Winter Storm — Western Lemhi County, Idaho

2015-11-18 · Western Lemhi County, Idaho

Event narrative

The Morgan Creek SNOTEL at 7600 ft reported light snow overnight, with nearby winds at Skull Gulch gusting to 56 mph, making for dangerous back-country conditions.

Wider weather episode

A strong jet aloft with a core wind speed of 170+ mph helped drive a fast moving cold front which brought high winds to many locations across the Northern Rockies. Snow above 5500 feet lead to winter storm conditions for high passes and backcountry users (hunting season still in progress). Lower atmosphere standardized wind anomalies ranged between +3 and +4 for this time of year, indicating a once-in-10-year wind event.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 607331. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.