A powerful winter storm brought heavy snow and winds to the mountains of southeast Idaho with the heaviest amounts in the Upper Snake River Highlands with many road closures including Highway 47, US 20, Highway 32, and Idaho Highway 87. Many locations recorded over a foot of snow.
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.
A powerful winter storm brought heavy snow and winds to the mountains of southeast Idaho with the heaviest amounts in the Upper Snake River Highlands with many road closures including Highway 47, US 20, Highway 32, and Idaho Highway 87. Many locations recorded over a foot of snow.
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 16, 2:24 PM MST, 1 hour 36 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pocatello ID 224 PM MST Fri Feb 16 2018 .SHORT TERM...Tonight through Monday afternoon. Minor wave moving through the forecast area at this moment, bringing some rain, but mostly snow to the forecast area. Amounts are expected to be light with only Trace to 0.1 inch in the Snake River plain and eastern Magic Valley, and 0.5 to 3 inches in the central Idaho mountains, ID-MT, and ID-WY border regions. A stronger trough is expected startiong Sat morning through Sun morning. Both the GFS and NAM have strong moisture accumulations, and the storm is coming from the northwest and is plenty cold to produce the first significant snow storm since the beginning of the year 2018. Above 7000 ft elevation, snow will accumulate in excess of 10 inches, and above 6000 ft it will range from 5 to 10 inches for the mountains. The only exception to the elevation limit is the upper Snake River highlands, where they would be 5500 and 6500ft, respectively. In the Snake River plain, accumulations should range from 0.5 or so to 3 inches. Thus, have issued Winter Storm Watch for the Sawtooths, Wood River Region, upper Snake River highlands, Caribou Highlands, and Bear Lake basin. To the southwest, air is still too mild and is out of the focus of the precipitation. And the Lost River ranges just don't seem to be catching much. This storm is bringing cold air, but continued cloudiness will make it hard to notice at night, and temperatures during the day will stay mild until the front passes Sun. The other remarkable phenomenon during this period is the wind which will be very strong by Sat afternoon in most places, peaking Sat night. Even Sun evening will continue windy to very windy, and a Wind Advisory may be needed. This will also mean blowing snow hampering snow control efforts on roadways and making travel hazardous. Snow more or less ends on Sun night with wind slackening and the only precipition in favored upslope locations in the northwest flow that returns. Messick .LONG TERM...Monday night through next Friday night. At the start of the long-term period Monday night, the region will be entrenched in Cold Northwest flow, something we haven't been able to say much this Winter. Upper-level Heights and Temperatures are progged to be near record low values for the date, so trended temperatures towards the low end of the guidance envelope Tue-Thu. Even places as far south as Pocatello may make a run at 0 degrees for lows Wednesday morning. Temperatures aside, models advertise an ongoing convergence event stretching from the Pashimeroi SE across the Snake Plain Monday Evening. It's very rare for the models to advertise a band of Snow and associated convergence this far out in time. As such, have raised Precipitation Potential for Monday Evening for these areas. Precipitation is expected to shift to the Eastern Highlands/Wyoming border region by Tuesday, and persist potentially into Wednesday -- but should fall in the form of mainly light Snow Showers. The flow then turns more Westerly on Wednesday, allowing for a warming trend a subsequent Temperature rise back to near climatological averages. Yet another Pacific trough is forecast to move into the region on Thursday and impact our area through the end of next week with additional Snow and falling Temperatures. There are the typical differences in speed, track and intensity among model guidance -- but the disagreement is not atypical for this time range. Have thus boosted Precipitation potential for the Thu-Fri time frame. Temperatures will be cold enough for all Snow for all areas. AD/Messick && .AVIATION...TAFs have been a challenge this morning, particularly at IDA and DIJ where Snowfall has been heavier than anticipated, with greater associated impacts than previously expected. However, expect Snow to end at KIDA around 22Z, and linger a bit past 00Z at DIJ, with solidly IFR conditions expected through at least 00Z at DIJ. Otherwise, breezy (15-25kts) S-SW winds expected all sites except SUN through the period. Moderate confidence in MVFR Stratus development as we approach 12Z at BYI, PIH and IDA. && && .PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Storm Watch from late tonight through Sunday morning for IDZ018-019-023-025-031. &&
5 heavy snow, 1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
A strong Pacific storm system dropped the following snow amounts on SNOTEL sites: Black Bear 30 inches, Phillips Bench 15 inches, and White Elephant 15 inches. the following roads were closed by the 17th: Highway 47, US 20 from Ashton to the Montana border, Highway 32 from Ashton to Tetonia, Highway 87 in Idaho and Highway 33.
The following snowfall amounts were recorded at SNOTEL sites: Hilts Creek 11 inches, Meadow Lake 8 inches, and Morgan Creek 11 inches.
The following snowfall amounts were recorded at SNOTEL sites: 15 inches Dollarhide, 9 inches Lost Wood Divide, and 16 inches at Vienna Mine.
At Mill Creek Summit SNOTEL 21 inches of snow fell. The Smiley Mountain SNOTEL recorded 6 inches.
The Howell Canyon SNOTEL recorded 16 inches of snow. The Magic Mountain SNOTEL recorded 7 inches.
The following snow amounts were produced at SNOTEL sites: Emigrant Summit 13 inches and Slug Creek Divide 14 inches. 8 inches of snow fell at the Lifton Pumping Station and Bern COOP sites.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, February 2018
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: 742226, 742233, 742228, 742235, 742237, 742227.