A late winter storm developed over southern Nevada and moved northeast into Idaho bringing heavy snow and strong winds to parts of south central Idaho.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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 BOI wrote it up.
A late winter storm developed over southern Nevada and moved northeast into Idaho bringing heavy snow and strong winds to parts of south central Idaho.
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 Boise, ID wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 28, 8:14 PM MST, 5 hours 46 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOISE ID
914 PM MDT MON MAR 28 2016
.DISCUSSION...LITTLE CHANGE TO THE OVERNIGHT FORECAST IN REGARD
TO THE CURRENT HIGHLIGHTS. WATER VAPOR SATELLITE PICS SHOWING
UPPER LOW OVER E-CENTRAL NV IS STARTING TO LIFT NORTHEASTWARD
THIS EVENING. PRECIP SHIELD ON THE NORTHWEST PERIPHERY OF THE LOW
WILL GRADUALLY WORK INTO S-CENTRAL IDAHO LATE TONIGHT IN
CONJUNCTION WITH THE NORTHBOUND LOW. LATEST FORECAST MODELS REMAIN
IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH EVOLUTION OF THE PRECIP SHIELD AND EXPECTED
AMOUNTS OVERNIGHT...WITH HEAVIER SNOW STARTING IN THE WESTERN
MAGIC VALLEY AND SOUTHERN TWIN FALLS COUNTY BETWEEN 3AM AND 6AM
TUESDAY MORNING. ACROSS THE REST OF SOUTHEAST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST
IDAHO THE MAIN IMPACT WILL BE THE GUSTY WINDS. WINDS HAVE
DIMINISHED SOME FROM LATE THIS AFTERNOON BUT WILL RAMP UP AGAIN
TUESDAY AFTERNOON. OUTSIDE OF S-CENTRAL IDAHO MOST AREAS REMAIN
DRY INTO TUESDAY MORNING. MADE SMALL ADJUSTMENTS TO PRECIP CHANCES
OVERNIGHT... OTHERWISE FORECAST IS ON TRACK.
&&
.AVIATION...SHOWERS...MAINLY OF SNOW...WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE MAGIC
VALLEY AND SOUTHERN TWIN FALLS COUNTY AND EAST OF HIGHWAY 51 IN
OWYHEE COUNTY AFTER 04Z AND WILL LINGER OVER THIS AREA THROUGH AT
LEAST TUESDAY MORNING. MOUNTAINS WILL BECOME OBSCURED ALONG WITH
WIDESPREAD MVFR AND AREAS OF IFR CONDITIONS. REST OF THE FORECAST
AREA WILL SEE INCREASING CLOUDS WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS LATE TONIGHT.
SURFACE WINDS WEST TO NORTHWEST 10-20 KNOTS WITH LOCAL GUSTS TO 30
KNOTS. WINDS ALOFT NORTHERLY 15-25 KNOTS UP THROUGH 10K FEET MSL
TONIGHT.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION...
SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY...MODELS ARE IN EXCELLENT
AGREEMENT WITH REGARD TO TRACK OF THE UPPER LOW AND PLACEMENT OF
QPF/SNOWFALL. LATEST MODELS CONTINUE DEPICT SNOW DEVELOPING LATE
TONIGHT /NEAR THE TRACK OF THE MID-LEVEL CIRCULATION/ ACROSS
SOUTH-CENTRAL IDAHO. SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES...IS EXPECTED IN THE
WESTERN MAGIC VALLEY...SOUTHERN TWIN FALLS COUNTY...AND OWYHEE
COUNTY EAST OF HIGHWAY 51. SNOW WILL CONTINUE IN THESE AREAS
THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING...THEN GRADUALLY TAPER OFF TUESDAY
EVENING. THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE WESTERN MAGIC VALLEY
WILL BE UPGRADED TO A WINTER STORM WARNING WITH 4-6 INCHES
EXPECTED IN TWIN FALLS AND JEROME LATE TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY
MORNING. HEAVIER AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED SOUTH OF TWIN
FALLS...ESPECIALLY IN THE MOUNTAINS. THE SNOW MAY REACH AS FAR
NORTH AND WEST AS FAIRFIELD AND MOUNTAIN HOME...ALTHOUGH AMOUNTS
IN THOSE LOCATIONS WILL BE LIGHT. WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE
THROUGH TUESDAY...WITH A WIND ADVISORY ALREADY IN EFFECT FOR SE
OREGON AND PORTIONS OF SW IDAHO. THE ADVISORY WILL BE EXTENDED
THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING...OTHERWISE THE SPEEDS AND GUSTS LOOK TO
BE ON TRACK. A DRIER NORTHEAST FLOW ALOFT WILL BUILD INTO THE
REGION TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...RESULTING IN DECREASING
CLOUDS AND WINDS. TEMPERATURES WILL BE COLDER IN THE WESTERN
MAGIC VALLEY/SOUTHERN TWIN FALLS COUNTY ON TUESDAY...OTHERWISE
EXPECT A WARMING TREND THROUGH MIDWEEK.
LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY...SKIES BECOMING
INCREASINGLY CLEAR AND A WARMING TREND THROUGH SATURDAY AS A HIGH
AMPLITUDE RIDGE TRANSITIONS OVER THE REGION. MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES
OF ABOUT 10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL WILL BE REACHED SATURDAY AS THE
RIDGE MOVES DIRECTLY OVER THE REGION. NEXT CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION
FOR THE REGION COMES AS EARLY AS SATURDAY NIGHT AS A SHORT WAVE
PUNCHES THROUGH THE WEAKENING RIDGE...THOUGH TIMING AND COVERAGE
STILL NEEDS TO BE WORKED OUT BETWEEN THE MODELS. EXPECTING A BRIEF
BREAK IN PRECIP BEFORE ANOTHER SHORT WAVE PASSES THROUGH THE
REGION BEGINNING MONDAY NIGHT. TEMPERATURES WILL DECREASE A FEW
DEGREES EACH DAY.
&&
.BOI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...WINTER STORM WARNING FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO NOON MDT TUESDAY
IDZ016.
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO MIDNIGHT MDT
TUESDAY NIGHT IDZ015-030.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 10 AM TO 9 PM MDT TUESDAY IDZ012-029.
OR...WIND ADVISORY FROM 10 AM MDT /9 AM PDT/ TO 9 PM MDT /8 PM PDT/
TUESDAY ORZ061>064.
&&
WEATHER.GOV/BOISE
DISCUSSION...DG
AVIATION.....JA
PREV SHORT TERM...BW
PREV LONG TERM....AB/WHThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
A trained spotter and social media reported five to six inches of snow around the Jerome and Twin Falls areas.
The coop observer at Murphy Hot Springs reported nine inches of snow.
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, March 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: 618327, 618328.