Innovative Ways of Providing Support During the
Historic Snows and Floods of 2017 Across Southern Idaho (120)
Vernon Preston, National
Weather Service, Pocatello, Idaho
Travis Wyatt, National
Weather Service
Alex DeSmet, National
Weather Service
Jeremy Schulz, National
Weather Service
Abstract:
The historic snowfall across
southern Idaho during the winter of 2016-2017 broke records dating back to the
1920s. Numerous communities suffered from the heavy snowpack, with impacts
ranging from the collapse of multiple building roofs to road departments far
exceeding their annual snow removal budgets. The resultant lowland flooding
broke all-time peaks at many locations, which had been previously set during
the last big flooding in the early 1960s. Other locations exceeded all-time
flood records dating back to the 1890s. The flood episodes had a major impact
on numerous communities and livelihoods. Major damage was inflicted on
agricultural land, homes, farms, and ranches. Numerous streets, county roads,
and state and federal highways were flooded and destroyed. Creative
collaboration and unique decision support safeguarded two area dams from
failure. Our poster will highlight various techniques used during the winter
and spring of 2017 to assist a host of partners, and will also address the
challenges of working with new partners during such events.