279
FXUS65 KPIH 061842
AFDPIH
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO ID
1242 PM MDT THU AUG 6 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- WILDFIRE SMOKE CONTINUES TO IMPACT THE AREA ON AND OFF FOR THE
NEXT FEW DAYS. EXPECT DECREASED AIR QUALITY AT TIMES WITH AIR
QUALITY ADVISORIES IN EFFECT.
- WARMING TREND HAS BEGUN WITH HIGHS APPROACHING 100 DEGREES IN
THE LOWER ELEVATIONS FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND.
- NO PRECIPITATION IN THE FORECAST FOR THIS WEEK, BUT INCREASING
POTENTIAL FOR MONSOON MOISTURE TO RETURN NEXT WEEK.
DISCUSSION
ISSUED AT 151 AM MDT THU AUG 6 2026
WILDFIRE SMOKE TODAY IS LIKELY TO BE VERY SIMILAR TO HOW IT WAS
YESTERDAY. MEANING IT WILL STILL BE NOTICEABLE IN THE AIR AND STILL
MAKE AIR QUALITY "MODERATE" TO "UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS," BUT
NOT IMPACT VISIBILITY OR BE AS THICK AS IT WAS EARLIER IN THE WEEK.
THAT SAID, AIR QUALITY ALERTS STILL CONTINUE FOR PARTS OF THE
EASTERN MAGIC VALLEY TODAY. THE HEAT UP IS ON AND HIGHS TODAY ARE
LOOKING TO WARM INTO THE MID TO UPPER 90S FOR MOST OF THE SNAKE
RIVER PLAIN AND LOWER ELEVATIONS IN THE SOUTH HILLS AND CENTRAL
MOUNTAINS. OTHERWISE, LOOK FOR MORE MID TO UPPER 80S IN OUR MID-
ELEVATION TOWNS. WIND GUSTS THIS AFTERNOON ONCE AGAIN WILL BE AROUND
20 TO 25 MPH FOR MANY. EXPECT FRIDAY, SATURDAY, AND SUNDAY TO BE
ALMOST IDENTICAL WEATHER DAYS WITH HIGHS BACK IN THE 90S TO LOW
TRIPLE DIGITS. OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURES WILL ALSO BE WARMER, LIKELY
STAYING IN THE UPPER 50S AND LOW TO MID 60S FOR MANY, SO HEAT
PRODUCTS MAY NEED TO BE ISSUED LATER TODAY, ESPECIALLY FOR PARTS OF
THE EASTERN MAGIC VALLEY AND SOUTH HILLS. EARLY NEXT WEEK, TROUGHING
BEGINS TO MOVE INTO THE WEST, WHICH WILL HELP FLATTEN OUR RIDGE OF
HIGH PRESSURE AND SLOWLY PUSH IT A BIT FARTHER EAST, ALLOWING
MONSOON MOISTURE TO MAKE ITS WAY BACK INTO EAST IDAHO. WHICH, AT
THIS POINT, WE WILL WELCOME ANY POTENTIAL PRECIPITATION CHANCES.
THIS SLIGHT PATTERN CHANGE BRINGS A SLIGHT DROP IN OUR AFTERNOON
TEMPERATURES, BUT THEY WILL LIKELY STILL REMAIN IN THE LOW TO MID
90S FOR THE SECOND HALF OF NEXT WEEK.
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY/
ISSUED AT 1128 AM MDT THU AUG 6 2026
HIGH PRESSURE KEEPING AWAY CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION, BUT
ALLOWING WILDFIRE FU. WIND CONTINUES AS LIGHT AND VARIABLE AT
LATE NIGHT AND MORNINGS, FOLLOWED BY MILDLY GUSTY UPSLOPE WIND
IN THE AFTERNOON. FU AFFECTING KIDA, KPIH, DURING THE MORNING
HOURS BEFORE INVERSION BREAK, KSUN WHEN UPSLOPE FLOW IN THE
EARLY AFTERNOON PUSHES SMOKE UP VALLEY. AT THE VERY END OF THE
FORECAST, SOME ALTO-CUMULUS MAY MOVE THROUGH THE REGION, MOSTLY
SOUTH OF THE SNAKE RIVER. WOULD NOT EXPECT ANY CIGS FROM THIS,
JUST FEW-SCT.
FIRE WEATHER
ISSUED AT 1231 PM MDT THU AUG 6 2026
HIGH PRESSURE WILL KEEP THINGS EXTREMELY DRY, INCLUDING POOR
RECOVERY AT NIGHT FOR MOST LOCATIONS. TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE
WARMING ANOTHER DAY, TEMPERED BY THE AMOUNT OF SMOKE MOVING
THROUGH THE MIDDLE AND HIGH LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE FROM
WILDFIRES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. AS THE EDGE OF A SLOWLY
MOVING HIGH GETS CLOSER, THE LIGHT WIND WILL SLOWLY INCREASE,
WITH FRI AFTERNOON EXHIBITING WIND GUSTS RISING TO JUST BELOW
CRITICAL THRESHOLDS IN THE SAWTOOTH AND SALMON-CHALLIS NFS. SAT
AFTERNOON WILL SEE GREATER COVERAGE OF THOSE TWO AREAS AND THE
EASTERN MAGIC VALLEY AND OTHER BLM LANDS WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH.
SO EXPECT SOME FIRE WEATHER WATCHES OR RED FLAG WARNINGS FOR
SAT. AS OF NOW, EASTERN IDAHO APPEARS TO HOLD OFF ON THE GUSTY
WIND UNTIL SUN, WHILE THE GUSTY CONTINUES FOR CENTRAL IDAHO.
GUSTS TO 30 MPH DO DISAPPEAR FROM THE EASTERN MAGIC VALLEY AND
DEVELOP IN LIMITED AREAS IN THE SNAKE RIVER PLAIN/TETON VALLEY.
BY MID-WEEK NEXT WEEK, SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD RETURN
AS THE HIGH SHIFTS FAR ENOUGH EASTWARD TO OPEN THE DOOR TO THE
REMNANTS OF THE SOUTHWESTERN MONSOON TO CREEP INTO THE REGION.
AIR QUALITY
ISSUED AT 151 AM MDT THU AUG 6 2026
AN AIR QUALITY ALERT CONTINUES FOR CASSIA, LINCOLN, AND MINIDOKA
COUNTIES THROUGH TODAY WHERE AIR QUALITY IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN
"MODERATE" TO "UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS."
PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
AIR QUALITY ALERT UNTIL 3 PM MDT FRIDAY FOR IDZ052-053-062>074.
HEAT ADVISORY FROM 1 PM FRIDAY TO 11 PM MDT SATURDAY FOR
IDZ056-057-059.
DISCUSSION...AMM
AVIATION...MESSICK
FIRE WEATHER...MESSICK
AIR QUALITY...AMM
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