Ice Storm — Eastern Lemhi County, Idaho

2015-12-07 to 2015-12-08 · Eastern Lemhi County, Idaho

Event narrative

On Dec. 7 at 2pm MST, a Lemhi County official reported that area roads were very slick due to freezing rain. Salmon schools were closed on Dec. 8 because side roads were very slick. The local newspaper reported that there were road closures. The COOP observer in Salmon reported a 2-day rain total of 0.53 which is fairly significant for that area. Where the rain didn't freeze in the afternoons, it appears that the water on the smooth ice surfaces exacerbated the conditions.

Wider weather episode

An atmospheric river event brought heavy precipitation north-central Idaho during this period. Because of below freezing ground temperatures, the rain that fell in portions of Lemhi County froze causing road & school closures, and several automobile accidents.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 612849. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.