A winter storm brought some road closures and localized heavy snow and blowing snow to the extreme eastern part of Idaho.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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 some road closures and localized heavy snow and blowing snow to the extreme eastern part of 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 20, 2:24 AM MST, 4 hours 36 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pocatello ID 224 AM MST Sun Feb 20 2022 .SHORT TERM...Today through Monday Night. Our next winter system remains on track to arrive throughout the day today, with widespread light to moderate snow overspreading the region by late tonight. Precipitation will work from the northwest to southeast as an upper level trough deepens and intensifies across southeast Idaho. Initially across our the southern section of our forecast area (Pocatello south), we may see a rain/snow mix or predominant rain initially as temperatures this afternoon look to remain fairly warm in the upper 30s and 40s. Precipitation with this system looks to stay fairly scattered in nature, with the best chance for a more organized band of precipitation working through the Snake Plain, Southern Highlands, and Eastern Highlands between 22Z/3:00PM today and 06Z tomorrow/11:00pm tonight. After this initial area of low pressure passes through by 12Z/5:00AM Monday, a secondary area of low pressure deepens further west out towards eastern Oregon and continues to amplify precipitation mostly across the Central Mountains and Eastern Highlands upslope regions, along with scattered snow showers continuing elsewhere. 48 hour snowfall totals remain sub-advisory with a T-2" across the Snake Plain and eastern Magic Valley, 1-4" for our mountain valleys, and 3-8"+ above 6,500ft in the higher terrain and at mountain pass level. Highest snow totals stay confined to the Centennials, Big Holes, Tetons, Sawtooths, and Salmon Challis NF. A Special Weather Statement remains in effect for the entire forecast area, highlighting a general heads up regarding snowfall and mentioning the much colder temperatures on the backside of this system. Breezy winds will also be around through Monday, especially across the Snake Plain with gusts up to 25-35mph. This may lead to localized blowing and drifting snow, creating hazardous travel conditions over the next couple of days. As the upper level trough continues to deepen across the Great Basin headed into Nevada and northern California, precipitation will continue across our higher elevation zones for Monday night remaining scattered along with much colder temperatures settling in for midweek. MacKay .LONG TERM...Tuesday through next Sunday. Upper trough over the region next week will produce very cold and possibly record breaking temperatures. On Tuesday, low pressure associated with the trough will produce scattered snow showers throughout the region although amounts will likely be less than an inch. Cold air will be in place by Tuesday with temperatures near records for coldest max temperatures. Overnight lows going into Wednesday morning are likely to be in the single digits or below zero. For example, Pocatello has a better than 50 percent chance of seeing below zero temps while Idaho Falls is greater than 80 percent. Just how cold is highly questionable and dependent on how much and where low stratus and fog develop. The near record temperatures are likely to continue at least through Wednesday night. We start seeing noticeable model differences on Thursday. The clusters show that the European members favor a second surge of cold air dropping into the region from the north on Thursday and we hang onto that cold air into the weekend. The Canadian and GFS members largely don't show this feature and transition us to a northwest flow situation and eventually a ridge by late weekend. This solution would allow for gradual warming beginning late week and is consistent with previous forecasts. Interestingly, the operational GFS does not seem to be consistent with most of its members and looks more like the European solutions although it brings the secondary surge of air much further east. Associated with this secondary surge would potentially be another round of light snow as well. However, given the large differences timing snow either with this secondary surge or with a weak shortwave embedded within the northwest flow is incredibly difficult. The forecast is mainly unchanged with dry weather for Thursday and a slight chance of snow Friday. 13 && .AVIATION... Already seeing some winds this morning which should exclude the TAF sites from low stratus and fog issues. Expecting a gusty day with wind gusts to 25 kts likely in many locations. IDA has the best chance of gusty conditions with a 40 percent chance of seeing wind gusts exceeding 30 kts this afternoon. Will include VCSH at all TAF sites late this afternoon and possibly into the night. HRRR shows that MVFR ceilings may be possible with the showers. 13 && .PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. &&
