Record-breaking snowfall for February

IDAHO FALLS — Five weather records were broken in February and one record was broken by more than two feet.

February was a recording breaking month for snowfall in eastern Idaho and just over the border into Wyoming. Island Park, Picabo in Blaine County, Stanley, Swan Valley and Jackson, Wyoming all broke snowfall records for February.

“A lot of near-record or record-breaking snowfall totals for the month of February. Island Park takes the proverbial cake with this one,” National Weather Service Meteorologist Alex DeSmet told EastIdahoNews.com.

Island Park received a total of 105.6 inches of snow in February. The previous record was 78 inches in 1949. That’s a difference of 27.6 inches.

“It’s already a snow place and to break the record by that wide of a margin is pretty impressive,” DeSmet said.

Since then, the snowiest February was 2008 with 66 inches. DeSmet said 2008 was a notoriously heavy snow year for the area.

That total of 105.6 inches does not include snow accumulated over the last day of the month, as that data had not yet been delivered to the NWS.

The most recent snow storm in Island Park dumped 31 inches of snow over just a few days.

On February 27, an avalanche in Wyoming closed a portion of Highway 22 between the Idaho state line and Jackson.

According to the NWS, Jackson received the third most snow out of the east Idaho/Wyoming region with 52.9 inches for February. Another record-breaker. The previous record was set in 1905.

Stanley beat Jackson for second place by just a hair with 57 inches breaking the previous 1916 record.

Swan Valley was by far the smallest record-breaker with 26 inches. Picabo had 34 inches.

The honorable mentions that failed to break any records in February were Aberdeen with 9.3 inches, Bern with 20 inches, Inkom with 35.5 inches, Bear Lake with 4.5 inches, Preston with 16.2 inches, Richfield with 17 inches and Pocatello with 19.1 inches.