Several traffic accidents occurred on February 3rd with one fatality on interstate 15 and heavy snow fell in the Upper Snake River Highlands. Several roads closed the evening of the 3rd including parts of interstate 15, US Route 20 and State Highway 87.
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.
Several traffic accidents occurred on February 3rd with one fatality on interstate 15 and heavy snow fell in the Upper Snake River Highlands. Several roads closed the evening of the 3rd including parts of interstate 15, US Route 20 and State Highway 87.
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 Feb 2, 8:22 PM MST, 5 hours 38 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO ID 822 PM MST SUN FEB 2 2014 .UPDATE...AREA OF LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS HAS PUSHED INTO THE EASTERN HIGHLANDS PER RADAR IMAGERY AHEAD OF SHORTWAVE AXIS MOVING UP THE SNAKE RIVER PLAIN. TEMPORARY CLEARING BEHIND THE SHORTWAVE MAY BE ENOUGH TO SCOUR MID CLOUD ACROSS THE AREA BUT IT WILL BE SHORTLIVED AS NEXT BATCH OF MOISTURE ALREADY PROGRESSING TOWARD THE REGION. PRECIP ASSOCIATED WITH INCOMING SYSTEM ALREADY FALLING IN NORTHEAST OREGON AND SHOULD ARRIVE AFTER MIDNIGHT IN THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AS SHORTWAVE AXIS SWINGS CLOSER TO IDAHO. BELIEVE TIMING IN GRIDS TONIGHT STILL REASONABLE SO NO UPDATES ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. DMH && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 157 PM MST SUN FEB 2 2014/ SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE PLAYING HAVOC WITH THE FORECAST TODAY. STRATUS HAS BEEN TRYING TO BURN OFF BUT HAVING A DIFFICULT TIME. RADAR SHOWING A FEW SNOW SHOWERS OVER THE HIGHLANDS. THIS IS IN RESPONSE TO A WEAK SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVING THROUGH THE REGION INTERACTING WITH THE LOW STRATUS. ANY ACCUMULATIONS WILL REMAIN AROUND A DUSTING AT BEST. THE MORE SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ARRIVES ON MONDAY IN THE FORM OF A STRONG COLD FRONT. THIS FRONT WILL PRODUCE WIDESPREAD SNOW ACROSS THE REGION. EXPECT SNOW TO ARRIVE IN THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS MONDAY MORNING AND SPREAD ACROSS THE REGION MONDAY AFTERNOON. AMOUNTS LOOK RELATIVELY LIGHT BECAUSE OF THE SPEED OF THE SYSTEM. EXPECT THE MOUNTAINS TO SEE 2 TO 4 INCHES WITH THE VALLEYS AND SNAKE PLAIN IN THE 1 TO 3 INCH RANGE. MUCH COLDER AIR WILL ACCOMPANY THE FRONT. THIS WILL PRODUCE A CONVERGENCE EVENT FOR MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING. AMOUNTS LOOK WEAK AT THIS POINT WITH THE CONVERGENCE EVENT...GENERALLY LESS THAN AN INCH. TEMPERATURES WILL DROP ABOUT 10 TO 15 DEGREES FROM MONDAY TO TUESDAY. MANY LOCATIONS WILL SEE LOWS FOR WEDNESDAY MORNING AROUND OR BELOW ZERO. UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL PERSIST INTO TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL SLOWLY DEVELOP OVER WESTERN MONTANA DURING THIS TIME. AMOUNTS DURING THIS TIME LOOK VERY LIGHT...AN INCH OR LESS. VALLE LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. STILL SOME UNCERTAINTY ON SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH THURSDAY AND WHERE UPPER LOW WILL TRAVEL. BOTH GFS AND EUROPEAN MODELS KEEP MOST SNOW IN THE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT IN THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREAS WITH THE MOST OCCURRING IN THE SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS. FOR NOW KEPT A CHANCE OF SNOW OVER THE ENTIRE REGION WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. EUROPEAN DRIVES THE LOW FURTHER SOUTH THAN THE GFS INTO NORTHEAST NEVADA WHILE GFS DRIVES IT THROUGH EASTERN IDAHO BY SATURDAY MORNING. EUROPEAN HAS DRIER SOLUTION BUT STILL PUTS A SWATH IN THE SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS. HAVE HIGHEST PRECIPITATION CHANCES IN THE INITIAL PERIODS THROUGH FRIDAY THEN DROPPED OFF SATURDAY. ONCE UPPER LOW MOVES EAST MOISTURE WILL MOVE BACK IN ON WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT SUNDAY AND INCREASED PRECIPITATION ONCE AGAIN. WILL BE A VERY COLD PERIOD WITH UPPER TROF OVERHEAD WITH TEMPERATURES WELL BELOW SEASONAL NORMALS THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. EXPECT WARMUP BEGINNING SUNDAY IN THE WESTERLY FLOW. GK AVIATION...SNOW SHOWERS IN SNAKE RIVER PLAIN BRINGING TEMPORARY IFR CONDITIONS TO PIH EARLY THIS AFTERNOON MAY HAVE ACTIVITY IN PIH AND IDA UNTIL SUNSET. OUTSIDE OF SNOW SHOWERS SHOULD BE VFR. UPPER TROF APPROACHES IDAHO MONDAY AND EXPECT MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS TO DEVELOP IN SNOW AT SUN MONDAY MORNING WITH LOWERING CEILINGS AT BYI...PIH AND IDA TO MVFR CONDITIONS EARLY MONDAY. GK && .PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO ID 346 AM MST SUN FEB 2 2014 IDZ017>025-031-032-031100- 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- 346 AM MST SUN FEB 2 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN IDAHO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. LIGHT SNOW AND FLURRIES WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE MOUNTAINS AND HIGHLANDS OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN IDAHO TODAY AND TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY A WINTER STORM WILL SPREAD INTO CENTRAL IDAHO MONDAY MORNING AND BY EARLY AFTERNOON SHOULD COVER ALL OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN IDAHO WITH SOME LIGHT TO MODERATE AMOUNTS OF SNOW. THE STORM WILL CLEAR OUT BY TUESDAY MORNING. ANOTHER STORM IS EXPECTED EITHER THURSDAY OR FRIDAY. .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 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
The White Elephant SNOTEL recorded 11 inches of snow with 12 inches at Black Bear, 10 inches at Crab Creek, and 10 inches at Island Park. Ashton reported 6 inches of snow and snow, blowing snow and reduced visibilities caused the closing it interstate 15 from Dubois to the Montana state line.
Although snow amounts were only in the 1 to 3 inch range roadways became very difficult after sunset with several accidents in the Idaho Falls area. One crash on interstate 15 north of the Dad's truck stop in Idaho falls caused a fatality.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Storm, Upper Snake River Plain | 2014-02-03 | 74 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, February 2014
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: 502962, 502964.