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© Chris Berry
A snowstorm dumped over seven inches of snow on the Idaho Fall area Saturday morning and temporarily shut down Interstate 15 in Pocatello.

Idaho State Police reported around 9:40 a.m. that multiple wrecks on Interstate 15 between mile markers 67 and 69 in Pocatello were blocking the freeway. Motorists were advised to use alternate routes until the interstate reopened about 30 minutes later.

The snow could continue falling throughout East Idaho well into Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service reported.

Multiple snow-related wrecks occurred Saturday morning in East Idaho, with Interstate 15 and Interstate 86 experiencing the most crashes. It's believed some of the crashes resulted in injuries but additional details are not yet available. Motorists should use caution while driving and expect delays, especially on the interstates.

The large amount of snow that fell in the Idaho Falls area resulted in multiple power outages there.

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© Ronda Hobbs
The City of Idaho Falls reported: "We have all available personnel out working to restore power as soon as possible. Due to the wide variety of outage locations, we currently do not have restore times. Line crews are restoring power issues as they come in as fast as possible. We are asking residents to have patience as our crews work to restore power."

Saturday's winter weather also caused the Idaho Falls Zoo to close for the day and the zoo reported that the heavy snowfall damaged some of its trees.

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© Ronda Hobbs
snow
© Chris Berry
Most of East Idaho, including the Pocatello area, received an inch or less of snow Saturday morning, with the exception being the Idaho Falls area which got over seven inches. The weather service said Idaho Falls and the nearby cities of Ammon, Ucon and Iona all received heavy snowfall Saturday morning.

The weather service said the forecast for East Idaho through mid-Saturday afternoon includes snow, rain and moderately high winds. Daytime temps Saturday are expected to be in the 30s to low 40s while temps in the 20s are expected region-wide Saturday night through Sunday morning.

The weather service is urging motorists to use caution while driving or to delay their trips if possible until after the precipitation ceases Saturday afternoon.

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© Jason McGiffin
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© Karissa Davis