Heavy snow fell in the southern highlands of Idaho along with the Eastern Magic Valley and Lower Snake River Plain. Amounts ranged from 6 to 20 inches across the region with many travel issues encountered.
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.
Heavy snow fell in the southern highlands of Idaho along with the Eastern Magic Valley and Lower Snake River Plain. Amounts ranged from 6 to 20 inches across the region with many travel issues encountered.
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 Jan 3, 1:33 PM MST, 6 hours 27 minutes earlier.
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</html>6 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
A powerful storm system brought heavy snow to the Caribou Highlands. Soda Springs received 12 inches of snow with 9 inches in Downey. All Bannock and Caribou County facilities closed early in the day on the 4th due to the weather and all Caribou County Schools let out early on the 4th as well.
Extremely heavy snow fell in the Cache Valley with the COOP Observer in Preston reporting 20 inches. Preston schools were closed on the 4th and 5th due to the heavy snow and cold temperatures.
COOP observers and spotters reported 18 inches of snow in both Bern and Montpelier.
A powerful storm dropped heavy snow throughout the Eastern Magic Valley. Some of the amounts were: 8 inches in Richfield, 12 inches in Burley, and 14 inches in Paul. All schools were closed in the region on the 4th due to the heavy snow and road conditions. Highway 93 was closed south of Shoshone all the way to Twin Falls.
A strong winter storm brought heavy snow to the Lower Snake River Plain. Heavy snow amounts were the following: 8 to 10 inches in Pocatello/Chubbuck, 10 inches in American Falls, 7 inches in Aberdeen and 8 inches in Blackfoot. The following schools were closed on the 4th: Blackfoot District 55, Sho-Ban Schools, and Aberdeen School District 58. US Highway 20 was closed just west of Blackfoot at Moreland all the way to Atomic City.
A wet and powerful winter storm dropped very heavy snow in the South Central Highlands. Amounts reported by spotters and COOP observers were the following: 9 inches in Malta, 14 inches in Oakley, and 15 inches in Malad City. All Cassia County schools were closed on the 4th. The Howell Canyon SNOTEL had 12 inches.
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, January 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 672818, 672821, 672822, 672800, 672809, 672815.