Eastern Idaho Getting Hit With Hail, Flooding

Bad weather continues to plague eastern Idaho, creating a lake in downtown Blackfoot, hailing in Rigby and threatening Lemhi County property.

Elsewhere, tornadoes touched down without doing damage and the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River is flooding some Rexburg pasture land.

Blackfoot Police Capt. Steve Woolf said several streets were closed Thursday night.

“Cars would drive through the water and make waves that were being forced toward buildings,” Woolf said.

To make matters worse, cars were stalling and getting stuck in the middle of the “lake.” Residents and some jail inmates worked to sandbag the site.

The Henry’s Fork of the Snake River is running at 9.75 feet, slightly above flood stage, but down from Tuesday’s 10.16 foot crest.

In Rigby, three inches of pea-size hail fell, causing a semi tractor-trailer to slide off Interstate 15 north of Idaho Falls. No accidents were reported.

A tornado touched down on Iona Butte about 1:30 p.m. Thursday. No damage was reported.

“It kicked up some dust and knocked a few tree limbs to the ground,” said John Fitzgerald of the National Weather Service.