Several schools in southeastern Idaho were closed on February 6th due to extreme cold wind chill readings of 20 below zero or colder.
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 schools in southeastern Idaho were closed on February 6th due to extreme cold wind chill readings of 20 below zero or colder.
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 5, 2:25 PM MST, 11 hours 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO ID 225 PM MST WED FEB 5 2014 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. VERY COLD AIR MASS OVER THE REGION TODAY. AN UPPER LOW CONTINUES TO DEVELOP OVER WESTERN MONTANA. MEANWHILE MOISTURE CONTINUES TO STREAM INTO THE AREA FROM THE PACIFIC WHICH IS PRODUCING SOME OCCASIONAL LIGHT SNOW ACROSS THE REGION. AMOUNTS WITH EACH WAVE REMAIN LIGHT...LESS THAN AN INCH. THE UPPER LOW WILL MOVE WESTWARD INTO WASHINGTON TONIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING. OCCASIONAL LIGHT SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE INTO THE AREA...PERHAPS AFFECTING EXTREME SOUTHERN IDAHO MORE SO. AMOUNTS WILL REMAIN LIGHT...GENERALLY LESS THAN AN INCH. THINK THE WIND CHILLS WILL ONCE AGAIN BE A PROBLEM FOR THE UPPER SNAKE PLAIN TONIGHT WHERE WIND SPEEDS WILL BE AROUND 10 MPH AND WIND CHILLS IN THE -20 TO -30 RANGE. THEREFORE WILL ISSUE A WIND CHILL WARNING FOR TONIGHT FOR THOSE AREAS. BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON A VERY STRONG PUSH OF MOISTURE MOVES ONSHORE. THE POSITION OF THE UPPER LOW WILL PUMP THIS MOISTURE BEGINNING THURSDAY NIGHT. EXPECT WIDESPREAD SNOW TO PUSH ACROSS THE REGION THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. MEANWHILE GUSTY WINDS WILL ARRIVE BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON ALONG WITH WARMER TEMPS. THE TIMING OF THE WARM AIR IS PROBLEMATIC IN TERMS OF A RAIN/SNOW MIX FRIDAY AFTERNOON. HOWEVER THINK THERE WILL BE ENOUGH SNOW ON THE GROUND BY THAT TIME TO CREATE BLOWING AND DRIFTING ISSUES AREAWIDE. CURRENT FORECAST SNOW TOTALS FROM THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT ARE FOR 3 TO 6 INCHES OF SNOW IN THE SNAKE PLAIN...6 TO 12 INCHES IN THE VALLEY COMMUNITIES OF THE MOUNTAINS AND HIGHLANDS...WITH 1 TO 2 FEET IN THE MOUNTAINS. REASONS FOR UNCERTAINTY...FIRST THE NWS FORECAST UNDERCUTS GUIDANCE TEMPS WITH THE THINKING THAT THE MODELS ARE SCOURING OUT THE COLD AIR A TOUCH TOO FAST. IF MODELS ARE CURRENT...FORECAST SNOW AMOUNTS IN THE VALLEYS ARE TOO HIGH AND COULD BE SCALED BACK TO ABOUT HALF OF THESE PROJECTIONS. SECOND...THE MODELS HAVE BEEN CONSISTENTLY INCONSISTENT. THE MODELS AGREE ON A SOLUTION ONE MODEL RUN...THEN UNANIMOUSLY CHANGE THE SOLUTION ON THE NEXT RUN. THERE IS A STRONG PUSH OF MOISTURE COMING INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST...HOWEVER A GREAT DEAL OF UNCERTAINTY EXISTS IN TERMS OF PRECISELY WHO RECEIVES IT. ALTHOUGH IT LOOKS MORE LIKELY THAT IT MAY AFFECT CENTRAL AND EASTERN IDAHO. THEREFORE A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST LOCATIONS EXCEPT FOR THE CHALLIS TO MACKAY AREAS WHERE SNOW AMOUNTS ARE LESS BECAUSE OF A SHADOWING EFFECT. CURRENT FORECAST MODELS SHOW THE STREAM CONTINUING INTO THE WEEKEND. MAY BE LOOKING AT A LONG DURATION ADVISORIES AND WARNINGS THAT COULD LINGER THROUGH THE WEEKEND. VALLE .LONG TERM...SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY. EXPECT PRECIPITATION EARLY IN THE LONG TERM THROUGH SUNDAY WITH BOTH GFS AND EUROPEAN MODELS KEEPING WEEKEND SYSTEM GOING. HAVE HIGHEST POPS IN THE SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY