textproduct: Pocatello

KEY MESSAGES

- Some light showers in the next 24 hours, then another weak storm arrives Thursday morning. Much heavier mountain snow for Friday and Friday night.

- Highs and lows after tonight will be on an unsteady warming trend and staying very mild for the time of year.

- Windy to very windy conditions develop in the Snake River plain and on mountain ridges starting Friday and continuing through Sunday afternoon.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/

Issued at 200 AM MST Wed Dec 3 2025

Something of a breather for the next 24 hours, with some flurries winding up in Cassia county this morning and then late tonight some flurries developing in the upper Snake River highlands. The mean northwesterly flow continues, with the next impulse moving in from northwest to southeast starting Thu morning. This is another weak storm that doesn't generate much precipitation; once again, it looks to be less than Winter Weather Advisory criteria even in the eastern highlands and the northwest side of the central Idaho mountains. Once again there is a precipitation shadow for all the Wood and Lost River basins. With a let up either Thu night or Fri morning, another trough should move through this mean northwesterly flow. This event will be bringing much more moisture than the two previous snow events. It will also be warmer, so it will be mostly rain at the Snake River plain elevations, but above the all snow level the accumulation will rate a Winter Storm Warning.

This will couple with some very windy conditions to actually use the lower thresholds for Winter Storm criteria. At the lower elevations, it may need a Wind Advisory or a High Wind Warning for the Snake River plain on Fri afternoon.

Temperatures will be near normal today and tonight with it taking a while for the wind to shift from the north to south. Warming starts Wednesday, and a gradual warming in this southerly flow means low elevation temperatures will warm into the lower to middle 40s in portions of the eastern Magic Valley , lower Snake River plain, and southern hills.

LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/

Issued at 200 AM MST Wed Dec 3 2025

Sat/Sat night continues to have this northwest upper level flow that keeps up the threat of precipitation. On Sun/Sun night the upper level ridge is building and shifting the storm track farther north, with about 75 percent of the solutions indicating this, while the remainder keep it about the same as Sat. By Mon, the west coast ridge is dominating strongly. the flow is still northwest, and the light precipitation threat out there barely rises above 25 percent risk, few clouds and just breezy to windy conditions means Mon is the warmest day in the next week. This upper level ridge de-amplifies for Mon night and all of Tue, besides shifting, possibly, to either overhead or to the east. This would open up the risk of some precipitation with another shortwave impulse moving through the flatter flow.

This makes Sun and Mon the driest days. Every period appears to be windy to very windy in the Snake River plain.

AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z THURSDAY/

Issued at 417 AM MST Wed Dec 3 2025

It will be a tough morning at all airdromes save KIDA. KDIJ, KPIH, KBYI, and KSUN all have had wildly shifting VSBY and CIG with the stratus and BR/FZFG rolling in and out under light wind. Only KIDA seems to have avoided the issues with some drying northerly wind. For the afternoon and early evening, all the airports should have a break with CIG and VSBY unlimited. However, stratus should rear its ugly head again tonight at KDIJ, KPIH, and KIDA. All three have a risk of evening or late night IFR for CIG. Wind is staying at or below 10KT.

PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

None.