Idaho, 2017

High Wind in Idaho, October 20, 2017

October 20, 2017 · NWS PIH · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A powerful cold front caused wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph gusts were recorded in the Snake River Plain and caused tree limbs to fall on power lines causing power outages in the Idaho Falls and Pocatello areas.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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 powerful cold front caused wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph gusts were recorded in the Snake River Plain and caused tree limbs to fall on power lines causing power outages in the Idaho Falls and Pocatello areas.

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 Oct 20, 2:03 AM MST, 5 hours 57 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 20, 2:03 AM MST, 5 hours 57 minutes before
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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Oct 20, 2:14 AM MST, 5 hours 46 minutes before
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Event by event

3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, South Central Highlands

When
October 20, 8:00 AM MST to 4:00 PM MST
Where
South Central Highlands forecast zone
Measured
67 kt (77 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet

Sixty to 70 mph wind gusts were measured 3 miles east of Idahome.

High Wind, Upper Snake River Plain

When
October 20, 9:00 AM MST to 4:00 PM MST
Where
Upper Snake River Plain forecast zone
Measured
61 kt (70 mph) measured gust
Reported by
AWOS

A powerful cold front caused wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph gusts were recorded in the Snake River Plain and caused tree limbs to fall on power lines causing power outages in the Idaho Falls , Roberts and Rigby areas.

High Wind, Lower Snake River Plain

When
October 20, 9:00 AM MST to 2:00 PM MST
Where
Lower Snake River Plain forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by
AWOS

Wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph were recorded causing power outages in the Pocatello area.

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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, October 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: 724782, 724780, 724781.