textproduct: Boise

KEY MESSAGES

- Near record temperatures continue through Wednesday, with valley highs in the mid 70s.

- Gusty winds and very dry conditions will bring elevated fire danger along with blowing dust across southeast Oregon and near the Idaho-Nevada border through Wednesday afternoon.

- Mountain showers through Wednesday. Gusty winds with a cold front passage Wednesday night followed by breezy and cooler conditions on Thursday.

SHORT TERM /Through Thursday Night/

An unusually strong upper level ridge for late March remains the dominant feature across the Intermountain West into Wednesday. This ridge is drawing a very warm air mass northward, which will result in temperatures 15 to 20 degrees above seasonal normals. The primary concern through Wednesday afternoon will be the combination of gusty southerly winds and single digit to low double digit relative humidity. Winds of 25 to 45 mph are expected across the open rangelands of southeast Oregon and southwest Idaho, particularly south of the Snake River. Given the recent dry spell, these conditions will lead to heightened fire danger along the Nevada border. Brief periods of blowing dust is also a concern across the Harney and Malheur Counties restricting visibilities.

A cold front will begin to push into southeast Oregon on Wednesday, bringing a 5 to 10 degree drop in temperatures compared to today. However, southwest Idaho will maintain near- record warmth for one more day before the front arrives. Precipitation associated with this system will be most prevalent across northern mountains, where a 30 to 40 percent chance of showers is forecast. Precipitation totals will be light, generally under a tenth of an inch. Snow levels will remain high, staying above 8000 feet MSL through Wednesday afternoon.

The cold front moves through the remainder of the area Wednesday night. This passage will be largely dry for the valleys, but will be accompanied by gusty northwest winds up to 45 mph through Thursday, especially along the Interstate 84 corridor from Mountain Home through the Western Magic Valley. This could bring blowing dust for lower visibilities at times. Much cooler air follows for Thursday, with high temperatures falling 10 to 25 degrees from Wednesday levels. Snow levels will also drop significantly to around 4000 to 5000 feet MSL by Thursday morning.

LONG TERM /Friday through Tuesday/

A dry, upper level ridge will build across the Intermountain West Friday, placing the ridge axis to the east of the forecast area. High temperatures will be warmed by 10-15 degrees compared to Thursday. As the ridge axis continues east, a large, elongated trough will approach the west coast over the weekend. As a result, warm southwesterly flow will strengthen across the west and boost temperatures further, approximately 15-20 degrees above normal both Saturday and Sunday. Models bring the upper trough onshore by Monday, introducing a cold front and precipitation chances (15-35%) for E Oregon and SW Idaho Monday and Tuesday. Surface winds will become gusty ahead and behind the cold front, with a notable drop in temperatures by Tuesday.

AVIATION /18Z Tuesday through Wednesday/

Updated 200 PM MDT TUE MAR 24 2026

Mostly VFR. A swath of blowing dust significantly reducing visibility in east-central Oregon this afternoon. Scattered rain showers after Tue/22Z around KBKE/KMYL, with areas of mountain obscuration, continuing through Wed. Surface winds: SW-SE 10-20 kt, with gusts up to 35 kt in eastern OR. Winds aloft at 10 kft: W-SW 20- 40 kt.

KBOI...VFR. Surface winds SE 5-10 kt, occasionally light and variable.

BOI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

ID...None.

OR...None.