE UPPER SNAKE RIVER PLAIN AND THE UPPER SNAKE HIGHLANDS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH BLIZZARD CRITERIA LATE TONIGHT AND CONTINUE INTO SUNDAY EVENING WHEN THE WINDS FINALLY DIE DOWN. THE ACTUAL AMOUNT OF NEW SNOWFALL WILL HAVE LITTLE TO DO WITH THE MAGNITUDE OF THE IMPACT. THE SNOW THAT IS ALREADY ON THE GROUND WILL BE SUFFICIENT...AS LONG AS TEMPS REMAIN COLD ENOUGH TO PREVENT PARTIAL MELTING. MELTING WOULD GREATLY REDUCE THE ABILITY OF THE SNOW TO BLOW OR DRIFT. THE COMBINATION OF STRONG COLD ADVECTION /SFC PRES GRADIENT BEHIND THE COLD FRONT...AND A STRONG WESTERLY JET STREAM OVERHEAD WILL SUPPORT THE STRONG WINDS. UPPER RIDGING MOVES IN ON MONDAY RESULTING IN DRY CONDITIONS...BUT STRONG HIGH PRESSURE AT THE SFC WILL LEAD TO INVERSION CONDITIONS. VALLEY LOCATIONS WILL LIKELY SEE LOW CLDS/FOG AT LEAST THRU TUE. HEDGES .LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY THROUGH NEXT SATURDAY. LARGE UPPER RIDGE OVER GREAT BASIN AND CENTRAL ROCKIES BEGINS TO WEAKEN AND MOVE EASTWARD AS BROAD UPPER TROF DEEPENS ALONG WEST COAST. THIS SHOULD HELP GRADUALLY DISSIPATE PERSISTENT INVERSION AND ASSOCIATED LOW CLOUD COVER AND FOG IN THE SNAKE VALLEY FROM EARLIER IN THE WEEK. BOTH EUROPEAN AND GFS MODELS AGREE THAT LEADING EDGE OF PRECIP SHIELD IN THE NRN PORTION OF THE UPPER TROF WILL DRIFT INTO WRN ID LATE THURS BUT PROBABLY NOT REACH CWA UNTIL SOUTHERN HALF OF THE TROF BEGINS TO LIFT INTO CA/NV EARLY FRIDAY. UPPER FLOW PATTERN WILL TURN SWLY AT THAT TIME...BRINGING ADDITIONAL WARM AIR AND PAC MOISTURE INTO CWA. MODEL OUTPUT SUGGESTS THAT TEMPS MAY FINALLY MAKE IT BACK TO OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE FREEZING IN THE LOWER SNAKE VALLEY ON SAT AND SETS UP POSSIBILITY FOR MIXED PRECIP EVENT...RAIN/SNOW MIX AND/OR FREEZING RAIN...ON SATURDAY EVENING. WARANAUSKAS && .AVIATION...BROAD UPPER LEVEL TROF WITH WIDESPREAD MOISTURE FIELD WILL PERSIST OVER SRN AND ERN ID THRU THE EVENING HRS...KEEPING MIX OF VFR AND MVFR CIGS OVER MOST OF THE AREA. A WEAK SURFACE TROF MOVING ALONG AND EAST OF KRXE TO KBYI LINE IS SPREADING -SN WITH A FEW AREAS OF MODERATE SNOW AND IFR CIGS/VIS. PRECIP AREA WILL CONTINUE TOWARD ID/WY/UT BORDERS OVER NEXT FEW HOURS. SE IDAHO WILL SEE SLIGHT BREAK IN PRECIP FROM ABOUT 23Z TO 06Z BUT -SN AND IFR CONDITIONS RETURN AS STRONG COLD FRONT ARRIVES EARLY SUN MORNING. CURRENT FORECAST IS FOR 1 TO 3 INCHES OF NEW SNOW IN SNAKE VALLEY WITH 6 TO 10 INCHES IN THE MTNS. PRIMARY CONCERN IS THE EXPECTED VERY WINDY CONDITIONS FOLLOWING THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. GUSTS OF 35 TO 45 KTS ARE LIKELY ACROSS THE ENTIRE MIDDLE AND UPPER SNAKE VALLEY... CAUSING DANGEROUS BLOWING/DRIFTING OF SNOW OVER RUNWAYS...ALONG WITH INTERMITTENT WHITEOUT CONDITIONS AND MDT TO OCNL SVR LOW LEVEL TURBULENCE AT LOCAL AIRFIELDS. WINDS SHOULD PERSIST THRU SUN EVE AND THEN GRADUALLY DISSIPATE OVERNIGHT. WARANAUSKAS && .PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 11 PM MST SUNDAY FOR IDZ017-018-021>025-031. BLIZZARD WARNING FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 11 PM MST SUNDAY FOR IDZ019-020. SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 11 PM MST SUNDAY FOR IDZ032. