Another in a series of winter storms brought 8 to 12 inches of snow to eastern Idaho. The worst conditions were reported in the Upper Snake River Plain.
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.
Another in a series of winter storms brought 8 to 12 inches of snow to eastern Idaho. The worst conditions were reported in the Upper Snake River Plain.
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 5, 2:10 PM MST, 7 hours 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO ID 210 PM MST TUE FEB 5 2008 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. THE LATEST SATELLITE IMAGERY WAS SHOWING THE NEXT PAC STORM SYSTEM ROTATING INTO THE NW COAST THIS AFTERNOON WITH WARM FRONTAL PRECIPITATION SPREADING EAST THROUGH OREGON/WASHINGTON TOWARD THE IDAHO PANHANDLE. MODELS REMAIN CONSISTENT WITH THE IDEA OF DRIVING UPPER WAVE RAPIDLY SE THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA LATE TONIGHT/WEDNESDAY MORNING WITH THE ASSOCIATED SURFACE COLD FRONT PUSHING EAST THROUGH THE SNAKE PLAIN AROUND DAY BREAK (12Z WEDNESDAY). MAIN PRECIPITATION SHIELD WILL SPREAD INTO THE CNTRL/NRN MOUNTAINS AROUND MIDNIGHT TONIGHT THEN ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST AREA WITH THE FRONT AROUND 12Z. PARTIAL DRYING WILL LIKELY FOLLOW ACROSS THE CNTRL MOUNTAINS AND SNAKE PLAIN ZONES BY MID/LATE-AFTERNOON AS THE FRONT AND UPPER TROUGH EXIT EAST ACROSS WYOMING. MODELS CONTINUE TO PRODUCE WARNING LEVEL SNOWFALL (9+ INCH STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL) IN THE SAWTOOTH MOUNTAINS AND ISLAND PARK AREAS THROUGH THE EVENT WHEREAS REMAINING ERN MOUNTAIN ZONES EXPECTING 4-8 INCHES WITH 2 TO 4 IN THE MOUNTAIN VALLEYS AND 1 TO 3 IN THE SNAKE PLAIN. COMPLICATING FACTOR WILL BE WINDS WHICH ARE EXPECTED TO RAMP UP STRONGLY WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE AND CONTINUE THROUGH A GOOD PORTION OF THE DAY. THUS WILL CONTINUE WITH THE WINTER STORM WARNING FOR ZONES 18/19 AND 31 FOR HEAVY SNOWFALL AND BLOWING/DRIFTING SNOW. WILL ALSO ADD ZONES 23 AND 25 TO THE WARNING AS DRIFTING SNOW COUPLED WITH THE MARGINAL SNOWFALL WILL LIKELY PRODUCE AT LEAST A TRAVEL HAZARD IF NOT ROAD CLOSURES. LOOKING THROUGH AREA WEB CAMS...IT APPEARS THAT THERE IS PLENTY OF LOOSE SNOW AROUND AND THAT COUPLED WITH AN ADDITIONAL 1 TO 3 INCHES IN THE SNAKE PLAIN AND SRN HIGHLANDS WITH AFOREMENTIONED WINDS SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO WARRANT AT LEAST A SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY WEDNESDAY. DIRTY/MOIST NORTHWEST FLOW REMAINS OVER REGION IN THE WAKE OF THE EXITING SYSTEM AWAITING THE SECOND PAC STORM WHICH HAS BEEN ADVERTISED TO FOLLOW LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT/THURSDAY WITH PRECIPITATION FAVORING UPSLOPE REGIONS OF THE CNTRL AND ERN HIGHLANDS. SURFACE COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SECOND SYSTEM APPEARS TO TRAVERSE THE REGION BETWEEN 18Z AND 00Z THURSDAY (THURSDAY AFTERNOON) ALONG WITH STRONG UPPER LEVEL WINDS. CURRENTLY ADVERTISING WARNING LEVEL SNOWFALL FOR THE CNTRL MOUNTAINS AND SNAKE HIGHLANDS SO WILL GO AHEAD AND HOIST A WINTER STORM WATCH FOR THIS SYSTEM AS WELL TO TAKE PRESSURE OFF MID-SHIFT. DIRTY/MOIST