261  
FXUS65 KPIH 182053  
AFDPIH  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO ID  
153 PM MST SAT JAN 18 2025  
   
SHORT TERM
 
TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. TWO MAIN STORIES OF  
NOTE IN THE SHORT TERM. FIRST IS SHORTWAVE FEATURE DROPPING OUT OF  
CANADA LATE TONIGHT INTO TOMORROW. MOISTURE IS QUITE LACKING, BUT  
THERE'S ENOUGH TO PRODUCE LIGHT SNOWS EASTERN HALF OF THE FORECAST  
AREA. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS SHOULD BE LIGHT, BUT THE COLDER IT IS,  
THE HIGHER THE SNOW-LIQUID-RATIO, SO WILL EXPECT SOME OVER-  
ACHIEVING AMOUNTS. THE BIGGER STORY IS THE COLD ARCTIC AIRMASS  
THAT FOLLOWS THIS FEATURE, WITH THE COLDEST AIR OF THE SEASON SO  
FAR. SUB-ZERO LOWS LOOK TO EXTEND FURTHER SOUTH INTO EAST IDAHO,  
WITH ENOUGH WIND TO PRODUCE WIND CHILLS -15 TO -30. HAVE UPGRADED  
EXCESSIVE COLD WATCH TO AN EXCESSIVE COLD WARNING FOR SUNDAY NIGHT  
INTO MID-MONDAY MORNING. DMH  
   
LONG TERM
 
MONDAY THROUGH NEXT SATURDAY.  
AFTER A FRIGID START TO THE DAY, THE AFTERNOON WON'T BE PARTICULARLY  
WARM EITHER. HIGHS WILL STRUGGLE TO GET TO THE DOUBLE DIGITS IN THE  
UPPER SNAKE RIVER PLAIN AND THROUGHOUT THE EASTERN HIGHLANDS. IT'LL  
BE JUST A COUPLE OF DEGREES WARMING, REACHING THE MID TO UPPER TEENS  
IN THE EASTERN MAGIC VALLEY AND SOUTH HILLS. TEMPERATURES WILL  
MODERATE JUST A COUPLE OF DEGREES ON TUESDAY AS STRONG NORTHERLY  
FLOW ALOFT LOOSENS ITS GRIP JUST A BIT. THAT SAID, MORNING TEMPS  
WILL BE NEARLY IDENTICAL TO MONDAY, SO IT WOULD NOT BE A SURPRISE  
IF WE NEED TO EXTEND SOME OR ALL OF THE EXTREME COLD WARNING FOR  
TUESDAY MORNING, TOO. WE CONTINUE OUR VERY GRADUAL WARMING TREND  
THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEK, GAINING JUST A COUPLE OF DEGREES EACH  
DAY. BY THURSDAY, HIGHS WILL BE BACK IN THE 20S AND 30S ACROSS OUR  
CWA. WE REMAIN DRY THROUGH MOST OF THE WEEK WITH JUST A SMALL CHANCE  
(LESS THAN 20 PERCENT) FOR A FEW FLURRIES IN THE MOUNTAINS OF THE  
EASTERN HIGHLANDS MIDWEEK, BUT MODELS ARE HINTING AT SOME SNOW  
POTENTIAL RETURNING AT THE END OF THE WEEK. THE ECMWF HAS A SYSTEM  
DROPPING SOUTH OUT OF CANADA WITH A LOW PASSING THROUGH WASHINGTON  
AND OREGON ON SATURDAY WHILE THE GFS KEEPS US MOSTLY IN NORTHWEST  
FLOW WITH JUST LIGHT SNOW FOR OUR MOUNTAINS. MUCH IS YET TO BE  
IRONED OUT WITH HOW THIS PLAYS OUT, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE WE STAY MOSTLY  
DRY AND COLD UNTIL THEN.  
AMM  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
18Z SATURDAY TO 18Z SUNDAY.  
VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR THE REST OF SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND  
EVENING AND WINDS REMAIN LIGHT AND VARIABLE. WE WILL BE WATCHING FOR  
THE DEVELOPMENT OF MORE STRATUS ACROSS PARTS OF THE AREA TONIGHT,  
MAINLY IMPACTING DIJ AND IDA, THOUGH IT COULD SINK FAR ENOUGH SOUTH  
INTO THE PIH TERMINAL. AT THIS POINT, HAVE KEPT PIH BORDERLINE  
VFR/MVFR. AT IDA, LOOK FOR MVFR TO ALMOST IFR CIGS AND WITH LIGHT  
WINDS, STRATUS COULD SETTLE INTO FOG, THOUGH THAT SEEMS A BIT LESS  
LIKELY. AT DIJ, WITH THE STRATUS AND MID LEVEL CLOUDS PASSING  
THROUGH LEADING TO SOME SEEDER-FEEDER LIGHT SNOW TO IMPACT CIGS AND  
VIS DOWN TO MVFR TO BORDERLINE IFR CONDITIONS, TOO, THROUGH EARLY  
SUNDAY MORNING.  
AMM  
 

 
   
PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
EXTREME COLD WARNING FROM 1 AM TO 9 AM MST MONDAY FOR IDZ052>054-  
062-065>067.  
 

 
 

 
 
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