An early spring snowfall brought 2 to 4 inches of snow to the Snake River Plain and difficult road conditions on the morning of April 6th. An indirect death occurred on interstate 15 in Idaho Falls when a car slid off the highway into the median and a pedestrian walking across the highway was hit and killed by a pickup truck.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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.
An early spring snowfall brought 2 to 4 inches of snow to the Snake River Plain and difficult road conditions on the morning of April 6th. An indirect death occurred on interstate 15 in Idaho Falls when a car slid off the highway into the median and a pedestrian walking across the highway was hit and killed by a pickup truck.
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 Apr 5, 6:12 PM MST, 5 hours 48 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pocatello ID 712 PM MDT Mon Apr 5 2021 .UPDATE... A quick evening update to account for latest forecast trends. Rain has changed over to snow a bit sooner than expected in the lower Snake Plain, namely around Pocatello. Adjusted WX grids to account for this change. Additionally, hi-res models continue to show the potential for a band of snow to develop in the Snake Plain after midnight impacting the interstate corridor from Burley up through Pocatello, Idaho Falls and Rexburg. That being said, made some adjustment to forecast grids to increase snow totals in this area through the early afternoon hours Tuesday. A previously issued SPS mentioned the potential for up to 2 inches in the Snake Plain but wouldn't be surprised if a few spots saw a bit more than that under ideal meteorological circumstances. Marginal temperatures make this a trickier than desired forecast but feel confident enough to push snow totals up a bit. Hopefully warm ground temperatures can limit the impact to area roadways but some tricky travel is nevertheless possible especially across the higher terrain of the eastern Highlands. Whatever snow does fall will melt quickly tomorrow afternoon as highs climb into the 40s and 50s. McKaughan && .PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. &&
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Two to 4 inches of snow fell in the Pocatello, Blackfoot, and Fort Hall areas with several minor traffic accidents and slide offs.
Two to 4 inches of snow fell in the Idaho Falls and Rigby area and several slide offs occurred on interstate 15. One of the slide offs resulted in an unfortunate indirect accident. An indirect death occurred on interstate 15 in Idaho Falls when a car slid off the highway into the median and a pedestrian walking across the highway was hit and killed by a pickup truck.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather, Upper Snake River Plain | 2021-04-06 | 85 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, April 2021
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: 953596, 953597.