Cheers to hump day- the weekend is around the corner.
A strong westerly flow will dominate the forecast through the end of the week, bringing a steady warming trend across the region. Temperatures will climb about 10 degrees warmer today compared to yesterday, with another jump of around 10 degrees expected by Thursday as warmer air moves in.
As for rain and snow chances, moisture streaming in from the Pacific will mainly impact northern areas Thursday into Friday. This will bring periods of heavy, wet snow to the northern mountains. Snow levels will gradually rise over the next couple of days—starting near valley floors today and climbing to around 6,500 to 7,000 feet by Friday. Northern mountains could see 6 to 12 inches of new snow, along with about 0.50 to 1.25 inches of precipitation. Farther south, precipitation will be much lighter. Baker County may pick up a few hundredths to a few tenths of an inch of liquid, while areas across the Snake River Plain south toward the Nevada border and parts of southeast Oregon are expected to stay mostly dry.
It will still be breezy today, though not quite as windy as yesterday. Winds ramp back up on Thursday as stronger westerly gusts develop, especially across the Camas Prairie and western Magic Valley. A Wind Advisory has been issued for those areas as gusts could reach advisory levels Thursday afternoon between 1 pm and 7 pm.
Looking ahead to the weekend, a cold front arriving Saturday will bring the most impactful weather of the week. Very strong winds are expected across much of the region, with gusts approaching high wind warning criteria in some locations. Conditions settle down a bit on Sunday with slightly cooler temperatures and lighter winds.
Another warming trend returns early next week, with temperatures climbing Monday through Wednesday. By Tuesday, highs could challenge or even break records. In fact, Boise reaching 80 degrees before the spring equinox has only happened once before in recorded history—back in 1996—and there’s currently about a 25–40% chance it could happen again.
Springtime is coming in hot!
