Another Pacific storm dropped heavy snow on the Idaho mountains.
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.
Another Pacific storm dropped heavy snow on the Idaho mountains.
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 27, 2:29 AM MST, 2 hours 31 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pocatello ID 229 AM MST Tue Dec 27 2016 .SHORT TERM...Today through Thursday night. General zonal flow aloft this morning, but nose of Pacific moisture plume is edging into Idaho which will result in snowfall beginning this morning for the region. Areas in the Upper Snake River Plain should be shadowed from much of the precip. With a 130kt to 140kt jet bearing down on the area, surface winds will correspondingly increase. Snowfall, combined with the Christmas Day snowstorm, will increase the possibility of blowing snow today through tomorrow, which may impact travel. Moisture diminishes tomorrow afternoon as broad ridging develops upstream. Hinsberger .LONG TERM...Friday through next Tuesday. Through the long-term portion of the forecast, forecast guidance suite is in good overall agreement - lending to higher than average confidence in resultant sensible weather. On Friday, a trough of low pressure is expected to approach from the northwest, with an upper low forming off the base of the trough and then barreling southeast along the California coast. As a result the trough passing over our area will weaken gradually. The end result will mean less overall snowfall over SE Idaho. Snow associated with this system should enter the Central Mountains and Continental Divide region by Friday afternoon, ending over the Central Mountains Saturday with the remaining snow showers becoming focused from the Divide east to Island Park as Friday evening progresses with snow showers becoming less numerous southward to the ID Wasatch by Saturday. Light snow showers will be possible for the benches and Highlands along and east of the I-15 corridor as well Saturday. Drier conditions then briefly re-emerge Saturday night before a fairly strong trough approaches from the Pacific Northwest Sunday. This system is expected to spread snow showers across all of SE Idaho on Sunday, with activity currently expected to linger into Monday. On an impact scale (low - medium - high), snow amounts with this system may be low to medium. One noteworthy impact associated with this system is the anticipated surge of Arctic air, which is expected to ooze into SE Idaho Monday, with even colder conditions for Tuesday -- potentially some 15 to 20 degrees below climatological averages. An uptick in winds with this system may lead to areas of blowing snow. All factors considered, this system has the potential to bring medium impacts to the region due to the combination of new snow, winds and cold. Until this surge of Arctic air, temperatures should run slightly below average. AD/Hinsberger && .AVIATION...Low clouds and fog at IDA have brought conditions to near and even below airfield minimums at times over the past couple of hours. With VFR clouds overspreading the region, fog/stratus features should gradually diminish. At PIH and IDA, LLWS is present as southerly winds of 25-30kt are indicated on soundings as low as 500ft AGL. These conditions will likely persist until low-level inversions can be eliminated, allowing these winds to mix to the surface. This should occur at PIH 18-21Z and at IDA around 21Z. Speaking of winds, they will be on the increase, with southwesterly winds peaking in speeds at PIH and IDA around 00Z, with gusts near 30kt possible. There is some potential for these SW winds to reach the surface at SUN as well in the 00-03Z timeframe. Meanwhile, SHSN will impact all terminals this forecast period. -SN should develop at SUN by 18Z and at DIJ shortly thereafter. -SN should then develop at BYI, PIH and IDA 21-00Z. CIGS and VIS in -SN should easily achieve MVFR with IFR CIGS/VIS likely in heavier activity. Model time-height cross sections then indicate good potential of IFR to possibly LIFR CIGS developing in low stratus at all sites after 00Z. This may linger through Wed, particularly for Snake Plain sites. -SN should end at Snake Plain sites around or shortly after 06Z Wed, but may linger at SUN and DIJ through the night. AD/Hinsberger && .PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory from noon today to 11 AM MST Wednesday for IDZ017-020-021. Winter Weather Advisory from 5 AM early this morning to 11 AM MST Wednesday for IDZ023-025-032. Winter Storm Warning from 5 AM early this morning to 11 AM MST Wednesday for IDZ018-019-031. &&
3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
SNOTEL snow amounts were the following: 21 inches at Black Bear, 9 inches at Island Park, 13 inches at Phillips Bench, and 19 inches at White Elephant.
Heavy snow was reported at the following SNOTEL sites: 11 inches Dollarhide Summit, 15 inches Galena, 10 inches Galena Summit, 15 inches Lost Wood Divide, and 15 inches at Vienna Mine.
Heavy snow occurred at the following SNOTEL sites: Hilts Creek 9 inches, Meadow Lake 12 inches, and 15 inches Moonshine.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, December 2016
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: 672335, 672338, 672340.