An extremely powerful Pacific storm system spread into the central mountains on March 1st and overspread all of southeast Idaho on the 2nd and continued in the far east through the 4th. Many mountain locations received over 2 feet of snow and even low elevations received 6 to 12 inches from the storm.
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.
An extremely powerful Pacific storm system spread into the central mountains on March 1st and overspread all of southeast Idaho on the 2nd and continued in the far east through the 4th. Many mountain locations received over 2 feet of snow and even low elevations received 6 to 12 inches from the storm. Many road closures were reported most notably interstate 15 from Dubois to the Montana border on the 2nd.
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 Mar 1, 3:03 AM MST, 57 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pocatello ID 303 AM MST Thu Mar 1 2018 .SHORT TERM...Today through Saturday night. Powerful winter storm continuing to push toward southeast Idaho. Winter storm warning remains in effect for central mountains after 6 am although start may be delayed a bit this morning. Very heavy snow still expected through Friday morning including valleys from Hailey north through Ketchum and all surrounding mountains. At least a foot of snow is expected with some high elevations getting over two feet. Winter weather advisories have been issued for all other mountain zones starting at 11 pm tonight for Upper Snake Highlands and 5 am Friday in southern and Caribou Highlands and Idaho Wasatch and Cache Valley. Expect 4 to 8 inches in the advisory locations with locally up to a foot. Most snow in the Snake River Plain and Eastern Magic Valley should hold off until the cold frontal passage during the day Friday and expect 1 to 3 inches. Strong southerly winds also expected today and tonight in Snake Plain with very mild temperatures pre cold frontal passage. Lingered the advisory until Saturday morning in the southern and southeast mountains. Expect nothing more than snow showers Saturday across mainly the southern mountains again with much drier conditions in the central mountains. Today should be the warmest day of the short term with temperatures cooling behind the cold front Friday and well below normal temperatures expected Saturday. GK .LONG TERM...Sunday through Thursday. Departing system could still produce some snow showers on Sunday. There's some timing differences between the European and GFS with the European slower, which keeps more widespread snow around for the eastern highlands. GFS is more scattered and showery. We still may have enough lingering low level moisture around on Monday for some stray snow showers. Otherwise high pressure builds in for at least Tuesday. GFS brings another weak system into the area for Wednesday into Thursday. The European is not picking up on this feature. So not surprisingly there's a lot of uncertainty in the forecast for midweek. Valle && .AVIATION...Widespread heavy snow will move into the central Idaho mountains this morning. Expect very poor conditions at KSUN today. Elsewhere, snow looks showery. Winds could get somewhat breezy this afternoon across portions of the Snake Plain. Valle && .PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory from 6 AM this morning to 11 AM MST Friday for IDZ032. Winter Weather Advisory from 11 PM this evening to 11 PM MST Friday for IDZ019. Winter Weather Advisory from 5 AM Friday to 5 AM MST Saturday for IDZ022>025. Winter Storm Warning from 6 AM this morning to 11 AM MST Friday for IDZ018-031. &&
11 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy snow amounts reported were 13 inches in Malad City and 13 inches 4 miles north northeast of Holbrook.
A very powerful winter storm brought heavy snow and strong winds to the Wood River Region. The storm caused a rare closing of Blaine County Schools on March 2nd. Snow amounts reported by COOP observers and spotters were the following: Hailey 19 inches, Picabo 17 inches, Bellevue 16 inches and Ketchum 20 inches. SNOTEL amounts were: Chocolate Gulch 23 inches, Dollarhide Summit 12 inches, Garfield Ranger Station 15 inches, Galena 21 inches, Galena Summit 35 inches, Hyndman 20 inches, Lost Wood Divide 23 inches, Swede Peak 38 inches and Vienna Mine 37 inches.
Very heavy snow fell in both the low and high elevations of the Lost River/Pahsimeroi region. The city of Mackay reported 11 inches with the Hilt's Creek SNOTEL recording 36 inches.
Heavy snow amounts at the following SNOTEL sites: Bear Canyon 21 inches, Mill Creek Summit 12 inches, Smiley Mountain 30 inches, and Stickney Mill 16 inches.
Extremely heavy snow and strong winds occurred in the Upper Snake Highlands for several days. Interstate 15 closed from Dubois to the Montana border on the 2nd. Idaho 32 closed from Ashton to Tetonia and Idaho 47 closed from mile marker 0 to 28. Heavy snow amounts reported by spotters and COOP observers were: 12 inches in Island Park, 13 inches Driggs, 10 inches Saint Anthony, 14 inches in Small, 13 inches 6 miles west of Kilgore, and 14 inches 4 miles north of Rea. SNOTEL amounts were 14 inches at Crab Creek and 16 inches at White Elephant.
Heavy snow fell in the Lower Snake River Plain with 5 inches in Fort Hall, 6.5 inches in downtown Pocatello and 10 inches on the Pocatello benches.
A powerful winter storm dropped extremely heavy snow in the Caribou Highlands with spotters and COOP observers reporting the following amounts: Lava Hot Springs 22 inches, Soda Springs 17 inches, Downey 23 inches, McCammon 22 inches, Swan Valley 16 inches.
The city of Richfield received 7 inches of snow with the Minidoka Schools closing from the storm on March 5th when strong winds after the snow fell made rural roads very dangerous to travel on the morning of the 5th.
A winter storm dropped heavy snow for several days the first few days of March. Amounts reported by spotters and COOP observers were the following: Idaho Falls 9 inches, Rexburg 6 inches, Rigby 11 inches, and Sugar City 10 inches.
A winter storm brought heavy snow to the Cache Valley with 12 inches of snow reported in the city of Preston.
A winter storm brought heavy snow to the Cache Valley with 12 inches of snow reported in the city of Preston.
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, March 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: 747570, 747583, 747584, 747546, 747548, 747562, 747572, 747542, 747551, 747577, 747578.