The third straight week of heavy snow and winds brought another round of significant snowfall and strong winds. Most of the heavy snowfall was in the mountains but the 40 to 60 mph wind gusts were widespread as were road closures and school closings through the period.
Every event with a place to put it; 15 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.
The third straight week of heavy snow and winds brought another round of significant snowfall and strong winds. Most of the heavy snowfall was in the mountains but the 40 to 60 mph wind gusts were widespread as were road closures and school closings through the period. None of the breaks were longer than half a day so it was all considered one event.
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 Jan 3, 2:06 PM MST, 1 hour 54 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pocatello ID 206 PM MST Mon Jan 3 2022 .SHORT TERM (Today - Tuesday)... Another active period of weather begins later tonight as moisture associated with an U/L trough sweeps across the region. This will be the first of many rounds of precip for the upcoming week as upper- level troughing will remain in place across the Pacific NW. Hi-res models show snow reaching the Central Mountains sometime around sunset (give or take a few hours) and gradually overspreading the rest of the area during the late evening and overnight hours. Winds will begin to increase very shortly, especially during the evening hours, and should be quite gusty by daybreak Tuesday. With ample snow on the ground across all of the area, blowing and drifting snow will be a huge concern which is the reasoning behind the widespread Winter Weather Advisory issuance. Snowfall totals with with this round are not overly impressive (Trace - 3 inches in the Snake Plain & Magic Valley and 4-6 inches across the eastern Highlands) but this new snow falling on top of the snow already in place sets the stage for more issues with blowing/drifting, much like what we saw the past few days, which led to widespread road closures. A Winter Storm Warning continues across the Central Mountains where higher accumulations are expected, especially at or above pass level, but even Stanley and Sun Valley should see 4-7 inches so certainly impactful. We'll have a brief lull in the snow Tuesday late morning/early afternoon before the next round moves in Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning. Winds will remain quite strong during the lull so we'll still be dealing with wintry conditions even if the snow stops falling from the sky. McKaughan .LONG TERM (Wednesday - Monday)... Some moderate to heavy snowfalls during the first half of this period. Wed through Sat afternoon all have significant PoPs each period with very little let- up as the storm track continues to cross through the northern Rockies and northern Great Basin. Wed and Thu afternoon appear to be the heaviest snowfalls. Would expect some Winter Storm Warnings to be out for the mountains, and enough snowfall and wind for Advisories in the Snake River plain. There are some moments with all the southerly flow that temperatures may actually get above freezing in the southern highlands and the eastern Magic Valley and Snake River plain, for a sloppy mix, and possible freezing rain if the warm air aloft arrives at the right time of day. Warmest day appears to be Fri before the final storm moves through and brings an extended period of northerly airflow which should bring temperatures crashing down to more seasonal normals. Very little relief from precipitation until Sat night, but that does continue through Mon night. With clearer skies, overnight lows will be much colder than the mild temperatures expected during the first three days of this period. As you would expect, these storms have strong wind, with diminishing wind during the drier part of the period, Sat night through next Mon. Messick && .AVIATION... Precipitation from the next storm has slowed, and is now expected to arrive during the late evening or late night hours. It still looks pretty good for marginal VFR CIGS at all locations. Snow should get heavy enough to cause IFR conditions at least temporarily, and blowing snow will also affect the airdromes, as 25KT is likely at KBYI, KPIH, and KIDA. KSUN will have the most trouble with snow, and it will start earlier there as the storm tracks into the region. KSUN should start clearing right around the time they open the airfield, with some clearing in the Snake River plain/Magic Valley airdromes during the mid- to late morning. The only wild card is blowing snow and how much it will reduce visibility at each airport. NBM probabilities don't show much of a chance, that it may be more drifting snow, but that would hamper snow clearing efforts for operations. Beware of a fog and stratus threat for Tue night. Messick && .PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory from 11 PM this evening to 11 AM MST Tuesday for IDZ051>066. Winter Weather Advisory until 5 AM MST Tuesday for IDZ075. Winter Storm Warning until 5 AM MST Tuesday for IDZ072-073. &&
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
15 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Estimated snow amounts over the storm period were 42 inches at Franklin Basin and 33 inches at Emigrant Summit.
