textproduct: Pocatello

KEY MESSAGES

- Rain and snow increases during the day

- Occasional rain and/or snow continues into next week

- Above average temperatures will persist

SHORT TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/

Issued at 1245 AM MST Thu Jan 1 2026

Precipitation has been taking its time moving from Nevada and into southern Idaho, but it is on the way. The trend is for rain and/or snow to overtake all of central and eastern Idaho. Snow levels hit by afternoon 6000-7500ft for most locations. The exceptions are for the Wood River Valley, Mackay, the upper half of the Snake Plain, and Island Park. Snow levels remain low enough (6000ft or lower) to keep things as snow or getting to a mix...depending on location. There is a small window as precipitation moves in at lower elevations for a very low probability chance of freezing rain/drizzle. It is too low to mention in the forecast, but certainly NOT ZERO. IF we see something like this happen, look for minimal impacts from that. By tomorrow morning, most of the precipitation will fall in two areas. The first is the Sawtooths and surrounding ranges, and the second is along and east of I-15 especially in the highlands. Snow levels remain in the 5500-7500ft range, with a few colder pockets in the morning. Looking at 48 hour totals, most lower elevations will see anywhere from a few hundredths up to almost 0.33". For the higher elevations of the central mountains, we are looking at most ranges seeing up to 0.25". Locally higher amounts are possible around Mt Borah and the Sawtooths, where there is a 25-55% chance of exceeding 0.50:...but we are concerned the higher resolutions might be too aggressive with extremely high amounts at those elevations. For the South Hills/Albion Mountains, southeast and eastern highlands, we are looking 0.10-0.40" for valley locations. For the mountain ranges, 0.50-1.30" is forecast. There is low-end potential for exceeding that in the Bear River Range, but again the higher resolution models appear to be a bit aggressive. In terms of snowfall, we will likely see snowflakes falling but not necessarily accumulating at lower elevations. However, we are looking at light accumulations across the upper half of the Snake Plain. We could sneak in something similar if colder spots don't mix out quick enough this morning. For Island Park, we will see a couple of inches in that 2 day window. Up high, we are thinking we will see up 1-5" for various mountain ranges. This will produce minimal if any impacts for most mountain passes. We could see higher amounts across the spine of the Sawtooths, the Big Holes, and portions of the southeast highlands. There current forecast is for 5-10" at Emigration Summit and even higher amounts in the Bear River Range, and this by reducing some of the highest amounts produced by some model forecasts. The window for impacts there is late afternoon through Friday morning. We did issue a WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY for that timeframe, as that appears the only major impacts expected that could impact travel, etc. By tomorrow night, precipitation quickly wraps up for this round, with some lingering light precipitation around Island Park and Teton Valley.

LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 1257 PM MST Wed Dec 31 2025 Precipitation returns to central mountains Saturday and spread east Saturday night into Sunday with widespread rain and snow Saturday night through Monday. Snow levels Saturday into Sunday up around 6500 feet dropping to 5 to 6 thousand feet by Monday. Highs Saturday through Monday in the 40s to around 50 valleys and mid 30s to mid 40s mountains. Expect generally drier conditions with only a slight chance of mainly mountain showers Tuesday and Wednesday. It will be slightly cooler with snow levels more in the 4 to 5 thousand foot range. Highs Tuesday and Wednesday 30s mountains and upper 30s to mid 40s valleys. Lows Monday night and Tuesday night dropping below freezing all locations both days. Not expecting significant impacts long term with the high snow levels and the continuation of Well above normal temperatures even with the slight cooling next Tuesday and Wednesday.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY/

Issued at 1031 AM MST Thu Jan 1 2026

Area of precipitation working north across East Idaho late this morning per radar imagery. As precipitation nears each terminal, expect a rapid drop in CIGS to MVFR/IFR. Temperatures remain extremely tricky with potential for any type of precipitation, including brief period of FZRA. As temperatures shift slightly upward, there is greater potential for a trend toward RA, but SUN, IDA, and DIJ would be the most likely to hold on to SN the longest and thus a better chance of LIFR CIGS as well. The moisture and low CIGS/VIS remain in place through the night, with improvement expected during the day Friday.

PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

Winter Weather Advisory from 2 PM this afternoon to 11 AM MST Friday for IDZ060.