Happy Baby Friday!
Warm temperatures are sticking around through Friday, but a big shift is on the way for the weekend.
A warm southerly flow will keep temperatures above normal through the end of the workweek. By this afternoon, a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms will develop mainly across southeast Oregon, the Idaho-Nevada border, and near the Owyhee Mountains as moisture begins to move in from a strong offshore low.
That storm system moves onshore early Friday and will bring a much more active pattern to the region. Showers and thunderstorms are expected to become more widespread Friday afternoon through Saturday, with Saturday likely to be the peak time for storm development. Stronger storms could produce gusty outflow winds, frequent lightning, small hail, and brief heavy rain. While most storms are expected to stay below severe limits, a few stronger storms cannot be ruled out, especially in the Owyhee Mountains and parts of the Magic Valley Friday evening.
Rainfall amounts through Sunday night could top one inch in the higher terrain, with many valley locations picking up between a half inch to an inch.
The wetter and cooler pattern settles in even more by Sunday as the main low pressure system moves inland. Temperatures will fall below normal from Sunday through Tuesday, with valley highs only reaching the mid to upper 50s. Periods of heavy rain will remain possible, and snow levels are expected to drop to around 4,000 to 5,000 feet late Sunday and again Monday night. That could bring minor snow accumulation to the higher elevations of southwestern Idaho, with most models indicating 2"-4" of snow through Sunday across the eastern and west-central mountains.
Breezy winds will also pick up Sunday, especially south of the Treasure Valley, where gusts could reach up to 40 mph.
Another colder system could arrive late Wednesday into Thursday next week, hence the cool down into Thursday afternoon. For Boise, conditions stay quiet through next week.
Will keep you up to date about the stormy weather right here!
