A winter storm brought snowfall and wind and school closures to southeast Idaho.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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 winter storm brought snowfall and wind and school closures to southeast Idaho.
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 6, 1:46 PM MST, 4 hours 14 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pocatello ID 146 PM MST Wed Feb 6 2019 .SHORT TERM...Tonight through Saturday. Early afternoon satellite and radar imagery were highlighting an area of snowfall in the Pocatello area due primarily to convergent surface winds. The models generally show this convergence band waning some later this afternoon then possibly redeveloping late tonight as a modest short- wave disturbance embedded in the NW flow aloft sweeps through the region reinvigorating the push of arctic air over the divide and consequently the area of wind convergence over the Snake River Plain. We can expect 1 to 2 inches of snowfall under the band today and tonight and less than an inch outside the area of convergence. By Thursday afternoon, a dry NW flow aloft will overspread the region resulting in clearing skies. Certainly anticipating very cold temperatures Thursday and Friday morning especially outside any cloud cover. It looks cold enough and breezy enough over the Mud Lake/INL area Thursday morning to justify a Wind Chill Warning. The next in the series of Pacific storms sets up off the Oregon coast Thursday night while a NRN branch short-wave disturbance digs south through WRN Canada. Today, the models are showing a little more "interplay" between these two systems with the NRN stream short-wave now carving out a large area across the NW states and spinning up a closed circulation near Vancouver Island Friday night while sweeping the aforementioned low off the Oregon coast inland across SRN Idaho Saturday. The impact of this change was to slow to initial influx of precipitation into the CNTRL and NRN mountains until early Saturday. Temperatures should warm under the increasing SW flow ahead of the developing low Friday into Saturday. Huston .LONG TERM...Sunday through Wednesday...Influence from deep low pressure off the west coast will bring several round of snow to our region Sunday and Monday. Snow, areas of Heavy Snow and Blowing snow are possible Sunday especially in the Central Mountains, Upper Snake Highlands and across areas along the Montana/Idaho border. Heading into Monday, a pre-frontal trough will sweep our region and scoop snow showers across most of the entire state. Monday travel is not looking favorable at the moment. The center of the low then starts to diverge between the two global forecast models by late Monday; one going south and the other going north. Tuesday and Wednesdays forecast is not looking consistent as a result. Temperatures may be colder according to the GFS if the low tracks south; or they may be milder according to the European solution. Additional snow showers may be possible each day depending on your choice of model as well. NP/MH && .AVIATION...Forecast challenges tonight will revolve around convergence band of precipitation set to influence PIH the most, stretching out to IDA and DIJ as well. It's not out of the question it would reach BYI as well but the westerly winds may keep it east. This afternoon, a fairly stationary band of snow showers was planted over the Pocatello airport stretching NW/SE perpendicular to the I- 86 corridor. Short term model generally dissipate this band to the southwest late afternoon though each model run has been pushing this back - confidence therefore is relatively low in that happening and the band may very well not move at all. Main band of convergence is set to arrive in the same area - Pocatello/American Falls/Blackfoot region in the early evening hours and rapidly intensify. This will quickly reduce visibility at PIH airport and drop CIGs prior near/prior to the actual arrival of the snow. IDA and DIJ would drop in CIG a few hours prior to midnight with possible reduction in VIS near midnight if the snow bands reach the airport. Expect these deteriorated conditions through early tomorrow morning. NP/MH && .PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Chill Warning late tonight through Thursday morning IDZ052-068- 067. &&
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Pocatello ID 122 PM MST WED FEB 6 2019 IDZ054-058-070015- Marsh and Arbon Highlands ID-Lower Snake River Plain ID- 122 PM MST WED FEB 6 2019 ...LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW CONTINUES IN THE POCATELLO AREA THROUGH 5 PM MST... At 119 PM MST, light snow continued to fall in the Pocatello area causing locally slick road conditions. Motorists should use caution if traveling on area roadways through 5 PM MST. Locations impacted include... Pocatello, McCammon, American Falls Reservoir, Chubbuck, Inkom, Fort Hall Buffalo Lodge, Fort Hall Eagle Lodge, Portneuf Gap, Fort Hall Townsite, Springfield, Fort Hall Bannock Creek Lodge, Pingree, Pocatello Airport, Fort Hall Putnam Lodge, Sterling and Mink Creek Pass. LAT...LON 4316 11226 4259 11215 4267 11275 4313 11282 TIME...MOT...LOC 2019Z 180DEG 0KT 4288 11243 Huston
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
A combination of wind and light snow created hazardous road conditions and the North Gem School District number 149 closed on the 7th.
A total of 3 to 6 inches of snow in the Pocatello and Chubbuck region combined with wind to cause extremely hazardous travel and the closure of Pocatello/Chubbuck School district number 25 on the 7th.
A combination of strong winds with 3 to 6 inches of snowfall created hazardous road conditions and the Marsh Valley School District number 21 closed schools on the 7th.
A combination of wind and snow created hazardous roadways and caused the Rockland School District number 382 to close schools on the 7th.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, February 2019
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: 809540, 809537, 809542, 809543.