Estimated snow amounts during the storm from SNOTEL sites were Bear Canyon 10 inches, Smiley Mountain 15 inches, Stickney Mill 10 inches, and Swede Peak 11 inches.
The snowfall estimation at the Sheep Mountain SNOTEL site was 18 inches. Wind gusts of 40 to 60 mph were common and on the 5th the Grace School District 148 and Soda Springs School District 150 were closed. Idaho Highway 34 was closed from 2 miles north of Soda Springs to the Wyoming border was closed due to the snow and wind on the 5th as well.
Very heavy snow combined with periods of winds gusting 40 to 60 mph to cause very hazardous travel conditions. US Highway 26 was closed from Ririe to Swan Valley on both the 4th and 5th. Estimated SNOTEL amounts were Giveout 20 inches, Slug Creek 22 inches, and Somsen Ranch 20 inches. Idaho Highway 34 was closed from Soda Springs to the Wyoming border on the 5th.
Heavy snow and wind gusts over 40 mph created extremely difficult travel conditions for several days. Estimated SNOTEL amounts were: Island Park 14 inches and White Elephant 13 inches. 8 inches fell at the Island Park COOP site.
Snowfall estimates at the Mill Creek Summit SNOTEL sites were 35 inches.
Heavy snow combined with wind gusts of over 40 mph to create hazardous travel throughout the region. The COOP observer at Malad City recorded 9 inches of snow. Several crashes occurred near Malad Summit on interstate 15 with crashes and slideoffs near mile marker 24 during the morning of the 5th. Oneida School District 351 closed due to the hazardous road conditions on the 5th.
Heavy snow with strong winds occurred through a 3 day period. Snow amounts estimated at the Vienna Mine SNOTEL was 4 feet. The Stanley COOP observer recorded a foot of snow in the storm.
Estimated snow amounts from the SNOTEL sites were: Chocolate Gulch 15 inches, Dollarhide Summit 30 inches, Galena 24 inches, Galena Summit 32 inches, Hyndman 13 inches and Lost Wood Divide 19 inches. The Ketchum COOP reported 9.5 inches of snow.
Idaho transportation department reported a foot of snow in Victor by early morning on the 5th. A trained spotter 4 miles west of Victor reported 23 inches of snow for the 3 day period. A total of 22 inches was estimated at the Pine Creek Pass SNOTEL site. Teton School District 401 was closed on January 5th due to the heavy snow and high winds making roads nearly impassable.
The combination of heavy snow and winds gusting over 40 mph for several days brought hazardous travel to the region. The March Valley School District 21 was closed on the 4th, 5th and 6th. Snow amounts recorded by COOP observers were 6.5 inches at Downey, 13 inches at Inkom, and 9 inches at McCammon.
Snow combined with 40 to 60 mph wind gusts caused hazardous travel for three days. US Highway 26 was closed from Ririe to Swan Valley on the 4th and 5th and Idaho Highway 33 was closed from Newdale to Tetonia on the 4th. Ririe School District 252 was closed on the 4th due to the hazardous travel conditions.
Snow and wind gusts of 40 to 60 mph caused extremely hazardous travel from the 6th mainly in the morning hours. On the 4th 1 to 2 inches of snow fell north of Pocatello with central and south Pocatello receiving 5 to 6 inches. The following schools were closed on the 4th due to the hazardous road conditions: Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25, Snake River School District 52, Blackfoot School District 55, Aberdeen School District 58, American Falls School District 381. Total snow amounts ranged from 3 to 9 inches.
Snow and high winds gusting over 40 mph caused extremely difficult travel. Minidoka School District 331 and Cassia County School District 151 were both closed on January 4th. The COOP observer at Oakley recorded 8 inches of snow and the COOP observer at Minidoka Dam recorded 6 inches of snow.
The Bern COOP observer reported 13 inches of snow during the storm with 8 inches on the 5th. The Bear Lake School District 33 was closed on both the 5th and the 6th due to the combination of heavy snowfall and gusty winds.
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, January 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: 1004982, 1004999, 1005004, 1005047, 1005060, 1005062, 1005063, 1005067, 1005068, 1004995, 1005066, 1005090, 1005065, 1005061, 1004980.