Flood — Minidoka, Idaho

2017-02-04 to 2017-02-28 · near Adelaide, Minidoka, Idaho

Event narrative

A warmup very early in the month caused massive sheet flooding as the snow melt from extreme December and January snows began rapidly early in the month. Nearly all roads experienced major flooding with as much as 4 feet of water on some roadways. The county did not have enough signs to indicate all the road closures. By the 14th of the month the only main roadways north of Meridian Road that were open were 400 West Road and 600 West Road. Highway 24 from Rupert to Acequia was closed by the 12th. Many roads were lost due to the damage. A large number of homes received massive flooding damage. Rural home damage to wells and septic systems occurred contaminating water. The state declared Minidoka County a disaster with some of the most significant flood damage in the state occurring there. The city of Paul's main pump station became completely submerged under water. The month's damage in dollar amounts exceeded 6 million dollars. Over 50,000 sandbags were ordered.

Wider weather episode

A trend toward above normal temperatures in February after extreme snowfall amounts in both December and January led to extensive flooding issues during the entirety of the month. The brunt of the flooding occurred in Cassia, Minidoka, Jefferson, Lincoln and Bingham Counties but all counties did receive at least minor flooding. The floding began February 4th and continued to affect low lying areas until the end of the month and continued into March.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (43.1618, -113.7200)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 682555. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.