Another in a series of very wet Pacific systems again brought heavy snow to the mountains of central and southeast Idaho with widespread amounts from 10 to as much as 40 inches.
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 in a series of very wet Pacific systems again brought heavy snow to the mountains of central and southeast Idaho with widespread amounts from 10 to as much as 40 inches.
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 20, 2:37 AM MST, 4 hours 23 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pocatello ID 237 AM MST Mon Feb 20 2017 .SHORT TERM...Today through Wednesday night. Another moist Pacific storm is expected to begin lots of moisture and warm temperatures through Tuesday. Have issued winter storm warnings above 6500 feet for the central mountains and a winter weather advisory above 6500 feet for the Upper Snake River Highlands. Lower elevations may start out as snow today but will quickly change to rain below 6500 feet. Areal and river flooding will remain a threat as well through the short term. More rain is likely in Minidoka County where flooding remains widespread with very warm temperatures through Tuesday. A cold front will move through Idaho on Tuesday and temperatures will drop substantially Tuesday night with high temperatures Wednesday back to near or slightly below seasonal normals for late February. Will also see windy conditions ahead of and behind the cold front Tuesday and Tuesday night. May need wind advisories on Tuesday but will hold off on issuing any at this time. GK .LONG TERM...Thursday through next Monday. The GFS and ECMWF remain fairly similar on the broad strokes but differ with some of the details as two waves drop SSW across WRN Canada into the NW Thursday and again Friday helping to maintain a broad cool upper trough and a chance/slight chance mention of snow across the region. By Sunday, a mostly dry Canadian trough sweeps through the region ahead of another Pacific trough dropping into the NW late Sunday into Monday. At this point the models diverge on the handling of this system with the ECMWF driving most of the energy and precipitation south along the coast whereas the GFS pushes it inland under a much more progressive NNW flow regime. Either way, a chance mention of snow across the region is a reasonable response. Temps will run at or below normal through this period. Huston && .AVIATION...A flat ridge was positioned over the area early this morning resulting in mostly VFR SCT conditions as the next Pacific trough was advancing toward the NRN California coast. Numerical models suggest increasing warm-frontal precipitation across the region this morning followed by a straight shot of sub-tropical moisture embedded in SW flow this afternoon and continuing through the night. CIGS will deteriorate with the incoming moisture generally running with low VFR CIGS in the Snake River Plain and occasional MVFR and tempo IFR conditions in rain. KSUN will likely see IFR/LIFR CIGS through at least Tuesday eve/Wednesday before seeing some relief. Model cross sections show DIJ saturated through a fairly deep layer throughout the forecast period but the reality is they have not been of much help. Will probably float along with MVFR CIGS there until something looks more definite. Huston && && .PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory from 6 AM this morning to 3 PM MST Tuesday for IDZ019. Winter Storm Warning from 6 AM this morning to 3 PM MST Tuesday for IDZ018-031. &&
4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
The following snow amounts fell at SNOTEL sites: Bear Canyon 17 inches, Mill Creek Summit 16 inches, Smiley Mountain 40 inches, and Stickney Mill 10 inches. 9 inches fell at the Stanley COOP site.
The Crab Creek SNOTEL received 15 inches of snow with 26 inches reported at White Elephant. Interstate 15 was closed for several hours on the 20th from Dubois to the Montana border.
The following snowfall amounts were recorded at SNOTEL sites: 10 inches at Chocolate Gulch, 14 inches at Dollarhide Summit, 14 inches at Garfield Ranger Station, 12 inches at Galena, 15 inches at Galena Summit, 11 inches at Hyndman, 17 inches at Lost Wood Divide, 14 inches at Swede Peak, and 20 inches at Vienna Mine.
Heavy snow fell at the following SNOTEL sites: 24 inches at Hilt's Creek, 28 inches at Meado Lake, 12 inches at Moonshine, and 13 inches at Morgan Creek.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, February 2017
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: 681126, 681127, 681128, 681129.