textproduct: Pocatello

KEY MESSAGES

- Widespread Hard Freeze: Sub-freezing temperatures are expected again through Saturday morning, and a Freeze Warning is in effect to protect vulnerable vegetation.

- Transition to Dry Weather: Isolated shower activity remains possible this afternoon before high pressure takes hold.

- Significant Warming Trend: Temperatures will climb from seasonal levels on Saturday to well above normal by Sunday, with widespread 70s expected early next week.

- Mid-Week Precip Potential: Dry conditions persist through the weekend into Tuesday, with the next weather system likely bringing rain to elevations below 7,000 feet by Wednesday.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 124 PM MDT Fri Apr 17 2026

Northwest flow in place over East Idaho behind passage of cold upper trough. A few show showers remain possible this afternoon and evening, mainly over higher elevations, but snow amounts are expected to remain light with minimal impacts. Cold temperatures remain the over-arching story, even though warm-up is forecast through early next week. One more night of hard freeze is forecast throughout the entirety of the Snake Plain tonight, and a FREEZE WARNING remains in effect. Temperatures do begin to rebound slightly Saturday, but not enough to keep the cold overnight temperatures at bay for Saturday night. NBM probabilities support a > 70% chance for overnight lows to dip below 28 for the Mud Lake/Arco Desert and both Upper and Lower Snake River Plain zones, and similar probabilities for dropping below 32 for the Shoshone/Lava Beds and Eastern Magic Valley. Thus will add one more FREEZE WARNING for Saturday night to the entirety of the Snake Plain, and delineate the zones that would need Hard Freeze verbiage.

Upper ridge continues to build into the Intermountain West into Tuesday, with temperatures continuing to climb. Additional cold- related headlines are not anticipated, as overnight lows warm well above freeze, and into the 40s for many locations. Daytime highs surge into the 70s again by Monday and Tuesday. The next system shifts inland by Wednesday, spreading some precipitation into East Idaho as early as late Tuesday. Better chances for showers and thunderstorms arrive Wednesday, but the ensembles and clusters are still struggling with progression of the upper trough as it shifts into the region. Scenarios range from a negative tilt trough to a closed split low, with quite a bit of spread on how precipitation would develop across the region mid to late week. The onset of precipitation would lower temperatures slightly, but a drastic cool down is not expected, and model mean snow levels remain 6000-7000 ft for most of the region through the end of next week.

AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SUNDAY/

Issued at 924 PM MDT Fri Apr 17 2026

Skies are clearing and winds should be light tonight. A batch of high level clouds will pass through the region tomorrow. Expect SUN to switch to an upvalley wind around 18z tomorrow.

PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

Freeze Warning until 10 AM MDT Saturday for IDZ051>055. Freeze Warning from midnight Saturday night to 10 AM MDT Sunday for IDZ051>055.