Heavy snowfall fell in the mountains of southeast Idaho with amounts ranging from 9 to 15 inches.
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.
Heavy snowfall fell in the mountains of southeast Idaho with amounts ranging from 9 to 15 inches.
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 Mar 5, 8:13 AM MST, 2 hours 47 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO ID 813 AM MST THU MAR 5 2009 .UPDATE...STRONG WINDS HAVE ALREADY DEVELOPED IN PORTIONS OF EASTERN IDAHO. GIVEN MODEL TREND TO INCREASE WINDS THROUGH THE DAY...HAVE ISSUED A WIND ADVISORY FOR UPPER SNAKE VALLEY THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING. AT THIS TIME...BELIEVE LOWER SNAKE VALLEY INCLUDING POCATELLO TO REMAIN JUST BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA. UPPER WAVE DROPPING INTO WASHINGTON STATE THIS MORNING LOOKS TO CONTINUE TO PROGRESS SOUTHEAST ACROSS FCST AREA THROUGH TONIGHT AND INTO FRIDAY. SNOW HAS ALREADY BEGUN FALLING IN CENTRAL MTNS AND EXPECT IT TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY. CURRENT FORECASTED SNOW AMOUNTS LOOKS REASONABLE ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE COLDER TEMPERATURES EXPECTED TODAY. WILL LEAVE WINTER SNOW HEADLINES AS THEY STAND AND MONITOR THROUGH THE DAY. DMH && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 305 AM MST THU MAR 5 2009/ SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. OPEN WAVE CURRENTLY WORKING INTO EASTERN IDAHO THIS MORNING. THIS WILL HELP KEEP PRECIPITATION GOING IN THE MTNS. THE SNAKE PLAIN WILL SEE ONLY ISOLD SHOWERS THROUGH THE DAY. A DECENT PRESSURE GRADIENT AND MIDLEVEL WINDS/COLD AIR ADVECTION WILL LEAD TO BREEZY CONDITIONS ACROSS THE SNAKE PLAIN THROUGH MOST OF THE DAY. MODEL DATA AND LOCAL WIND SCHEME SUGGEST WINDS FLIRTING WITH WIND ADVISORY CRITERIA THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. FOR NOW...HAVE KEPT WINDS JUST BELOW CRITERIA AND WILL LET DAY SHIFT MONITOR THE SITUATION. THE OTHER STORY IS THE NEXT SYSTEM DROPPING IN FROM THE NORTH...BRINGING TO AN END THE SPRING WEATHER PATTERN ACROSS EASTERN IDAHO. THIS SYSTEM WILL ACTUALLY BEGIN AFFECTING THE CENTRAL MTNS BY LATER IN THE AFTERNOON. THE SYSTEM WILL PROGRESS SOUTHEAST TONIGHT WITH UPPER TROF CROSSING THE AREA FRI AFTN AND NIGHT. THIS SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO BRING SOME DECENT SNOWFALL TO THE MTNS....WITH UPSLOPE FLOW FAVORING THE SAWTOOTHS...BIG/LITTLE WOOD RIVER REGION AND UPPER SNAKE HIGHLANDS. FCST SNOWFALL AMTS FROM LUNCHTIME TODAY THROUGH THE FOLLOWING 24 HOURS SUPPORT A WINTER STORM WARNING WITH STRONGER WINDS DEVELOPING FOR AREAS ABOVE 7000FT. WILL GO AHEAD AND HOIST ONE THIS MORNING. AS FAR AS THE UPPER SNAKE HIGHLANDS...WINDS ARE SOMEWHAT WEAKER AND FCST AMTS ARE COMING IN LOW ENOUGH TO PRECLUDE A WARNING FOR THAT AREA BUT WILL NEED TO MONITOR IN CASE HIGHLIGHTS ARE NEEDED FOR THAT AREA. ELSEWHERE...SNOW AMTS ARE MUCH TOO LOW FOR HIGHLIGHTS AT THIS TIME FOR ANY PERIOD DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS. ALTHOUGH THE COLDEST ARRIVES TOMORROW...THE AIR MASS HAS ALREADY BEGUN TO OVERALL COOL..THEREFORE