Heavy Snow in Idaho, November 16 to 17, 2017

Name: Heavy Snow in Idaho, November 16 to 17, 2017
Start: 2017-11-16T00:00
End: 2017-11-17T18:00
Location: Idaho

November 16 to 17, 2017 · NWS PIH · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A wet Pacific storm brought heavy snow to the mountains of southeast Idaho with many SNOTEL sites surpassing one foot of total accumulation.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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 PIH wrote it up.

A wet Pacific storm brought heavy snow to the mountains of southeast Idaho with many SNOTEL sites surpassing one foot of total accumulation.

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 Pocatello, ID wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 15, 1:30 PM MST, 10 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 15, 1:30 PM MST, 10 hours 30 minutes before

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Event by event

4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Sawtooth Mountains

When: November 16, 12:00 AM MST to November 17, 10:00 AM MST
Where: Sawtooth Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL

The Bear Canyon SNOTEL recorded 14 inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, Upper Snake Highlands

When: November 16, 12:00 AM MST to November 17, 6:00 PM MST
Where: Upper Snake Highlands forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL

SNOTEL snow amounts were the following: Crab Creek 13 inches, Phillips Bench 19 inches, White Elephant 21 inches.

Heavy Snow, Big and Little Wood River Region

When: November 16, 12:00 AM MST to November 17, 2:00 PM MST
Where: Big and Little Wood River Region forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL

The following snow amounts were recorded at SNOTEL sites: Chocolate gulch 12 inches, Dollarhide Summit 20 inches, Galena 14 inches, Galena Summit 16 inches, Hyndman 12 inches, Lost Wood Divide 21 inches, Swede Peak 13 inches, Vienna Mine 21 inches.

Spotters reported 6 to 10 inches in the Sun Valley/Ketchum area.

Heavy Snow, Lost River / Pahsimeroi

When: November 16, 12:00 AM MST to November 17, 5:00 AM MST
Where: Lost River / Pahsimeroi forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL

The Hilt's Creek SNOTEL recorded 11 inches of snow.

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Idaho in 2017 Every state in 2017 This day in weather history Warnings in Idaho, November 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: 726603, 726606, 726621, 726628.