A very wet Pacific storm system with a series of potent short waves brought 1 to 4 feet of snow to the Central Mountains and Upper Snake River Highlands. The highest amounts were 42 inches at Dollarhide Summit and 43 inches at Bear Canyon.
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.
A very wet Pacific storm system with a series of potent short waves brought 1 to 4 feet of snow to the Central Mountains and Upper Snake River Highlands. The highest amounts were 42 inches at Dollarhide Summit and 43 inches at Bear Canyon. Snow levels were above 7000 feet throughout the storm. The storm began on the morning of November 30th but the brunt of snow fell on December 1st and 2nd in the long duration event.
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 Nov 30, 1:52 PM MST, 10 hours 9 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO ID 152 PM MST FRI NOV 30 2012 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY. A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS POSTED FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF SE IDAHO ABOVE 6500 FEET THROUGH MONDAY MORNING AS A MOIST PACIFIC SYSTEM REMAINS ANCHORED OFF THE NW COAST. TWO PRIMARY WAVES ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THIS PERIOD...THE FIRST TODAY THROUGH THIS EVENING...FOLLOWED BY A LULL SATURDAY AS THE LOW RELOADS FOR YET ANOTHER PUSH SUNDAY. SNOW LEVELS WILL GENERALLY REMAIN ABOVE 6000 FEET THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND BUT MAY LOWER TO 5500 FEET AT TIMES. THE SNOW LEVEL WILL BEGIN TO LOWER TO VALLEY FLOORS BEHIND A COLD FRONT SUNDAY AFTERNOON/EVE. AHEAD OF THE FRONT...WE SHOULD SEE WINDS BEGIN TO INCREASE FROM THE SOUTH SATURDAY AND THEN REACH ADVISORY LEVELS SUNDAY AHEAD OF THE FRONT. WINDS AT 10000 FEET MSL WILL BE HOWELING...WITH SUSTAINED SPEEDS OF 45-55KTS. SPEEDS OF THIS MAGNITUDE WILL LIKELY POSE A PROBLEM ACROSS THE MOUNTAIN PASSES SUNDAY WITH BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW AND WHITE-OUT CONDITIONS. A BREAK IN THE ACTIVITIY FOLLOWS MONDAY AS THE LOW OFF THE NW COAST REGATHERS ITSELF. HUSTON .LONG TERM...MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. PERIOD BEGINS UNDER A WEAK TRANSIENT UPPER RIDGE. THE RIDGE SHIFTS EASTWARD BY TUESDAY MORNING OPENING UP A MOIST SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW WITH MODELS HITTING THE CENTRAL IDAHO MOUNTAINS WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF PRECIPITATION. THE SURFACE GRADIENT INCREASES AS WELL ON TUESDAY AS A COLD FRONT PUSHES ONTO THE WASHINGTON/OREGON COAST. WINDS AT 700MB INCREASE TO AROUND 45 TO 50 KTS OVER THE SNAKE PLAIN AND SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS THE FRONT PASSES THROUGH SOUTHEAST IDAHO. PRECIPITATION WILL SHIFT EASTWARD AS THE UPPER TROUGH FINALLY PASSES THROUGH ON THURSDAY NIGHT. GFS/ECMWF ARE FAIRLY WELL IN PHASE THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING WITH THE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN...BUT GFS BUILDS A HIGHER AMPLITUDE RIDGE OVER THE PACIFIC COAST ON FRIDAY MORNING. HINSBERGER && .AVIATION...TERMINAL HAVE RECEIVED AT LEAST SOME RAIN TODAY WITH ONLY KSUN CURRENTLY BELOW VFR CONDITIONS. GOES-DERIVED MVFR PROBABILITY SEEMS TO BE EXPANDING ACROSS THE UPPER SNAKE PLAIN. HAVE THUS INCLUDED A TEMPO AT KIDA FOR 2000 FT CEILING FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS. EXCEPT FOR KBYI...MOS GUIDANCE AND BUFR SOUNDINGS POINT TO CONTINUED RAIN INTO EARLY TOMORROW MORNING WITH SOME CEILING/VISIBILITY IMPROVEMENT AROUND SUNRISE TOMORROW. KBYI SHOULD REMAIN VFR. HINSBERGER && .HYDROLOGY...A MOIST PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM IS STILL EXPECTED TO DELIVER UPWARDS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES OF LIQUID PRECIPITATION TO THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS TODAY THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. HENCE A HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR CUSTER AND BLAINE COUNTIES WITH THE GREATEST CONCERN BEING DEBRIS FLOWS WHICH MAY DEVELOP OVER SOME OF THE BURN SCARS LEFT FROM THIS PAST SUMMER. THE REMAINDER OF SE IDAHO SHOULD SEE ANWHERE FROM 1 TO 2 INCHES TOTAL LIQUID FOR THE ENTIRE EVENT. && .PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 AM MST MONDAY ABOVE 6500 FEET FOR THE IDZ019-023-025-031-032. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 AM MST MONDAY IDZ018. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO ID 438 AM MST FRI NOV 30 2012 IDZ018-019-023-025-031-032-011145- SAWTOOTH MOUNTAINS-UPPER SNAKE HIGHLANDS-CARIBOU HIGHLANDS- WASATCH MOUNTAINS/IDAHO PORTION-BIG AND LITTLE WOOD RIVER REGION- LOST RIVER/PAHSIMEROI- 438 AM MST FRI NOV 30 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN IDAHO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR HEAVY SNOW ABOVE 6500 FEET. AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF A FOOT ARE POSSIBLE IN THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS WITH LESSER AMOUNTS IN THE EASTERN HIGHLANDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY HIGH ELEVATION SNOW WILL CONTINUE SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. ANOTHER SYSTEM MAY BRING SNOW ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. .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. IDZ017-020>022-024-011145- EASTERN MAGIC VALLEY-UPPER SNAKE RIVER PLAIN- LOWER SNAKE RIVER PLAIN-SOUTH CENTRAL HIGHLANDS- CACHE VALLEY/IDAHO PORTION- 438 AM MST FRI NOV 30 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN IDAHO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT EXPECT RAIN BELOW 6500 FEET WITH SNOW ABOVE THAT LEVEL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY VALLEY RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL CONTINUE SATURDAY AND SUNDAY WITH SOME DRYING MONDAY. MORE PRECIPITATION WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. .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.
A powerful Pacific storm system brought 3 days of heavy snow to elevations above 7000 feet. 38 inches fell at Smiley Mountain with 28 inches at Mill Creek Summit and a storm high of 43 inches at Bear Canyon.
Eighteen inches of snow fell at Black Bear with 34 inches at White Elephant.
Heavy snow fell above 7 thousand feet as a very moist Pacific system moved slowly through the region. 42 inches fell at Dollarhide Summit at 8,420 feet. 28 inches fell at Galena Summit with 31 inches at Hyndman and 29 inches at Lost Wood Divide.
A strong and wet Pacific storm system brought 27 inches of snow to Hilt's Creek.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, December 2012
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: 425094, 425095, 425104, 425113.