860
FXUS65 KPIH 282018
AFDPIH
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO ID
118 PM MST WED JAN 28 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- SYSTEM TODAY WILL BRING LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TO PARTS OF
EASTERN IDAHO.
- WARMING TREND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND, WITH LITTLE
SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION IN SIGHT THURSDAY ONWARD.
- REBUILDING RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE COULD PROVIDE RENEWED BOUTS
OF LOW CLOUDS AND FOG AT TIMES THIS COMING WEEK. CONFIDENCE IN
THIS IS LOW THOUGH.
SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/
ISSUED AT 115 PM MST WED JAN 28 2026
A WEAK UPPER LEVEL TROUGH CONTINUES TO QUICKLY MOVE THROUGH THE
REGION THIS AFTERNOON BRINGING SOME VERY LIGHT SNOW TO SOME SPOTS.
RADAR RETURNS ARE GENERALLY LIGHT AND IMPACTS APPEAR TO BE QUITE
LIMITED WITH THE PRECIP BUT IT AT LEAST SERVES AS A REMINDER THAT IT
IS IN FACT WINTER AS THINGS HAVE BEEN UNUSUALLY QUIET THROUGHOUT THE
AREA. AFTERNOON SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS WIDESPREAD CLOUD COVER IN
PLACE FOR MUCH OF THE REGION ALTHOUGH WE'RE ALREADY STARTING TO SEE
A BIT OF CLEARING IN THE SOUTHWESTERN PART OF THE STATE. PRECIP
CONTINUES TO PUSH FROM WEST TO EAST AND MOST IS ALREADY ALONG AND
EAST OF THE I-15 CORRIDOR AND WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EASTERN
HIGHLANDS AS WE MOVE INTO THE EVENING HOURS. ACCUMULATIONS ACROSS
THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE EASTERN HIGHLANDS COULD AMOUNT TO AN INCH
OR TWO BUT MOST LOCATIONS WILL SEE LESS THAN AN INCH AS THERE'S NOT
MUCH MOISTURE WITH THIS SYSTEM. MODELS SHOW FOG AND STRATUS
POTENTIAL, ESPECIALLY IN THE LOWER VALLEYS, SO WE'LL SEE HOW THIS
PANS OUT AS WE MOVE INTO THE DAY ON THURSDAY. UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL
BE BUILDING BACK OVER THE REGION DURING THE DAY BUT NW FLOW ALOFT
COULD SPARK SOME HIGH ELEVATION SNOW SHOWERS IN THE CENTRAL
MOUNTAINS AND EASTERN HIGHLANDS BUT WILL BE OF RELATIVELY LOW
IMPACT. TEMPS TOMORROW ARE FORECAST TO BE AROUND SEASONAL NORMS
ALTHOUGH STRATUS COULD MAKE THE TEMP FORECAST PROBLEMATIC.
LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/
ISSUED AT 115 PM MST WED JAN 28 2026
A WEAK UPPER LEVEL TROUGH CONTINUES TO QUICKLY MOVE THROUGH THE
REGION THIS AFTERNOON BRINGING SOME VERY LIGHT SNOW TO SOME SPOTS.
RADAR RETURNS ARE GENERALLY LIGHT AND IMPACTS APPEAR TO BE QUITE
LIMITED WITH THE PRECIP BUT IT AT LEAST SERVES AS A REMINDER THAT IT
IS IN FACT WINTER AS THINGS HAVE BEEN UNUSUALLY QUIET THROUGHOUT THE
AREA. AFTERNOON SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS WIDESPREAD CLOUD COVER IN
PLACE FOR MUCH OF THE REGION ALTHOUGH WE'RE ALREADY STARTING TO SEE
A BIT OF CLEARING IN THE SOUTHWESTERN PART OF THE STATE. PRECIP
CONTINUES TO PUSH FROM WEST TO EAST AND MOST IS ALREADY ALONG AND
EAST OF THE I-15 CORRIDOR AND WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EASTERN
HIGHLANDS AS WE MOVE INTO THE EVENING HOURS. ACCUMULATIONS ACROSS
THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE EASTERN HIGHLANDS COULD AMOUNT TO AN INCH
OR TWO BUT MOST LOCATIONS WILL SEE LESS THAN AN INCH AS THERE'S NOT
MUCH MOISTURE WITH THIS SYSTEM. MODELS SHOW FOG AND STRATUS
POTENTIAL, ESPECIALLY IN THE LOWER VALLEYS, SO WE'LL SEE HOW THIS
PANS OUT AS WE MOVE INTO THE DAY ON THURSDAY. UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL
BE BUILDING BACK OVER THE REGION DURING THE DAY BUT NW FLOW ALOFT
COULD SPARK SOME HIGH ELEVATION SNOW SHOWERS IN THE CENTRAL
MOUNTAINS AND EASTERN HIGHLANDS BUT WILL BE OF RELATIVELY LOW
IMPACT. TEMPS TOMORROW ARE FORECAST TO BE AROUND SEASONAL NORMS
ALTHOUGH STRATUS COULD MAKE THE TEMP FORECAST PROBLEMATIC.
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z THURSDAY/
ISSUED AT 1025 AM MST WED JAN 28 2026
A COLD FRONT PASSING THROUGH EASTERN IDAHO IS ALSO BRINGING SNOW
SHOWERS WITH IT TODAY. WE'VE SEEN BRIEF DROPS DOWN TO IFR CONDITIONS
DUE TO LOW VIS AND CIGS AS THE SNOW FALLS, SO EXPECT THAT TO
CONTINUE AT OUR TAF SITES AS SNOWFALL MOVES EASTWARD, TOO. WIND
GUSTS HAVE BEEN AROUND 20KTS. THE OVERALL WINDOW FOR SNOW IS
RELATIVELY SHORT AND BY 01-02Z IT SHOULD BE OUT OF MOST OF OUR
SITES, BUT COULD LINGER UNTIL CLOSER TO 10Z AT DIJ. MODELS SHOW LOW
STRATUS/FOG DEVELOPING ALONG THE SNAKE RIVER TONIGHT, MAINLY
IMPACTING IDA AND PIH. WHILE THE NBM IS MORE HESITANT TO BRING THE
LOW STRATUS/FOG INTO BYI, THE HREF SHOWS ABOUT A 50 PERCENT CHANCE
OF VIS AT BYI DROPPING TO 2SM BEGINNING AROUND 14Z THURSDAY MORNING,
SO WENT WITH 3SM BR TO SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE A BIT THERE. THAT
WILL BE THE NEXT THING TO FINE TUNE AFTER THE SNOW MOVES THROUGH
TODAY.
PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
NONE.
SHORT TERM...MCKAUGHAN
LONG TERM...AMM
AVIATION...AMM
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