154
FXUS65 KPIH 052035
AFDPIH

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pocatello ID
135 PM MST Wed Feb 5 2025

.SHORT TERM...Rest of Today through Thursday Night.
The cold front is through eastern Idaho and so is most of the
precipitation. However, the wind remains and we are still seeing
widespread wind gusts of 45 to 65 mph, so Wind Advisory remains in
place for parts of the eastern Magic Valley, Snake River Plain, and
Teton Valley until 8 PM this evening. The more organized push of
moisture came through with the cold front this morning, but we
continue to so see some showery activity on radar this afternoon
in parts of the South Hills, Central Mountains, and Eastern
Highlands. It`s no surprise we`re a bit cooler behind the front
this afternoon. So, highs won`t be in the 50s today, but we`ll
still remain a bit above "normal" for this time of the year with
highs ranging from the upper 30s in the upper Snake River Plain to
low and mid 40s in the eastern Magic Valley and lower Snake River
Plain. This lull in activity will be short-lived with some light
snow showers continuing on and off overnight up in the Sawtooths,
but the rest of us will be mostly dry tonight and through at least
the first half of Thursday. As a low moves onshore in the PNW
late Thursday into Friday it will bring more snow, wind, and rain
back to the area. More on that below... AMM

.LONG TERM...Friday through Wednesday.
A fast moving, but potent storm impacts central and eastern Idaho
on Friday. We should see mostly snow Friday morning, with a
rain/snow mix for any lingering precipitation later Friday below
mainly 6000ft. We are also looking for another breezy day, with
some blowing/drifting expected at higher elevations. Warmer
temperatures though in previous days and on Friday should help
mitigate that a bit. The latest snowfall forecast 3" or less up
and down most of the Snake Plain and Magic Valley. Similar
conditions are forecast for the valleys south of the Snake Plain
and Magic Valley, as well as the Challis, Pahsimeroi and Lost
River Valleys. 3-6" is possible across the Shoshone Lava Beds and
Craters and valleys of the eastern and southeast highlands. Higher
valley and mountain snow totals generally are 6-12" with locally
higher amounts. We MAY need headlines for portions of the eastern
highlands, Bear River Range, Wood River Valley, and the
Sawtooths/surrounding mountains. We will likely see some more
fluctuations with those totals in the next 24 hours. With overall
low pressure developing and us sitting in solid northwest flow,
expect a return to colder temperatures for the weekend and beyond.
Highs will struggle to get above freezing. There is a low to
moderate chance of getting above 32 during that stretch from
Pocatello westward and south toward the Utah border.
Keyes


&&

.AVIATION...18Z Wednesday to 18Z Thursday.
Showers continue to dwindle this afternoon, although
some will remain around Driggs and in the central mountains
overnight. The bigger story is the stronger winds that will last
through early evening. Gusts at PIH, IDA, BYI, and to some extent at
DIJ will remain 35-45kts until then before rapidly dropping off.
While we expect some scattered to broken mid and lower clouds, we
are NOT expecting any issues with MVFR/IFR conditions at the moment.
The chance for precipitation becomes more widespread late Thursday
afternoon onward.
Keyes


&&

.PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Wind Advisory until 8 PM MST this evening for IDZ052>057-065.

&&

$$