Idaho, 2022

Extreme Cold and Cold in Idaho, February 22 to 23, 2022

February 22 to 23, 2022 · NWS PIH · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

The passage of a Canadian cold front brought extremely cold wind chill temperatures overnight on the 22nd into the daytime on the 23rd. Henry's Lake recorded the coldest wind chill temperature at 46 below zero at 730 AM on the 23rd.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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  • Cold
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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS PIH wrote it up.

The passage of a Canadian cold front brought extremely cold wind chill temperatures overnight on the 22nd into the daytime on the 23rd. Henry's Lake recorded the coldest wind chill temperature at 46 below zero at 730 AM on the 23rd.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 cold/wind chill, 3 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Beaverhead-Lemhi Highlands

When
February 22, 6:00 PM MST to February 23, 2:00 PM MST
Where
Beaverhead-Lemhi Highlands forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
44.004, -112.761 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme cold wind chills followed the passage of a Canadian cold front. -40 degrees or colder were common by the morning of the 23rd. The coldest were -48 at Monida at 645 AM and -48 at China Point at 815 AM. Both of these sites were Idaho Transportation Department sites on interstate 15.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Centennial Mountains-Island Park

When
February 22, 6:00 PM MST to February 23, 2:00 PM MST
Where
Centennial Mountains-Island Park forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
44.091, -111.680 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme cold wind chill readings occurred behind a cold frontal passage. Coldest readings on the 23rd were -46 at Henry's Lake at 730 AM, -35 near Spencer at 112 AM, and 033 at Osborne Bridge at 445 AM. Island Park recorded -30 at 654 AM.

Cold/Wind Chill, Lost River Valleys

When
February 22, 6:00 PM MST to February 23, 2:00 PM MST
Where
Lost River Valleys forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
43.982, -113.727 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Very cold wind chill readings of -25 to -30 were widespread with the coldest -30 at Dead Man Canyon at 725 AM.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Sawtooth-Stanley Basin

When
February 22, 7:00 PM MST to February 23, 1:00 PM MST
Where
Sawtooth-Stanley Basin forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
43.826, -114.131 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

An extremely strong Canadian cold front brought wind chill readings of -37 at the Smiley Creek Airport at 800 AM on the 23rd and -27 at the Stanley Airport at 0751 AM on the 23rd.

Cold/Wind Chill, Raft River Region

When
February 22, 8:00 PM MST to February 23, 1:00 PM MST
Where
Raft River Region forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
42.391, -112.994 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extremely cold wind chill readings occurred overnight on the 22nd into the 23rd. Moburg Canyon recorded -30 at 839 AM and Juniper Interchange recorded -25 at 800 AM on the 23rd.

Cold/Wind Chill, Teton Valley

When
February 22, 8:00 PM MST to February 23, 1:00 PM MST
Where
Teton Valley forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
43.924, -111.450 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind chill readings of -20 to -30 occurred in the Teton Valley behind a strong Canadian cold front. -29 was the coldest reading on the 23rd in Ashton at 0700 AM. Botts recorded -27 at 430 AM and River Rim -25 at 0400 AM.

Cold/Wind Chill, Upper Snake River Plain

When
February 22, 8:00 PM MST to February 23, 1:00 PM MST
Where
Upper Snake River Plain forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
43.805, -111.767 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Widespread -20 to -35 wind chill readings occurred overnight on the 22nd into the 23rd. The coldest on the 23rd were: -33 at Kettle Butte at 0715 AM, -30 at Roberts at 0200 AM, and -30 at Sage Junction at 0645 AM. The Idaho Falls Regional Airport recorded -21 at 0553 AM.

Cold/Wind Chill, Arco-Mud Lake Desert

When
February 22, 9:00 PM MST to February 23, 1:00 PM MST
Where
Arco-Mud Lake Desert forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
43.537, -112.374 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind chill values in the -25 to -35 range occurred with the coldest a -34 degree reading 6 miles north of Monteview at 725 AM on the 23rd.

What these are

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.
Cold/Wind Chill
Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Idaho in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, February 2022

Sources

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: 1009483, 1009484, 1009485, 1009487, 1009486, 1009488, 1009489, 1009482.