Winter Storm — Big Hole Mountains, Idaho

2024-03-01 to 2024-03-04 · Big Hole Mountains, Idaho

Event narrative

Extremely heavy and wet snow fell on the 1st and 2nd and a trained spotter recorded 31.8 inches of snow on 230 PM MST on the 2nd. Idaho Highway 31 was closed from Swan Valley to Victor on the 4th due to blowing and drifting snow.

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 1169937. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.