An incredible storm concluded a very active holiday weather week in southeast Idaho with widespread snow and wind beginning Christmas and continuing almost without interruption through New Year's Day.  The Pocatello airport received 23.4 inches of total snowfall during the week.  The final storm during January 1st was the highlight of the week with a widespread blizzard affecting all of southeastern Idaho from the central mountains extending east and south to the Utah and Wyoming borders.  An intense pacific storm system caused the event with a strong surface low pressure moving rapidly through the Idaho panhandle late in the day.  The blizzard came in two waves with very strong southerly winds ahead of the cold front during the day.  At the National Weather Service office at the Pocatello airport...blizzard conditions occurred from around 11 am through 3 pm with visibilities zero miles in heavy snow and sustained 40 mph winds with gusts over 50 mph.   The peak measured wind at the airport in this time were sustained 48 mph with a gust of 56 mph.  By early afternoon, all major interstates were closed including I-15 throughout the whole state...I-84 from Burley to the Utah border and I-86 from Burley to Pocatello.  By 7 pm nearly every state and US highway was closed as well in all of the region.  All roads in Blaine, Bingham and Power County were closed.  It was estimated that by the morning of the 2nd, 25 major roads in eastern and central Idaho were closed.  The blizzard peaked with the passage of the strong cold front trailing south from the low which moved west to east through the forecast area from approximately 6 pm through 9 pm.  Extensive cloud to ground lightning occurred along the front and snowfall rates just behind the front were in the 2 to 4 inch per hour range.  The strongest winds of the storm occurred just ahead of the front with sustained wind speeds of 35 to 45 mph and gusts of 55 to 65 mph common in the frontal region.  These winds were recorded by several mesonet sites at the Idaho National Environment and Engineering Laboratory north and northwest of Pocatello.  The Pocatello airport had sustained 38 mph winds with gusts up to 53 mph along the cold front.  Several travelers were stranded including 750 to 850 in Rockland in Power County.  A school and three churches were opened for shelter.  A train accident occurred as containers blown off the train.  Costs to Power County were $280,000.  Extensive damage to trailers and mobile homes were noted mainly in Bingham County with damages in excess of $200,000.  Widespread power outages occurred but for the most part were brief.  Snowfall amounts were difficult to gauge.  From spotters, snowfall estimates were 5.5 inches at the Pocatello airport with generally 6 to 9 inches reported in town and on the benches, 6 inches fell in Idaho Falls, 6 inches in Blackfoot, 4 inches in Ashton, 30 inches at Island Park, 8 inches at Hailey, 18 inches at Galena Lodge, 10 inches at Stanley, 4 inches at Challis, 12 inches at Arco, and 8 inches at Mink Creek.  Some of the significant SNOTEL estimates were 30 inches at Bear Canyon, 19 inches at Mill Creek, 33 inches at Crab Creek, 37 inches at White Elephant, 9 inches at Bostetter, 14 inches at Oxford Springs, 21 inches at Sedgewick Peak, 24 inches at Galena, 31 inches at Lost Wood Divide, 32 inches at Swede Peak, 27 inches at Vienna Mine, 24 inches at Hilts Creek, and 9 inches at Somsen Ranch.

Blizzard in LOWER SNAKE RIVER PLAIN, IDAHO
From 01-JAN-04 08:00:00 to 02-JAN-04 01:00:00 (MST)
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC

Blizzard in SAWTOOTH MOUNTAINS, IDAHO
From 01-JAN-04 08:00:00 to 02-JAN-04 01:00:00 (MST)
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC

Blizzard in SOUTH CENTRAL HIGHLANDS, IDAHO
From 01-JAN-04 08:00:00 to 02-JAN-04 01:00:00 (MST)
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC

Blizzard in UPPER SNAKE HIGHLANDS, IDAHO
From 01-JAN-04 08:00:00 to 02-JAN-04 01:00:00 (MST)
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC

Blizzard in UPPER SNAKE RIVER PLAIN, IDAHO
From 01-JAN-04 08:00:00 to 02-JAN-04 01:00:00 (MST)
Property damage: 220K
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC

Blizzard in EASTERN MAGIC VALLEY, IDAHO
From 01-JAN-04 08:00:00 to 02-JAN-04 01:00:00 (MST)
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC

Blizzard in LOST RIVER / PAHSIMEROI, IDAHO
From 01-JAN-04 08:00:00 to 02-JAN-04 01:00:00 (MST)
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC

Blizzard in BIG AND LITTLE WOOD RIVER REGION, IDAHO
From 01-JAN-04 08:00:00 to 02-JAN-04 01:00:00 (MST)
Property damage: 22K
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC

Blizzard in CARIBOU HIGHLANDS, IDAHO
From 01-JAN-04 08:00:00 to 02-JAN-04 01:00:00 (MST)
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC