Idaho, 2017

Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Idaho, December 28 to 29, 2017

December 28 to 29, 2017 · NWS MSO · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A prolonged period of moderate to heavy snow caused difficult travel conditions and sporadic power outages across central Idaho. While lower elevations experienced a mixture of snow, rain and freezing rain, the combination of rain and snow melt led to water on roadways in a few places.

Where it happened

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.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$10,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS MSO wrote it up.

A prolonged period of moderate to heavy snow caused difficult travel conditions and sporadic power outages across central Idaho. While lower elevations experienced a mixture of snow, rain and freezing rain, the combination of rain and snow melt led to water on roadways in a few places.

What forecasters said that day

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 Missoula, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 28, 3:14 AM PST, 9 hours 46 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 28, 3:14 AM PST, 9 hours 46 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 28, 7:11 AM PST, 5 hours 49 minutes before
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Local storm report, Dec 28, 7:12 AM PST, 5 hours 48 minutes before
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Local storm report, Dec 28, 7:13 AM PST, 5 hours 47 minutes before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 heavy snow, 1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Northern Clearwater Mountains

When
December 28, 1:00 PM PST to December 29, 11:00 PM PST
Where
Northern Clearwater Mountains forecast zone
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
46.674, -115.657 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

About 3 feet of snow was reported at Elk River with power outages in the area. For the lower elevations, freezing rain was reported. Also there was minor flooding due to blocked culverts in portions of western Clearwater County.

Winter Storm, Southern Clearwater Mountains

When
December 29, 12:00 AM PST to 11:00 PM PST
Where
Southern Clearwater Mountains forecast zone
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
Department of Highways
Coordinates
45.844, -115.467 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

In Elk City, heavy snow brought down power lines and trees causing an extended power outage that lasted for three days from 11 am PST on the 28th to 10 am PST on the 30th. Heavy wet snow also caused several power outages in the Lower Middlefork, Lowell, Selway and Tahoe areas. The Idaho Transportation Department reported 37 inches at the Powell Shed. Around 22 inches of snow was reported at Lolo Pass, between 14 and 18 inches of snow fell in Elk City and the Dixie COOP reported 11 inches over 3 days. For the lower elevations, Kooskia saw 6 inches of heavy wet snow while freezing rain was reported on highway 12 with several trees down near Lowell.

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
Winter Storm
A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Idaho in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, December 2017

Sources

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 726361, 726362.