Winter Storm — Teton Valley, Idaho

2024-03-01 to 2024-03-04 · Teton Valley, Idaho

Event narrative

Heavy snow fell and combined with strong winds to bring extensive travel problems with periods of road closures for 4 days. 15 inches of snow was measured in Driggs. Idaho Highway 32 was closed from Ashton to Tetonia on the 1st and 2nd. Idaho Highway 33 was closed on the 2nd from Newdale to Tetonia. Driggs and the Teton Valley had extensive power outages on the 2nd. US Highway 20 was closed from Ashton to the Montana border on the 2nd. Idaho Highway 32 closed from Ashton to Tetonia was closed on the 4th. Idaho Highway 47 was closed from Ashton to Bear Gulch on the 4th. Idaho Highway 33 was closed from Newdale to Tetonia on the 4th. The closure caused by a 15 vehicle pileup in the river Rim area at around 2 PM on the 4th with extensive blowing and drifring snow and low visibility.

Wider weather episode

An extreme winter storm affected all of southeast Idaho the first 4 days of the month. Extreme amounts of Pacific moisture combined with several short waves and a cold frontal passage brought widespread snow amounts over a foot. With temperatures near freezing, widespread damage occurred due to the heavy wet nature of the snow especially in the Snake River Plain. Although there was a break in the snow late on the 2nd, it returned on the 3rd and continued into the 4th. Strong winds were also a common feature with the multi day storm with widespread gusts over 40 mph causing blowing and drifting snow and low visibility by the 3rd and 4th when colder temperatures arrived. Road closures were widespread. Thunderstorms occurred with the cold frontal passage early on the 2nd. School closures also occurred on the 4th as well.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1169936. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.