Winters in Idaho are cold, snowy, and icy. But, very few compare to the winter of 1948-1949. This winter will go down in the history books as one of the snowiest and coldest winters in Idaho and if you lived through it, you will remember it. This winter brought trials, worry, death, and destruction, and unfortunately, it was no short storm.
The winter began as many others in November 1948, but it wasn’t anything Idaho wasn’t prepared to face.
However, winter took a turn for the worse in January. Temperatures began to fall — really fall. Areas around the state were seeing subzero temperatures and high winds of more than 35 miles per hour were making it feel even colder outside.
For days throughout the month of January, temperatures barely rose into the double digits.
On January 25, 1949, for example, Pocatello saw temperatures as low as -31 degrees Fahrenheit. Snow also continued to fall — and to fall. In some areas, snow drifts as high as 20 feet tall were reported. With the combination of heavy snow, high winds, and freezing temperatures, snowplows were having a difficult time clearing roadways, livestock were freezing, and Idahoans were finding themselves stuck in their homes. It became so bad that food and other supplies had to be dropped into communities by airplane.
While January 1949 was tough, February did not show any mercy. In the beginning of the month, more storms struck including a strong wind storm that caused even more destruction and made it difficult for communities to receive supplies.
The numerous winter storms and freezing cold temperatures brought many difficulties to Idahoans.
Many individuals struggled with few supplies, schools were closed for days, large amounts of livestock were killed, power was difficult to maintain, and more. Then, in the spring, once the snow began to melt in the mountains, communities had to brace themselves once again as the potential for flooding was extremely high.
The winter of 1948-1949 was brutal in so many ways. While we certainly have terrible winters in Idaho, very few compare to this challenging time in the Gem State.
What is the worst winter you have lived through in Idaho? Let us know in the comments! And, if you want to learn about several other winter storms in Idaho that will go down in the history books, check out our list of five winter storms that are impossible to forget.
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