NW FLOW LINGERS ACROSS THE REGION INTO FRIDAY AS A SHORT-WAVE RIDGE BEGINS TO BUILD OFF THE PAC COAST. THINK WE HAVE ENOUGH ON OUT PLATE FOR NOW. HUSTON .LONG TERM...FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY. 500MB LONG WAVE PATTERN TODAY STILL HAS AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE SLIDING INTO IDAHO DURING THIS PERIOD...HOWEVER ITS AMPLITUDE IS MUCH LESS AND ITS TIMING HAS SLIPPED A DAY OR SO. SINCE IT IS MUCH EASIER TO BREAK DOWN...THE CHANCES OF HAVING A DRY PERIOD HAVE DIMINISHED SOME. THE MAIN STEERING FLOW ALOFT HAS SHIFTED NORTHWARD INTO THE CANADIAN WEST COAST...SO PRECIPITATION WOULD STILL BE LIGHT FROM THE EXTREME SOUTHERN END OF THE WINTER STORMS THE TRACK THROUGH THE WEST COAST. ANOTHER BENEFIT OF THIS NORTHERLY SHIFT IS THAT WARMER AIR WILL BE IN IDAHO DURING THE PERIOD. THIS IS BROUGHT OUT IN THE GUIDANCE PRODUCTS AS WELL WITH UPPER 30S FORECAST AT KPIH...WHICH COULD MEAN CRACKING 40 DEGREES IN DOWNTOWN POCATELLO. COMPARING ECMWF WITH THE GFS SHOWS THAT BY THE START OF THIS PERIOD THE SOLUTIONS ARE ALREADY DIVERGING SHARPLY...WHICH IS VERY COMMON WHEN THE LONGWAVE PATTERN LOSES AMPLITUDE AND TIMING OF SHORTWAVES IS MORE IMPORTANT. THE ECMWF FAVORS A SPLIT IN THE PATTERN AND A SLOWER PROGRESSION WHILE THE GFS HAS A RELATIVELY INTACT OPEN WAVE MOVING THROUGH SAT NIGHT. IN FACT THE ECMWF HAS THE NORTHERN PIECE OF ENERGY SITTING OVER SOUTHERN ALASKA AND THE GULF OF AK FOR SOME TIME. ONE WAVE APPEARS TO MOVE THROUGH IDAHO ON MON AS THE SPLIT FLOW REJOINS. THE GFS ENSEMBLE IS NOT IN MUCH AGREEMENT FOR ANYTHING BEYOND SAT. SO THE DISAGREEMENT WOULD TEND TO PROMOTE LESS CERTAINTY AND SUGGESTS USING A BROAD BRUSH FOR TODAY WHEN FORECASTING IN THE EXTENDED PERIOD. MESSICK && .AVIATION...STORM COMING IN TONIGHT WILL REPLACE FOG/STRATUS PROBLEMS AT THE LOW ELEVATIONS WITH LOW CIG/VSBY DUE TO SNOW. UPPER LEVEL CLOUD SHIELD ALREADY COMING IN AND SHOULD ALSO HAMPER STRATUS/FOG DISSIPATION. WITH INITIAL SOUTHERLY FLOW...KPIH/KBYI WILL BE IN DOWNSLOPE CONDITIONS AND SHOULD BE IN THE BEST SHAPE TONIGHT. UPSLOPE IN SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL LIKELY SHUT DOWN KSUN AND MAKE KIDA A CHALLENGE. PROBLEMS AT KSUN WILL START THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. A WIND SHIFT AT 06/15Z SHOULD IMPROVE THINGS AT KSUN JUST AFTER THE START OF MORNING OPERATIONS. KPIH HOLDS OUT UNTIL 06/10Z...THEN THE STORM HITS. KIDA NEVER LOOKS TO GET OUT OF THE IFR CONDITIONS...EVEN FOR THIS AFTERNOON. KBYI DOWNSLOPE KEEPS THEM OUT OF IFR UNTIL NEARLY 06/12Z. BUT STILL EXPECT CLEARING DURING THE AFTERNOON...EVEN AT KIDA. MESSICK && .PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING CONTINUES LATE TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY FOR ZONES 18/19 AND 31. WINTER STORM WARNING ISSUED FOR ZONES 23 AND 25 FOR LATE TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING. SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY ISSUED FOR ZONES 17/20/21/22 AND 32 FOR WEDNESDAY. WINTER STORM WATCH ISSUED FOR LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY FOR ZONES 18/19 AND 31. SEE STATEMENTS FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO