textproduct: Pocatello

KEY MESSAGES

- Temperatures will steadily climb through the weekend, with many afternoon highs reaching the 40s and lower 50s by Sunday.

- After a brief relative cooldown Monday and Tuesday, the dry and warming trend returns through the end of the week.

- Stagnant air mass will remain in place through the weekend.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/

Issued at 117 PM MST Fri Jan 30 2026

Weak shortwave moving through the region today may be enough to produce very light snows across the Island Park region this afternoon. Accumulations associated with this will be less than an inch. Elsewhere, progression of the mid and upper cloud deck across the region should be able to inhibit most stratus/fog development across the region. That said, there is still some potential to see patchy fog much like early this morning, and have left that blanketed across the region tonight. Moving into the beginning of the weekend, the upper ridge rebounds slightly, allowing lower elevation temperatures to continue to nudge upwards. Afternoon highs should reach 40 for a significant portion of the Snake Plain and lower elevation areas south of the Snake River. The probability of exceeding 50 tomorrow is greatest in the Raft River region and most of the Eastern Magic Valley. Another repeat of low clouds and fog may be possible Saturday night, but model soundings are significantly drier than prior mornings. Thus confidence is low, with the exception of the Cache Valley where area web cams show that the fog thinned late morning.

LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/

Issued at 117 PM MST Fri Jan 30 2026

Dry forecast continues through the week as broad scale ridge remains in place across the Western U.S. Temperatures for Sunday increase another 2-4 degrees. A pair of weak and dry shortwaves briefly flatten the ridge for Monday and Tuesday, but moisture associated with these features appears to remain too far north to impact East Idaho. The warming trend stalls temporarily for both Monday and Tuesday in response to these features, then returns through the remainder of the week. By the end of the week, model probabilities suggest the chance for daytime highs exceeding 50 degrees is greater than 65% for almost the entirety of the Snake Plain and surrounding valleys.

AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SUNDAY/

Issued at 933 PM MST Fri Jan 30 2026

Minimal impacts. Will have VFR level ceilings through tonight and expect them to scatter out Saturday morning after 12Z. Lowest ceilings at DIJ in the 3 to 4 thousand foot range. Winds remain light through Saturday evening.

AIR QUALITY

Issued at 117 PM MST Fri Jan 30 2026

Ridge of high pressure rebuilds for the weekend, strengthening surface based inversions and increasing the potential for pollutant trapping. A pair of weak shortwaves may be enough to temporarily break down inversions Monday and Tuesday, but the ridge redevelops for the latter half of the week, and stagnant conditions are likely to return.

PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

Air Stagnation Advisory until noon MST Monday for IDZ054-059.