792
FXUS65 KPIH 131044
AFDPIH
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO ID
444 AM MDT FRI MAR 13 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- STRONG WINDS CONTINUE THROUGH SATURDAY
- PERIODS OF LIGHT MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL PERSIST THROUGH SATURDAY,
PRIMARILY ABOVE 6000 FT, LEADING TO OCCASIONAL WINTER TRAVEL
CONDITIONS ON A FEW AREA PASSES.
- A MAJOR WARMING TREND ARRIVES NEXT WEEK. VALLEY TEMPERATURES
WILL LIKELY REACH THE 70S BY MID WEEK, AND SOME AREAS COULD
SEE 80 DEGREE HIGHS.
DISCUSSION
ISSUED AT 1208 AM MDT FRI MAR 13 2026
THE WIND MACHINE REMAINS ACTIVATED THROUGH THE NEXT 48 HOURS.
WINDS WILL BE LIGHTER TODAY, WITH GUSTS 25-35 MPH COMMON ACROSS
THE AREA. HIGHER GUSTS TODAY WILL BE IN THE 35-50 MPH RANGE,
ACROSS HIGHER ELEVATIONS AND MOST OF THE SNAKE PLAIN AND MAGIC
VALLEY. WE HAVE A WIND ADVISORY FOR THE SNAKE PLAIN FROM LATE
MORNING THROUGH AROUND SUNSET. WE WILL SEE A BREAK IN THE
WIND TONIGHT, BUT STILL EXPECT IT TO BE BREEZY. WINDS WILL
SLOWLY RAMP UP IN THE MORNING, WITH THEM PEAKING IN THE
AFTERNOON. WE MAY SEE WINDS IN SOME AREAS A BIT SUBDUED IN THE
MORNING DESPITE STRONG WINDS OFF THE SURFACE INCREASING, AND THE
PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENING. THIS DUE TO CLOUDS AND SHOWERS
HOLDING THINGS UP A BIT. IF WE CAN GET CLEARING EARLIER IN THE
DAY, EXPECT HIGH WINDS SOONER. WIDESPREAD GUSTS OF 30-55 MPH
ARE FORECAST. GUSTS UP TO 65 MPH ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE SNAKE
PLAIN, MAGIC VALLEY, ADJACENT BENCH AREAS, SOUTH HILLS/ALBION
MOUNTAINS, AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. THERE IS A 20-40% CHANCE OF
EXCEEDING 75 MPH ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS, THE
SOUTH HILLS/ALBION MOUNTAINS. WE WILL DEFINITELY NEED ANOTHER
ROUND OF WIND ADVISORIES AND HIGH WIND WARNINGS FOR SATURDAY. WE
WILL HOLD OFF UNTIL LATER TODAY TO SEE HOW WE WANT TO ARRANGE
THOSE HEADLINES. AS THE LOW RACES SOUTHEAST, WINDS WILL QUICKLY
TURN NORTHWEST BUT REMAIN PRETTY STRONG UNTIL AFTER MIDNIGHT.
WE ARE STILL WATCHING SOME LIGHT PRECIPITATION FALLING ACROSS
PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND EASTERN HIGHLANDS. MOST OF
THIS IS FALLING ACROSS THE SAWTOOTHS AND SURROUNDING RANGES,
MOUNTAINS AROUND ISLAND PARK INTO YELLOWSTONE AND TETONS. WE
WILL SEE AN UPTICK TOMORROW AS THE LOW RACES ACROSS OUR AREA,
BUT NOTHING TOO OUTLANDISH IN ANY GIVE 6 HOUR PERIOD. WE DID
DECREASE SOME OF THE PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS ACROSS THE CENTRAL
MOUNTAINS, AS HIGHER RESOLUTION MODELS WERE PRODUCING
UNREALISTIC AMOUNTS EVEN WITH A STRONG UPSLOPE COMPONENT FOR
HIGHER RIDGELINES. WE WILL NEED TO WATCH TOMORROW NIGHT AS WE
WILL SEE A CONVERGENCE BAND RACE SOUTH, ALONG AND EAST OF I-15.
ADDITIONAL PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS OF 0.20-0.50" ARE POSSIBLE IN
THE EASTERN AND SOUTHEAST HIGHLANDS. HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE
ALONG THE WYOMING BORDER INTO THE TETONS. THE BULK OF THE
MOISTURE IN THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS FALLS FROM GALENA SUMMIT NORTH
AND WEST, WHERE 0.40-1.0" IS FORECAST. THERE IS A 10-30% CHANCE
OF OVER 1.0" TO FALL ACROSS HIGHEST PEAKS AND RIDGELINES.
ADDITIONAL SNOWFALL WILL BE LIGHT, ALTHOUGH ALONG THE SPINE OF
THE SAWTOOTHS AND SALMON RIVER MOUNTAINS ANOTHER 12+" IS
POSSIBLE.
BY SUNDAY, A STRONG RIDGE BUILDS OVER THE WEST, LEADING TO HIGH
CONFIDENCE IN A SHARP WARMING TREND STARTING MONDAY. THERE IS A
55% CHANCE OF REACHING 70 DEGREES FOR HIGHS ACROSS THE SNAKE
PLAIN BY TUESDAY, AND AT LEAST A 45% CHANCE OF REACHING 80
DEGREES SOUTH AND WEST OF BLACKFOOT BY WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY.
DAILY RECORD HIGHS WILL LIKELY BE CHALLENGED STARTING TUESDAY.
AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SATURDAY/
ISSUED AT 426 AM MDT FRI MAR 13 2026
THE MAIN ISSUE TODAY AGAIN IS THE WIND, ALBEIT WEAKER VS
THURSDAY. GUSTS AT BYI, IDA, AND PIH ARE EXPECTED TO PUSH
30-40KTS THIS AFTERNOON. FOR DIJ, WE ARE EXPECTING 20-30KTS
DURING THE SAME PERIOD. WE MIGHT SEE SOME SHOWERS AROUND THE
AIRPORT, SO WE WILL MAINTAIN VCSH IN THE LATEST FORECAST. AT
SUN, WE WILL SEE WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS THIS AFTERNOON GUSTING
10-20KTS AT TIMES. SHOWERS SHOULD SHIFT NORTH AWAY FROM THE
AIRPORT DURING THE DAY.
PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
WIND ADVISORY FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING
FOR IDZ052>054-065.
DISCUSSION...DMH/KEYES
AVIATION...KEYES
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
Main Text Page