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO ID 500 AM MST SAT DEC 29 2007 IDZ017>025-031-032-301200- EASTERN MAGIC VALLEY-SAWTOOTH MOUNTAINS-UPPER SNAKE HIGHLANDS- UPPER SNAKE RIVER PLAIN-LOWER SNAKE RIVER PLAIN- SOUTH CENTRAL HIGHLANDS-CARIBOU HIGHLANDS- CACHE VALLEY/IDAHO PORTION-WASATCH MOUNTAINS/IDAHO PORTION- BIG AND LITTLE WOOD RIVER REGION-LOST RIVER/PAHSIMEROI- 500 AM MST SAT DEC 29 2007 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN IDAHO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A STRONG STORM IS ENTERING IDAHO FROM THE WEST TONIGHT. HIGH WIND...HEAVY SNOW DRIFTING...AND LOW VISIBILITY IN BLOWING SNOW WILL MEAN HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS FOR THOSE PLANNING TRAVEL THROUGH CENTRAL AND EASTERN IDAHO. CHECK THE LATEST URGENT WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THE STORM ARRIVING SATURDAY NIGHT WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT CENTRAL AND EASTERN IDAHO WEATHER INTO SUNDAY EVENING. CHECK THE LATEST URGENT WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE FOR DETAILS. WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE DRAMATICALLY FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WE ASK TRAINED SPOTTERS AND CITIZENS TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS WHEN IT IS SAFE TO DO SO. THESE CONDITIONS MAY INCLUDE HAIL...TORNADOES...STRONG WIND...DUST STORMS...SNOWFALL... EXTREME COLD TEMPERATURES...FREEZING RAIN OR HEAVY RAIN...DENSE FOG...AND FLOODING OR ICE JAMS. INFORMATION ABOUT THESE HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS SHOULD BE CALLED INTO YOUR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN POCATELLO USING THE 1-800 SEVERE WEATHER HOTLINE...OR 208-233-0834. MESSICK
4 blizzard, 3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Five to eight inches of snow combined with strong winds closed roads in the Upper Snake River Highlands. State Highway 32 from Driggs to Ashton closed due to drifting snow across the roadway on the morning of the 30th.
Nine inches of snow fell at the Dollarhide SNOTEL site with 15 inches at the Vienna Mine SNOTEL.
Nine inches of snow fell at the Medow Lake SNOTEL site.
Twelve inches of snow was recorded at the Howell Canyon SNOTEL site. Blizzard conditions were reported in the eastern parts of the South Central Highlands. South bound Interstate 15 was closed due to the drifting snow on the 30th.
Blizzard conditions closed roads in the Caribou Highlands. Nine inches of snow fell at the Sedgewick Peak SNOTEL site. White out conditions were reported during the morning of the 30th in Wayan, Chesterfield, and Grace. Back roads were closed. US Highway 26 was closed from Ririe to the Wyoming state line due to the drifting snow.
Blizzard conditions were reported in the Cache Valley on the morning of the 30th. An estimated 4 to 6 inches of snow fell with complete whiteouts in both Weston and Preston by 11 am.
Blizzard conditions were reported the morning of the 30th. Six to eight inches of snow were reported in Montpelier with complete white out conditions. The Bear Lake County sherrif's department reported white out conditions throughout the county. Twelve inches of snow fell at the Emigrant Summit SNOTEL and nine inches fell at the Franklin Basin SNOTEL.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, December 2007
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: 72758, 72796, 72798, 72767, 72772, 72779, 72792.