A Pacific storm system brought heavy snow to the mountains of Idaho with several SNOTEL locations receiving in excess of one foot. 4 to 6 inches of snow was reported in the Pocatello metro area.
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 Pacific storm system brought heavy snow to the mountains of Idaho with several SNOTEL locations receiving in excess of one foot. 4 to 6 inches of snow was reported in the Pocatello metro area. Several accidents were reported on interstate 15 from Idaho Falls through Inkom. The right lane of interstate 15 southbound near Inkom was closed for 3 hours shortly after 11 am on the 7th. Both lanes of interstate 15 southbound near Idaho Falls at around the same time were also closed for 3 hours.
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 Dec 6, 1:08 PM MST, 7 hours 52 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO ID 108 PM MST FRI DEC 6 2013 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. WV IMAGERY SHOWS CIRCULATION DEVELOPING IN THE NORTHERLY FLOW OFF THE OR/WA COAST. MADE ONLY MINOR TWEAKS TO FORECAST AS MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW PROGRESSION OF THIS TROUGH EASTWARD THROUGH TOMORROW NIGHT. FORCING WILL BE FOCUSED ALONG OUR SOUTHERN BORDER. CURRENT HEADLINES LOOK TO BE ON TRACK AND SNOW AMOUNTS LOOK REASONABLE GIVEN THE TRACK OF THE SURFACE LOW. WINDS WILL INCREASE AS THE LOW APPROACHES WITH A TIGHT GRADIENT SETTING UP AS THE LOW MOVES OVER THE GREAT SALT LAKE BY TOMORROW AFTERNOON. GUIDANCE KEEPS WINDS BELOW ADVISORY LEVEL...BUT AT THESE TEMPERATURES IT SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO PRODUCE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. COLDER TEMPERATURES MOVE IN BEHIND THE UPPER SYSTEM WITH HIGHS SUNDAY ABOUT 10 DEGREES COLDER THAN SATURDAY. HINSBERGER .LONG TERM...MON NIGHT THROUGH NEXT FRI NIGHT. LONGWAVE PATTERN IS UNCHANGED...A POLAR VORTEX ANCHORED IN THE VICINITY OF BAFFIN ISLAND AND A RIDGE SLOWLY DE-AMPLIFYING SOMEWHERE NEAR 130W DURING THE PERIOD. THIS WILL GENERALLY MEAN A WARM-UP IN TEMPERATURES WITH A BETTER CHANCE OF WESTERLY AND EVEN SOUTHWESTERLY WIND AS THE STORM TRACK SHIFTS AWAY FROM THE NORTH TO SOUTH APPROACH. BY THE END OF THIS PERIOD...TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE APPROACHING NORMAL. PRECIPITATION-WISE HOWEVER...THE DEVIL IS CERTAINLY IN THE DETAILS. THE ECMWF AND GFS ARE FARTHER APART IN SOLUTIONS WITH LITTLE RUN TO RUN CONSISTENCY. THIS MAKES FOR A DIFFICULT FORECAST FOR THIS MEDIUM RANGE PERIOD. THE ONLY THING THAT STANDS OUT IS THE THE FIRST PART IS FAIRLY DRY...THEN SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE PART OF THE FORECAST A RIDGE WILL DEVELOP OVERHEAD FOR ONE DRY DAY OR SO...THEN TURN WETTER FOR THE LAST 48 HOURS OF THE PERIOD. HOWEVER...THERE IS NO SIGNIFICANT TROUGH OR FRONT IN ANY SOLUTION...AT LEAST FOR TODAY. THUS MAINLY SLIGHT CHANCE TO BORDERLINE ZERO CHANCE FOR MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA...EVEN DURING THE LAST 48 HOURS. MESSICK && .AVIATION...CIGS AND VSBYS WILL DETERIORATE TONIGHT AS A TROUGH MOVES IN. WHILE IT LOOKS LIKE THE LOWER ELEVATION AIRDROMES WILL CONTINUE AT MARGINAL VFR UNTIL AT LEAST MID-MORNING SAT...KSUN SHOULD BE AT COMPLETE CLOSURE FOR THE MORNING TOMORROW. FOUR AND A HALF INCHES OF SNOWFALL EXPECTED IN THE WOOD RIVER VALLEY...WITH HEAVIEST SNOW DEVELOPING RIGHT AROUND THE USUAL OPENING TIME FOR THE AIRPORT OPERATIONS. HOPEFULLY SHOULD BE SOME IMPROVEMENT IN THE AFTERNOON...JUST NOT SURE IF THE MAGNITUDE WILL BE ENOUGH TO OPEN THE AIRPORT. NO SIGNIFICANT WIND WITH THE APPROACHING TROUGH. MESSICK && .PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 11 PM MST SATURDAY IDZ017-021. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 11 PM MST SATURDAY IDZ022>025. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO ID 426 AM MST FRI DEC 6 2013 IDZ017>025-031-032-071130- 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- 426 AM MST FRI DEC 6 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN IDAHO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SNOW FLURRIES ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE AREA TODAY WITH LITTLE ACCUMULATION ANTICIPATED. SNOW SHOWERS WILL START LATE TONIGHT ACROSS THE AREA AS THE NEXT SYSTEM MOVES IN. OTHERWISE...WELL BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TODAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY LOOK FOR MODERATE SNOW ACROSS THE AREA PARTICULARLY ACROSS OUR SOUTHERN AND SOUTHEAST AREAS EARLY SATURDAY MORNING AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY. CURRENTLY ANTICIPATING 3 TO 6 INCHES IN THE MOUNTAINS AND 2 TO 4 INCHES IN THE VALLEYS. SOME LINGERING SNOW IS POSSIBLE SUNDAY FOR BENCH AREAS ACROSS THE SNAKE RIVER PLAIN AND ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS AND WASATCH MOUNTAINS. A RETURN TO NORTHERLY FLOW ON SUNDAY WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES WELL BELOW NORMAL. .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.
7 heavy snow, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Sixteen inches of snow fell at Lost Wood Divide, Dollarhide Summit, and Galena. 25 inches of snow fell at Galena Summit with 18 inches at Garfield Ranger Station .
Heavy snow totals at SNOTEL sites were the following: 12 inches at Stickney Mill, 16 inches at Smiley Mountain16 inches at Mill Creek Summit, and 12 inches at Bear Canyon.
Sixteen inches of snow fell at both the Island Park and Crab Creek SNOTEL sites.
One foot of snow was recorded at Oxford Springs, Bostetter Ranger Station, and Howell Canyon.
Twelve inches of snow fell at Somsen Ranch and Sedgwick Peak with 16 inches at Wildhorse Divide. A multiple vehicle accident occurred on interstate 15 near Inkom. The right lane of interstate 15 southbound near Inkom was closed for 3 hours shortly after 11 am on the 7th.
Sixteen inches of snow fell at Slug Creek Divide with 8 inches at Emigrant Summit.
A multiple vehicle accident at around 11 am on the 7th 5 miles south of Idaho Falls closed southbound interstate 15 for several hours. Snow amounts in the Upper Snake River Plain with the storm ranged from 2 to 4 inches.
The National Weather Service Office at the Pocatello Regional Airport recorded 6.1 inches of snow on the 7th and 8th. National Weather Service personnel reported 5 inches of snowfall in the cities of Chubbuck and Pocatello.
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, December 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: 490069, 490056, 490058, 490065, 490066, 490067, 490059, 490064.