SNOW LEVELS FOR TODAY SHOULD ONLY RISE TO BETWEEN 5000 AND 6000 FT. FOR TOMORROW...PRECIP SHOULD BE ALL SNOW WITH THE EXCEPTION OF PORTIONS OF THE MAGIC VALLEY AND THE WARMER VALLEYS OF THE SOUTHERN/SOUTHEASTERN MTNS. EXPECT ANOTHER ROUND OF GUSTY WINDS FOR THE SNAKE PLAIN ON FRIDAY JUST AHEAD OF THE MAIN PART OF THIS SYSTEM. WINDS SHOULD BE JUST A TAD LIGHTER THAN TODAY SO NO CONCERNS FOR A WIND ADVISORY AT THIS TIME. THE SYSTEM WILL EXIT SOUTHEAST IDAHO BY SATURDAY MORNING. IT WILL BE A COLD MORNING AS SKIES CLEAR FOR NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST AND FRESH SNOW ON THE GROUND. FOR THE SNAKE PLAIN AND EASTERN MTNS...SNOW SHOULD CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY NIGHT. IT IS LOOKING A CONVERGENCE EVENT IS LIKELY ACROSS THE SNAKE PLAIN FROM POCATELLO NORTHWARD...WHICH MAY ACTUALLY BE THE BEST PERIOD FOR ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL IN THAT REGION. BY LATER SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT...THE NEXT SYSTEM WILL DROP INTO THE NORTHERN ROCKIES. BREEZY WESTERLY FLOW WILL RETURN...AS WELL AS SNOW. ONLY A SLIGHT CHANCE IS EXPECTED IN THE SNAKE PLAIN WITH INCREASING CHANCES IN THE MTNS. WITH THE SYSTEM STILL TO OUR NORTH...THE FOCUS WILL BE ACROSS THE CENTRAL MTNS AND UPPER SNAKE HIGHLANDS FOR THE END OF THE PERIOD. KEYES LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES STILL SHOW UP IN MODELS EVEN ON SUNDAY. BOTH THE ECMWF AND GFS SHOW A SLIGHT OVER WATER TRAJECTORY BUT THE GFS SHOWS VERY LITTLE VERTICAL DEPTH TO THE MOISTURE. THE GFS IS ALSO A LITTLE MORE WESTERLY WITH WINDS ALOFT. OVERALL LOOKS LIKE A BREEZY DAY FOR THE SNAKE PLAIN AND OROGRAPHICS FAVORING THE WEST SIDE OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND THE UPPER SNAKE HIGHLANDS. TEMPERATURES WILL BE COLD AND SNOW RATIOS WILL BE IN THE 20 TO 30 TO ONE RANGE. THEREFORE EVEN WITH LIMITED QPF...THE MOUNTAINS COULD SEE SEVERAL INCHES BUT SHORT OF WARNING CRITERIA. FOR THE SNAKE PLAIN...WITH THE COLD FRONT DROPPING THROUGH FIGURE ON SOME SHOWERS BUT SNOW ACCUMULATION UNDER TWO INCHES. VERY LITTLE SEEDER FEEDER EFFECT. BY MONDAY THE ECM TAKES A TURN KEEPING A SHARPER TROUGH OVER IDAHO WHILE THE GFS PROGRESSES EAST QUICKER. GFS CONTINUES TO BE MUCH FLATTER WITH FLOW OFF THE PACIFIC BUT MOSTLY OVER NORTHERN IDAHO. MOST MODELS FAVOR SLOWER PROGRESSION OF THE TROUGH AND THUS HAVE BEEN IN NO HURRY TO WARM TEMPERATURES UP BY MID WEEK. GIVEN CHANGES IN MODELS HAVE MAD VERY FEW TWEAKS IN THE EXTENDED PERIOD. RS AVIATION...EMBEDDED SHORT WAVE CROSSING OREGON THIS MORNING AND SOUTHEAST IDAHO 15-20Z WILL PRODUCE A FEW LIGHT SHOWERS OF RAIN AND SNOW MIX. SNOW LEVELS RISING TO 4700-4900 FEET AFTER 16Z IN THE KBYI AND KPIH AREA. MAIN STORY IS WINDS WHICH SHOULD BE SOUTHWEST 20 TO 30 MPH GUSTS 35 MPH 15-01Z IN THE SNAKE PLAIN. WINDS SHOW LITTLE OR NO INCREASE WITH HEIGHT TODAY. SNOW LIKELY FRIDAY WITH A COLD LOW PRESSURE TROUGH MOVING IN NEAR SUNRISE. RS && .PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR IDZ020. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 11 AM MST FRIDAY FOR IDZ018-031. