Idaho Had One Frigid January Night!

It was so cold, I saw a Democrat with his hands in his own pockets! Last week friends who live in the Northeast were telling me about some chilly overnight lows. Temperatures for a couple of nights were 20 to 30 below zero.

Here in the Magic Valley of Idaho, we rarely see it get quite so cold. The winter of 2016-17 comes to mind as the last really bitter winter. One morning five years ago it was 15 below when I left for work and the very same morning a friend in Burley had 18 below. It was a unique winter!

No Matter How You Measure, it Was Cold

We bottomed out in the single digits Friday morning in Twin Falls. My studio thermometer dropped to three degrees and remained there for several minutes before again rising. As I was giving out the temperature on-air, friends from around the state started sharing their own readings. It was mightily cold in places like Fairfield and Teton Valley! Both places had readings of twenty below or more and I’m certain there were places even colder. Especially up in the mountains.

A friend who used to work at Idaho Fish and Game grew up on a ranch near the Wyoming state line. At 7,000 feet above sea level, car door handles often snapped off in the cold and if you could get in, seats would crack once you grabbed a chair. He said 40 below wasn’t uncommon.

We Aren't Made for Such Cold

When I was a much younger broadcaster, I once had to cover a story in the middle of a mountain range. One morning I got out of bed and it was 46 below outside. The daytime high topped out at 18 below. I was never fortunate enough to be offered work in Florida, but even there this weekend will be cold. Some places along the Gulf Coast will drop below freezing. As if Americans don’t have enough to be miserable about!

By the way, the old rock band Three Dog Night is named after an Australian expression. When it was cold, you slept with the dog. When it was really cold, you slept with three!

The Cold Was Widespread

In Fairfield, the temperature matched Teton Valley.

Picture courtesy of Mike McFadyen.

It Looked Pretty Even if it Was Frigid

Like a Christmas card!

Picture courtesy of Mike McFadyen.

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