A cold front barreling through the Intermountain West kicked off a high wind event across parts of South Central Idaho with winds up to 59 MPH.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 BOI wrote it up.
A cold front barreling through the Intermountain West kicked off a high wind event across parts of South Central Idaho with winds up to 59 MPH.
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 Boise, ID wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 6, 9:41 AM MST, 2 hours 4 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Boise ID 941 AM MST Sat Mar 6 2021 .DISCUSSION...The cold front continues to move through the forecast area this morning, and is generally expected to be east of the area this afternoon. Shower activity continues to move with the front, with mountain snow and valley rain still favored. Additionally, a return of breezy to windy conditions will be found this afternoon for much of the forecast area. Gusts to 40 mph will be possible, with locally higher gusts possible. Wind and precipitation will weaken through the evening, with drier conditions expected on Sunday. No immediate term forecast changes anticipated, though conditions continue to be monitored for adjustments. && .AVIATION...Mostly VFR. Gusty winds and low level wind shear with cold front today. Scattered showers for E Oregon and SW Idaho thru this afternoon. Snow levels: 4k-5k ft MSL. Mountains obscured. Surface winds: SW to SE generally 5-15 kt, with local gusts to 25-30 kt. Winds turning W to NW 10-15 with gusts to 20-25 kt behind a cold front this afternoon. Winds aloft at 10k ft MSL: SW to W 20-40 kt. Sunday Outlook...Mainly VFR. Chance of snow showers over the mountains of Baker County, Oregon and west-central Idaho Sunday afternoon. Mountain obscurations. Light and variable surface winds. && .PREV DISCUSSION... SHORT TERM...Today through Monday night...An advancing shortwave trough and accompanying cold front will track across the region today bringing rain/snow showers to southeast Oregon and much of southwest Idaho. The gusty easterly winds that have been feeding into this system will shift to the west with the cold frontal passage. The strongest winds will line up with a wind maximum aloft as it tracks across far southeast Oregon and southwest Idaho, from the Snake Plain to the NV border. Higher exposed terrain will see gusts to 50 mph while lower valleys reach 30-40 mph. Precipitation coverage will be greatest across southeast Oregon and the w-central Idaho and Boise mountains. The lower Snake Plain will see scattered coverage this afternoon with little if any activity across s-central Idaho. Snow levels are around 5000 feet, but accumulations will mostly be above 6000 feet where up to 2 inches is possible. Dry and calmer conditions tonight through Sunday night as the low exits eastward, reestablishing southwest flow aloft. The next trough approaches the Pacific NW coast on Monday, injecting moisture into the region. Areas of light precipitation will develop across southeast Oregon and mountains of southwest Idaho on Monday while much of the Snake Plain and points south remain dry. With a cooler air mass in place snow levels will be around 4kft MSL for this event. Temperatures are near normal through Monday. LONG TERM...Tuesday through Saturday...An unsettled pattern with near-normal temperatures will continue into the extended forecast as a low pressure system dives to the south and east. Upper level flow will transition from the southwest to northwest as a ridge begins to push into the Pacific Northwest mid-week. This will allow for a chance of showers over the West Central Idaho Mountains on Tuesday and Wednesday while the remainder of the area stays dry. Beyond Thursday, ensemble model forecasts are favoring drier and warmer conditions moving into next weekend. && .BOI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ID...None. OR...None. && www.weather.gov/Boise www.facebook.com/NWSBoise www.twitter.com/NWSBoise DISCUSSION...KB AVIATION.....SH PREV SHORT TERM...DG PREV LONG TERM....AL
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The ASOS recorded a 59 MPH wind gust at 1202 MST. Reports of minor damage were received from the public.
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, March 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: 949441.