A strong cold front moved through eastern Idaho causing widespread 55 to 65 mph wind gusts. The winds caused a dust storm on interstate 86 reducing visibility to zero.
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 strong cold front moved through eastern Idaho causing widespread 55 to 65 mph wind gusts. The winds caused a dust storm on interstate 86 reducing visibility to zero. The visibility caused a 16 car crash west of the Arbon Valley/Rainbow Road exit between American Falls and Chubbuck. Both lanes of a 12 mile stretch of interstate 86 was closed from 4:45 until 9:45 pm between exits 49 and 61.
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 Apr 12, 1:20 PM MST, 18 hours 40 minutes earlier.
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</html>3 high wind, 1 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Widespread 50 to 70 mph wind gusts occurred behind the passage of a strong cold front. Taber measured 68 mph for a peak wind with 62 mph at Atomic city, 56 mph at Idaho Falls, and 57 mph at Rexburg.
Fifty to 60 mph wind gusts occurred throughout the Magic Valley. Minidoka had a peak gust of 59 mph at 4 pm.
Fifty to 65 mph wind gusts were common throughout the Lower Snake River Plain. Blackfoot recorded a 61 mph wind with 57 mph at fort Hall and 55 mph at Pocatello. winds blew off 6 feet of siding from a Chubbuck residence.
Fifty to 60 mph wind gusts caused a dust storm on interstate 86 in between Chubbuck and American Falls reducing visibility to zero. The visibility caused a 16 car crash west of the Arbon Valley/Rainbow Road exit between American Falls and Chubbuck. Both lanes of a 12 mile stretch of interstate 86 was closed from 4:45 until 9:45 pm between exits 49 and 61. A peak wind gust of 55 mph was measured at the ASOS at the Pocatello Regional Airport.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, April 2013
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: 448370, 448374, 448378, 448368.