Two day after a damaging wind storm, another high wind event was widespread across southeast Idaho.
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.
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.
Two day after a damaging wind storm, another high wind event was widespread across southeast 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 Dec 19, 4:44 AM MST, 2 hours 16 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pocatello ID 444 AM MST Fri Dec 19 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Moderate to heavy mountain snow Today with valley rain. Breezy to windy conditions Friday. Wind Advisory in Snake River Plain. - Weather pattern to remain active into the week of Christmas. - Continued well above normal temperatures through Christmas. && .SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... Issued at 152 AM MST Fri Dec 19 2025 A second round of moisture with this system will intensify this morning with snow levels in the 6 to 7 thousand foot range then dropping overnight. Snow will gradually exit the central mountains after sunset and the drying will push south overnight with snow lingering in the southern mountains through tonight. Additional snow accumulations in the central mountains of 1 to 3 inches below 6500 feet with 4 to 8 inches above 7 thousand feet. In the eastern mountains an additional 1 to 3 inches of snow below 6500 feet and 3 to 6 inches above 7 thousand feet. Lower chance high end snowfall above 7 thousand feet around 8 inches. Will see 25 to 30 mph winds in the Snake River Plain with gusts up to 50 mph. All elevations below 6 thousand feet to 6500 feet will see rain today. Winds are expected to diminish after sunset in the Snake River Plain. Highs today mid 30s to mid 40s mountains and upper 40s to lower 50s in the Snake River Plain and Eastern Magic Valley. Lows overnight tonight single digits to low teens mountains and 20s in the valleys. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... Issued at 132 PM MST Thu Dec 18 2025 A few lingering snow showers will be possible across the southern highlands Saturday, otherwise dry conditions are expected across much of the region. After a brief relative cool down, temperatures resurge Sunday as moisture returns to the region ahead of slowly amplifying trough off the Pacific coast. Ensemble and clusters maintain good agreement through most of the extended, but begin to deviate some on the depth of the trough Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. These differences have minimal impact on the character of the forecast. Conditions remain unsettled throughout the holiday travel period, including Christmas day. The amplification pushes more southwest flow into East Idaho, continuing to keep daytime temperatures well above normal, and snow levels high. Average snow levels vary between 6500-7500 feet across most of the region, so most of the lower elevations will see rain while higher elevations accumulate the snow. Thus travel impacts will likely be relegated to passes, and a white Christmas is NOT expected for most communities in East Idaho, given the current scenario. && .AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SATURDAY/... Issued at 438 AM MST Fri Dec 19 2025 Main impact sustained 20 to 30 knot winds at PIH and IDA with gusts 30 to 40 knots. Winds at SUN, BYI and DIJ this afternoon more in 15 to 20 knot sustained with gusts 20 to 30 knots. Expect worst conditions at DIJ with rain and mixed rain and snow through 00Z with ceilings 15 hundred to 2 thousand feet. Dropped to IFR with visibility 1 mile in snow at 00Z then ending at 06Z. Have rain at the other sites with ceilings MVFR levels at IDA, PIH and SUN after about 15Z or so. Everyone goes to VFR overnight after 06Z. && .PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Advisory from 8 AM this morning to 8 PM MST this evening for IDZ052>054. Winter Weather Advisory until 5 AM MST Saturday for IDZ060-063- 064-066. Winter Storm Warning until 5 AM MST Saturday for IDZ071>074. && SHORT TERM...GK LONG TERM...DMH AVIATION...GK
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind gusts of 55 to 75 mph were widespread in the Arco-Mud Lake Desert region. The peak gust was 73 mph at the East Butte mesonet station. Tom Cat Summit had a 66 mph peak gust as well.
Fifty to 70 mph wind gusts measured in the Centennial Mountains with a peak gust of 69 mph at the Henry's Lake mesonet site 8 miles north of Macks Inn.
Fifty to 65 mph wind gusts widespread in the Lost River Valley region. A peak gust of 65 mph measured 12 miles east of Howe at the Sand Dunes mesonet site.
Widespread 55 to 65 mph wind gusts measured in the Upper Snake River Plain. The peak gust of 65 mph occurred at mesonet site D6 Ririe on US Highway 26. The Rexburg and ASOS site measured 56 mph with many sites 55 mph or above.
Fifty-five to 65 mph wind gusts were widespread in the Teton Valley with a peak gust of 64 mph 1 mile north northeast of Clementsville at the Botts mesonet station on Idaho Highway 33.
Wind gusts 50 to 60 mph were widespread with a peak gust of 60 mph at the Yale Mesonet site on interstate 84.
Fifty-five to 60 mph wind gusts were widespread in the Beaverhead Lemhi Highlands. A peak gust of 58 mph measured at the Reno Gulch mesonet site.
Widespread 55 to 60 mph wind gusts measured in the Southern Hills and Albion Mountains. A peak gust of 58 mph recorded at the Connor Summit mesonet site on Idaho Highway 77 6 miles southeast of Albion.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, December 2025
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: 1308177, 1308178, 1308179, 1308181, 1308183, 1308185, 1308187, 1308189.