A late November snow storm created extensive travel problems in the Snake River Plain and Upper Snake Highlands. 4 to 12 inches of snow was reported in the Upper Snake Highlands and 2 to 4 inches of snow fell in the Snake River Plain resulting in extensive travel problems including one fatality near Rexburg.
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 late November snow storm created extensive travel problems in the Snake River Plain and Upper Snake Highlands. 4 to 12 inches of snow was reported in the Upper Snake Highlands and 2 to 4 inches of snow fell in the Snake River Plain resulting in extensive travel problems including one fatality near Rexburg.
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 Nov 27, 1:44 PM MST, 6 hours 16 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pocatello ID 144 PM MST Sun Nov 27 2016 .SHORT TERM...Tonight through Wednesday. Next short wave moving into the Pac NW this aftn is expected to move into ID on Mon. Light snow will increase in areal coverage tonight and taper off to scattered snow showers Mon eve. Heaviest snow accumulations will be in the southeast highlands where up to 7 inches may fall by Mon eve at higher elevations...with 1 to 3 in the valleys. The southern highlands and the central mtns should see around 1 to 3 inches. The Snake River Plain/eastern Magic Valley about 1 to 2 inches. The complicating factor will be the wind...which is expected to become strong Mon morn with gusts up to 45 mph by aftn. The central mtns and upper Snake highlands should not be quite as windy. The strong winds may compound driving difficulties Mon...so decided to go with a winter weather advisory even though snow amounts are expected to be below criteria. As strong north flow aloft takes over in the wake of the short wave...colder temps and lingering mtn snow showers can be expected Tue and Wed. Another short wave moves into the Pac NW on Wed... with snow increasing in coverage Wed aftn. Hedges .LONG TERM...Wednesday night through Sunday. A low pressure system will arrive from the northwest Wednesday night and Thursday. This appears to be another snow maker for the region with relatively light amounts likely. This system exits the area by Friday. Northwest flow over the region sets up for the weekend with some light snow possible for the mountains and upper snake highlands as moisture streams through the region from the Pacific. Valle && .AVIATION...A mix of vfr to ifr ceilings this afternoon as a weak system moves through the region. A few snow showers exist as well which may reduce ceilings and visibilities as well especially around IDA and DIJ. Winds are rather gusty as well and will remain so into the evening. A second system will arrive late tonight bringing more widespread snow to the region. Expect widespread mvfr to ifr conditions with brisk conditions redeveloping towards sunrise. Valle && .PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory from midnight tonight to 6 PM MST Monday for IDZ017-020>025. &&
3 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Snow amounts were 12 inches in the Drake Creek area of the Teton valley and 8 inches in Victor. At 4 am Highwy 32 was impassable from Ashton to Victor.
Two to 4 inches of snow fell in the region creating extremely icy road conditions the morning of the 28th. A rollover caused one fatality on Highway 20 near Rexburg at around 8 am. Several other crashes and slideoffs were also reported. One rollover on interstate 15 near Shelley caused several to be taken to a local hospital.
Around 2 to 4 inches of snow fell creating very icy road conditions for the morning commute on November 28th. There was a rollover on interstate on interstate 86 near Pocatello shortly before 7:30 am and 4 people were transported to a local hospital. State police reported 6 crashes and 26 slide offs in the Pocatello and surrounding areas during the morning commute. There were also many slide offs reported in the Blackfoot area on interstate 15 during the morning commute.
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 | 2016-11-28 | 19 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
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, November 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: 667501, 667508, 667518.