Heavy snow covers the region

Snow and bad roads closed several schools across the area Monday morning. Several inches of fresh snow arrived Sunday as a cold front pushed in overnight.

The most difficult roads were in the Upper Snake River Plain and Upper Snake Highlands. Idaho Highway 32 closed Sunday night due to blowing and drifting snow. It was still not back open as of 8 a.m.

On Monday morning, three accidents occurred south of Idaho Falls on Interstate 15, causing closures and delays.

A tow truck company told Local News 8 that it received seven calls on an average day. As of noon Monday, however, it had gotten 27.

In Franklin County, a weather spotter reported 18-inch drifts around 4:30 a.m. about 1 mile East of Clifton — this is at Twin Lakes at the south dam. They also measured 8 inches of heavy snow.

A trained weather spotter in Victor reported a 24-hour snow total of 8 inches around 7:30 am. At the time of the report, it was still snowing lightly.

A 24-hour snow total of 2.5 inches was recorded in Chubbuck by a trained weather spotter around 8:30 am.
In Idaho Falls, there was not an official reading of snowfall, but the airport received about 0.09 inch in liquid equivalent. That roughly equals 1.5 inches of new snow so far Monday morning.

In Rigby, a co-op observer measured 7 inches of heavy snow over a 15 hour period. The report was sent to the National Weather Service around 8:30 am.

Several Snotel sites around the region received several inches of snow. All of these reports were submitted at 5 am Monday.

Black Bear Snotel, 16 miles Northeast of Island Park, received 8 inches over 30 hours.

Howell Canyon Snotel, 18 miles southeast of Burley, received 3.9 inches for their 30-hour total.

The Island Park Snotel, about a mile west of town, received 7.7 inches of new snow in 30 hours.

As for Bonneville County, Pine Creek Pass, about 38 miles East of Idaho Falls, received 8.6 inches of new snow over the past 30-hours.

Winds are expected to pick up this afternoon, and blowing snow will be an added concern for drivers.

It may be a dangerous commute once again Tuesday morning as another storm system arrives Monday night with strong winds.

The Lower Snake River Plain, the Magic Valley and the valleys in the Southern Highlands will be impacted the hardest by the strong winds.

Overall, another 1 to 3 inches of new snow was possible Tuesday.