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Pocatello ID 536 AM MST Sun Feb 20 2022 IDZ051>055-068-075-202100- Shoshone/Lava Beds-Arco/Mud Lake Desert-Upper Snake River Plain- Lower Snake River Plain-Eastern Magic Valley-Lost River Valley- Wood River Foothills- Including the cities of Shoshone, Richfield, Carey, Mud Lake, INL, Craters of the Moon NM, Idaho Falls, Rexburg, St. Anthony, Pocatello, Blackfoot, American Falls, Shelley, Fort Hall, Burley, Rupert, Heyburn, Oakley, Howe, Arco, Mackay, Chilly, Hailey, Bellevue, and Picabo 536 AM MST Sun Feb 20 2022 ...LIGHT SNOW WITH MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... A Winter Storm system will settle across the region Sunday bringing light snowfall and much colder temperatures to the region. Storm total snowfall for Sunday and Sunday night should remain below about an inch throughout the Snake River Plain and Eastern Magic Valley while daytime highs plummet into the teens and lower twenty's by Tuesday. IDZ069>074-202100- Lost River Range-Challis/Pahsimeroi Valleys- Frank Church Wilderness-Sawtooth/Stanley Basin-Sun Valley Region- Big Lost Highlands/Copper Basin- Including the cities of Borah Peak, Challis, Clayton, Stanley, Ketchum, Sun Valley, Galena, and Copper Basin 536 AM MST Sun Feb 20 2022 ...SNOW WITH MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... A Winter Storm system will settle across the region Sunday bringing snow and much colder temperatures to the region. Storm total snowfall for Sunday and Sunday night is expected to range from 2 to 6 inches in the mountains above 6000 feet MSL with a trace to 2 inches in the lower valleys. Daytime highs are expected to plummet into the teens by Tuesday. IDZ060>067-202100- Bear River Range-Bear Lake Valley-Blackfoot Mountains- Caribou Range-Big Hole Mountains-Teton Valley- Centennial Mountains - Island Park-Beaverhead - Lemhi Highlands- Including the cities of Emigration Summit, St. Charles, Montpelier, Georgetown, Grace, Soda Springs, Henry, Bone, Wayan, Swan Valley, Victor, Ashton, Tetonia, Driggs, Island Park, Kilgore, Dubois, Spencer, Edie School, and Small 536 AM MST Sun Feb 20 2022 ...SNOW WITH MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... A Winter Storm system will settle across the region Sunday bringing snow and much colder temperatures to the region. Storm total snowfall for Sunday night is expected to range from 2 to 6 inches in the mountains above 6000 feet MSL with 1 to 2 inches possible in the lower mountain-valleys. Daytime highs are expected to plummet into the teens by Tuesday. IDZ056>059-202100- Southern Hills/Albion Mountains-Raft River Region- Marsh and Arbon Highlands-Franklin/Eastern Oneida Region- Including the cities of Albion, Almo, Malta, Rockland, Holbrook, Inkom, McCammon, Downey, Lava Hot Springs, Malad, Preston, and Thatcher 536 AM MST Sun Feb 20 2022 ...LIGHT SNOW WITH MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... A Winter Storm system will settle across the region Sunday bringing light snowfall and much colder temperatures to the region. Storm total snowfall for Sunday afternoon and Sunday night is expected to range from 1 to 4 inches in the mountains above 5500 feet MSL with a trace to 1 inch in the lower valleys. Daytime highs are expected to plummet into the teens and lower twenty's by Tuesday.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Nine inches of snow was reported 4 miles west of Victor.
The combination of snow and high winds caused significant blowing snow closed Idaho Highway 47 from Ashton to 1 mile north of Warm River. Idaho Highway 32 was closed from Tetonia to Ashton. Ashton recorded 5 inches of snow with the storm.
Only about 3 inches of snow fell but strong winds caused extensive blowing and drifting snow. Idaho Highway 87 closed 3 miles north of Island Park to the Montana state line by the afternoon of the 21st. Idaho Highway 47 also closed on the morning of the 21st from Ashton to 1 mile north of Warm River.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, February 2022
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: 1009442, 1009443, 1009446.