Idaho, 2009

Heavy Snow in Idaho, April 1, 2009

April 1, 2009 · NWS PIH · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

An early spring snowstorm brought heavy snowfall to the mountains of extreme eastern Idaho. The heaviest amounts ranged from 10 to 16 inches.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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.

An early spring snowstorm brought heavy snowfall to the mountains of extreme eastern Idaho. The heaviest amounts ranged from 10 to 16 inches.

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.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 31, 9:06 PM MST, 2 hours 54 minutes before
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Local storm report, Mar 31, 9:13 PM MST, 2 hours 47 minutes before
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Local storm report, Mar 31, 9:37 PM MST, 2 hours 23 minutes before
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Local storm report, Mar 31, 11:40 PM MST, 20 minutes before
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Event by event

4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Upper Snake Highlands

When
April 1, 12:00 AM MST to 8:00 AM MST
Where
Upper Snake Highlands forecast zone
Reported by
SNOTEL

Black Bear SNOTEL reported 12 inches of snow. Grand Targhee ski resort reported 12 inches of snow. Storm began at noon on March 31st.

Heavy Snow, South Central Highlands

When
April 1, 12:00 AM MST to 8:00 AM MST
Where
South Central Highlands forecast zone
Reported by
Park/Forest Service

Thirteen inches of snow fell at Pomerelle ski resort. Ten inches of snow fell at the Howell Canyon SNOTEL. Storm began on March 31st.

Heavy Snow, Caribou Highlands

When
April 1, 12:00 AM MST to 10:00 AM MST
Where
Caribou Highlands forecast zone
Reported by
SNOTEL

The Sedgwick Peak SNOTEL reported 10 inches of snow. The storm began on March 31st.

Heavy Snow, Wasatch Mountains/Iadho Portion

When
April 1, 12:00 AM MST to 10:00 AM MST
Where
Wasatch Mountains/Iadho Portion forecast zone
Reported by
SNOTEL

The Idaho Wasatch reported heavy snow. 14 inches fell at the Emigrant Summit SNOTEL site. 10 inches of snow fell at the Franklin Basin SNOTEL.

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 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, April 2009

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: 167944, 167946, 167947, 167949.