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO ID 411 AM MST THU MAR 5 2009 IDZ017>025-031-032-061115- 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- 411 AM MST THU MAR 5 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN IDAHO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS EASTERN IDAHO. THE BEST CHANCE OF SNOW WILL OCCUR IN THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND UPPER SNAKE HIGHLANDS. WINDS WILL ALSO PICK UP TODAY CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY. A WINTER STORM WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED DUE TO HEAVY SNOW AND WIND ABOVE 7000 FEET FOR THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS FROM 11AM THURSDAY TO 11AM FRIDAY. THE MOST AFFECTED AREAS WILL BE THE SAWTOOTH...SMOKY MOUNTAIN AND BOULDER MOUNTAIN RANGES. PLEASE SEE WSWPIH FOR MORE INFORMATION. WINDS TODAY ACROSS THE SNAKE PLAIN WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE WITH SUSTAINED WINDS OF 15 TO 30 MPH WITH SOME GUSTS AROUND 40 MPH EXPECTED DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY SNOW AND WIND WILL CONTINUE ACROSS EASTERN IDAHO FRIDAY AS A STORM SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. A WINTER STORM WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED DUE TO HEAVY SNOW AND WIND ABOVE 7000 FEET FOR THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS FROM 11AM THURSDAY TO 11AM FRIDAY. THE MOST AFFECTED AREAS WILL BE THE SAWTOOTH...SMOKY MOUNTAIN AND BOULDER MOUNTAIN RANGES. PLEASE SEE WSWPIH FOR MORE INFORMATION. BREEZY CONDITIONS CAN ONCE AGAIN BE EXPECTED...WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS ACROSS THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS...UPPER SNAKE HIGHLANDS AND THROUGHOUT THE SNAKE RIVER PLAIN. 36 HOUR SNOWFALL TOTALS THROUGH 5PM FRIDAY ARE AS FOLLOWS: 5 TO 12 INCHES FOR THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS(1 TO 5 INCHES IN VALLEY LOCALES)...3 TO 8 INCHES FOR THE UPPER SNAKE HIGHLANDS...2 TO 5 INCHES FOR THE SOUTHERN/EASTERN HIGHLANDS AND UP TO 2 INCHES FOR THE REST OF EASTERN IDAHO INCLUDING THE SNAKE PLAIN. THE WEATHER WILL BEGIN TO CLEAR UP FRIDAY NIGHT FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST...WITH LINGERING SNOW ACROSS THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS. A SNAKE PLAIN CONVERGENCE EVENT IS LIKELY FROM POCATELLO NORTHWARD WHERE ANOTHER INCH OR SO OF NEW SNOW IS POSSIBLE. UNSETTLED AND COLDER WEATHER CONTINUES INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE NEXT BETTER CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION IS FORECAST TO BEGIN ON SUNDAY AND LAST WELL INTO MONDAY. .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.
2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Nine inches of snow fell at the Bear Canyon SNOTEL with 10 inches at Mill Creek, and 10 inches at Banner Summit.
Snowfall reports from SNOTEL sites were the following: 13 inches at White Elephant, 15 inches at Black Bear, and 9 inches at Island Park.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, March 2009
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: 162134, 162135.