A strong cold front moves through eastern Idaho with very strong winds and snow. It caused some road closures in extreme eastern Idaho with white outs and accidents.
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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 strong cold front moves through eastern Idaho with very strong winds and snow. It caused some road closures in extreme eastern Idaho with white outs and accidents.
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 26, 3:08 AM MST, 2 hours 52 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pocatello ID 308 AM MST Mon Feb 26 2024 .SHORT TERM...Today through Tuesday Night. Early morning radar imagery shows widespread precipitation across the PacNW and NRN/CNTRL Idaho which is expected to continue its progression SE throughout the day supporting a mix of rain, snow, and strong winds across our entire area. Winds will ramp up through the morning hours, peaking during the afternoon hours as a cold front moves overhead with 50 to 60 kt 700 mb winds aloft supporting gusts to around 40 to 60 mph with locally higher gusts up to around 60 to 70 mph in wind prone areas. Strongest gusts are expected along the frontal boundary with elevated 700 mb FGEN supporting snow squalls and isolated thunderstorms. Snow squalls will support the potential for near whiteout to whiteout conditions leading to dangerous travel conditions. The SPC has outlined the lower Snake Plain and Magic Valley south into Utah for the best chances for thunderstorms, however the HREF probability of thunder shows a 10 to 20 percent chance areawide. Best chances for a rain/snow mix will exist below 5000 to 5500 feet which will transition to all snow later today through the evening hours as colder air works in behind a cold front. High temperatures today in the 30s to low 50s will drop down to the 20s to low 30s for Tuesday. Our latest hazards continue with slight timing and product adjustments, now having a mix of WINTER WINTER STORM WARNINGS, WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES, and WIND ADVISORIES in effect for nearly all of our CWA. WSW have been dropped for the Lost River Range and Wood River Foothills and converted to WWA to account for lighter snowfall totals and breezy winds. WSW continue for the NRN Wood River Valley and Stanley Basin Region in addition to along the Wyoming border to account for a combination of moderate to heavy snow and strong winds. WIND ADVISORIES remain in place for the Upper Snake Plain, ERN CNTRL Mountain Valleys, and Magic Valley south into Utah with widespread sustained winds between 20 to 40 mph with gusts to around 40 to 60 mph with locally higher gusts up to around 70 mph. Precipitation will trend more isolated to scattered for Tuesday as winds remain elevated with a series of shortwaves behind the exiting cold front with 25 to 40 kt 700 mb winds supporting gusts at the surface between 25 to 45 mph. Winds will subside Tuesday night into early Wednesday with a relative break ahead of a more organized system arriving later in the week. Overnight lows both Monday night and Tuesday night will bottom out in the single digits and teens with warmest areas in the 20s and coldest mountain basins dropping below zero. MacKay .LONG TERM...Wednesday through next Monday. Wednesday looks mostly dry across the region aside from snow showers across the central mountains and Island Park. The weather pattern becomes much more active on Thursday and through the duration of the long term portion of the forecast period. Upper flow becomes southwesterly Thu as we begin to feel the effects of a broad upper level trough moving towards the region. This moist, but warming, SW flow should allow valley temps to rise into the mid 40s to lower 50s on Thursday and Friday along with widespread PoPs as ample moisture moves through the region with Friday likely the wettest day of the two. As we move into Saturday and Sunday, the trough will deepen and as heights fall, so will the temperatures with snow likely returning to valley floors as early as Saturday but especially by Sunday. Still a bit of uncertainty as to just how quickly (and much) we cool off but with continued deep moisture in place, accumulating mountain and valley snows are increasingly likely. Additionally, winds look to be breezy for a good chunk of the Thu-Sun timeframe. The trough moves east of the region on Monday allowing which should cut off the flow of moisture for the most part but the cooler temps still be left behind for the first work week of March. McKaughan && .AVIATION...For the 12Z TAFS through 12Z Tuesday. VFR conditions in place early this morning as winds slowly start to increase across the region. Things will become increasingly problematic over the next 12 to 18 hours as a strong cold front moves through the region bringing gusty winds, rain and snow to all east Idaho terminals. As far as winds are concerned, widespread 25- 35 kt winds expected everywhere except KSUN throughout much of the day today. As the front pushes through the region, valley precip that begins as rain will transition to a brief period of snow at KBYI, KIDA and KPIH and combined with the wind, some very low visibilities will be possible for a brief period with any blowing snow. Mountain terminals of KDIJ and KSUN will likely be all snow for the duration of the precipitation. All sites will likely see CIGs lower to MVFR levels around 2kft, perhaps briefly IFR. CIGs likely improve near the end of the TAF period but winds will remain elevated into the day Tuesday. McKaughan && .PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Advisory until 11 PM MST this evening for IDZ051-054>058. Wind Advisory until 5 PM MST this afternoon for IDZ052-053-067- 068-070. Winter Storm Warning until 11 PM MST this evening for IDZ060>066. Winter Weather Advisory until 5 PM MST this afternoon for IDZ069- 075. Winter Storm Warning until 5 PM MST this afternoon for IDZ071>074. &&
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Pocatello ID
529 AM MST Mon Feb 26 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0326 AM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 3 S Stanley 44.17N 114.93W
02/26/2024 M54 MPH Custer ID ASOS
ASOS station KSNT Stanley Airport.
0339 AM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 3 S Stanley 44.17N 114.93W
02/26/2024 M49 MPH Custer ID Mesonet
Mesonet station STNI1 3 S Stanley.
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 high wind, 2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
About 70 customers without power reported by Fall River Electric cooperative in the Island Park area as 60 to 70 mph wind gusts were measured.
Widespread 50 to 60 mph wind gusts occurred behind a cold frontal passage with widespread blowing and drifting snow causing whiteouts on roads.
Wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph were widespread and caused whiteout conditions with several accidents on State Highway 33 from Newdale to Tetonia. Multiple semi trailers jackknifed. 7 inches of snow was reported to have fallen in Driggs with the storm. State Highway 32 was closed from Ashton to Tetonia due to whiteout conditions as well with blowing and drifting snow.
Fifty to 65 mph wind gusts were widespread in the Arco and Mud Lake Desert regions.
Widespread 55 to 70 mph wind gusts were recorded at several mesonet sites behind the passage of a strong cold front.
Fifty to 65 mph wind gusts were widespread behind a cold front with 61 mph measured at the Burley Municipal Airport.
Fifty to 60 mph wind gusts were widespread and 1 to 3 inches of wet snow also fell and contributed to a power line downed in Chubbuck and Yellowstone road was blocked between Linden and Chubbuck Road at around 420 PM. Idaho Power reported about 120 customers were without power.
Widespread 50 to 60 mph wind gusts caused whiteout conditions on eastbound State Highway 33 from Newdale to Tetonia. Several crashes occurred including a 7 vehicle one that closed State Highway between Newdale and Tetonia at 230 PM MST. There were multiple jackknifed semi trailers. The crashes blocked the road for three and a half hours. rocky Mountain Power reported 120 customers without power due to wind in Idaho Falls.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, February 2024
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: 1164062, 1164067, 1164061, 1164064, 1164065, 1164066, 1164063, 1164060.