ID 453 AM MST TUE FEB 5 2008 IDZ017>025-031-032-061200- 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- 453 AM MST TUE FEB 5 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN IDAHO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A LOW CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS IS EXPECTED FOR THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS DURING THE DAY AS A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE MOVES THROUGH EASTERN IDAHO. STRATUS OVER PORTIONS OF THE SNAKE RIVER PLAIN WILL BE SLOW TO BURN OFF AS WELL. BY TONIGHT...THE NEXT STORM SYSTEM WILL START TO AFFECT EASTERN IDAHO...SPECIFICALLY THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND UPPER SNAKE HIGHLANDS. WINDS WILL INCREASE AS STRONGER WINDS ALOFT AND A STRENGTHENING SURFACE PATTERN DEVELOP. PLEASE SEE BOIWSWPIH FOR MORE DETAILS. BLOWING AND SOME DRIFTING OF OLD AND NEW SNOW IS EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE FAST MOVING STORM SYSTEM THAT ARRIVE TUESDAY NIGHT WILL DEPART THE REGION BY LATER WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. SEVERAL INCHES OF NEW SNOW IS EXPECTED IN THE MOUNTAINS WITH 1 TO 3 INCHES THE SNAKE PLAIN AND EASTERN MAGIC VALLEY. WINDS WILL BE STRONGEST EARLIER IN THE DAY AND WILL SLOWLY SUBSIDE FROM WEST TO EAST DURING THE DAY. BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF SNOW WILL REMAIN AN ISSUE. PLEASE SEE BOIWSWPIH FOR DETAILS. ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM WILL BEGIN TO AFFECT EASTERN IDAHO LATER WEDNESDAY AND LAST INTO THURSDAY. THIS SYSTEM IS FORECASTED PRODUCE STRONGER WINDS AND ANOTHER 4 TO 8 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS OF SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS. IN THE SNAKE PLAIN AND EASTERN MAGIC VALLEY...AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE LIGHT WITH AROUND 1 TO 3 INCHES OF NEW SNOW. MORE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW IS EXPECTED ACROSS EASTERN IDAHO. PLEASE STAY TUNED AS WINTER WEATHER RELATED ADVISORIES AND/OR WARNINGS WILL BE LIKELY REQUIRED FOR THIS TIME PERIOD. HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND...A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING OFFSHORE WILL MOVE INTO THE WESTERN STATES. THIS WILL BRING A SLIGHT WARMUP TO THE REGION...ALONG WITH REDUCING THE CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION AND CONFINING IT TO MAINLY THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS. IT APPEARS THIS WILL BE SHORT LIVED AS THE NEXT SYSTEM WILL ARRIVE LATE SUNDAY IN EASTERN IDAHO. .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.
4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy snow fell in Madison County. Seven to nine inches of snow was reported in Rexburg with 6 to 8 inches in Lorenzo and 8 inches in Sugar City. Idaho Falls in Bonneville County reported 5 inches.
Nine inches of snow fell in Island Park.
Ten inches of snow was reported at Wild Horse Divide.
Nine inches of snow was reported at Galena Summit.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, February 2008
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: 81669, 81670, 81671, 81672.