PERIOD. BOTH GFS AND EUROPEAN DEVELOP SHORT WAVE RIDGE MONDAY INTO TUESDAY AND PREFERENCE WAS TO DRY OUT SOME WITH POPS IN GRIDS SOMEWHAT IN THIS PERIOD. WENT BACK TO CLIMATOLOGICAL OR HIGHER BY WEDNESDAY AND ZONAL PATTERN RETURNS AFTER SHORT WAVE RIDGE SLIDES EAST. TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE NEAR OR ABOVE SEASONAL NORMALS THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH WARMEST EXPECTED SUNDAY. GK && .AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS HAVE MOVED INTO REGION AND EXPECT TO CONTINUE THROUGH MOST OF THIS EVENING. CONTINUED AT ALL FOUR TAF SITES THROUGH 06Z. GK && .PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WATCH FROM THURSDAY EVENING THROUGH LATE FRIDAY NIGHT IDZ017-020-021. WIND CHILL WARNING FROM 8 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 AM MST THURSDAY IDZ019-020. WINTER STORM WATCH FROM THURSDAY EVENING THROUGH LATE FRIDAY NIGHT IDZ019-022>025. WINTER STORM WATCH FROM THURSDAY EVENING THROUGH LATE FRIDAY NIGHT IDZ018-031. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO ID 351 AM MST WED FEB 5 2014 IDZ017>025-031-032-061100- 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- 351 AM MST WED FEB 5 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN IDAHO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT LIGHT SNOW WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF EASTERN IDAHO. AMOUNTS WILL BE LIGHT EVEN IN THE MOUNTAINS. WINDS WILL BE LOCALLY GUSTY WHICH MEANS LOCALIZED BLOWING/DRIFTING SNOW IS POSSIBLE. WIND CHILLS THIS MORNING FOR SOME OF THE HIGHER MOUNTAIN ELEVATIONS AS WELL AS THE UPPER SNAKE PLAIN AND HIGHLANDS ARE IN THE -20 TO -40 DEGREE RANGE. EXPECT SIMILAR CONDITIONS TONIGHT IN MOST OF THESE AREAS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY IT NOW APPEARS THAT THE VERY COLD AIRMASS IN PLACE NOW WILL NOT STICK AROUND. WE SHOULD SEE A QUICK SHIFT TOWARD A WETTER AND WARMER PATTERN BEGIN LATER THURSDAY AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND. SNOW AND WIND WILL BECOME WIDESPREAD BY FRIDAY MORNING AND REMAIN IN PLACE THROUGH SUNDAY WITH ANY BREAKS IN PRECIPITATION BEING BRIEF. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM TO AROUND NORMAL OVER THE WEEKEND...WHICH MEAN A FEW LOWER VALLEY SPOTS MAY SEE A RAIN/SNOW MIX BY SUNDAY. IT IS TOO EARLY STILL TO PINPOINT AMOUNTS BUT IT APPEARS THE WESTERN CENTRAL MOUNTAINS...THE EASTERN HIGHLANDS...MAGIC VALLEY AND THE I-15 CORRIDOR WILL LIKELY SEE ENHANCED TOTALS THROUGH SUNDAY. WINTER WEATHER HEADLINES ARE LIKELY IN ORDER FOR FRIDAY AND POTENTIALLY EXTENDED INTO THE WEEKEND. .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 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
The Idaho Falls School District, Shelley School District, Firth School District, Bonneville School District, Ririe School District, Sugar-Salem School District, and Madison School District all closed on February 6th due to wind chill readings of 20 to 35 below zero.
The Fremont County School District 215 and Clark County School District 61 were closed on February 6th due to extreme cold wind chill readings of 20 to 35 below zero.
Butte county School District 111 was closed on February 6th due to wind chill readings of 20 to 35 degrees below zero.
The Snake River and Blackfoot School Districts closed due to wind chill readings colder than 20 degrees below zero the morning of February 6th.
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: 502969, 502970, 502971, 502966.