Snow Job

Hum...looks like we are having a convergence here: a road trip and a snow storm. Here is the edited version of this morning's Pocatello NWS Forecast Discussion. (Note the NWS people type in ALL CAPS. It's annoying but it's what they do.)

SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. A SMALL BUT POTENT STORM IS MOVING TOWARD SOUTHWEST IDAHO EARLY TODAY. AS OF 2AM...LIGHT TO MODERATE PRECIPITATION WAS DEVELOPING ACROSS WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. THIS WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD NORTH AND EAST TODAY. BY TONIGHT...THE STORM WILL MOVE OVER THE STATE AND THEN TO THE SOUTHEAST CORNER BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.

THE OVERALL WIND PATTERN IS LIGHT...5 TO 15 MPH...ESPECIALLY ONCE THE SYSTEM SHIFTS MORE OVERHEAD. HOWEVER...STRONGER DOWNVALLEY AND GAP WINDS HAVE DEVELOPED OVER THE EASTERN MAGIC VALLEY AND THE SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS. THIS MAY POSE A THREAT OF BLOWING AND POSSIBLY DRIFTING SNOW FOR THIS MORNING. THIS WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED FOR POSSIBLE ISSUANCE OF HIGHLIGHTS. OVERALL SNOW AMOUNTS ARE NOT TOO HIGH EXCEPT FOR SOME LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS OVER 6 INCHES FOR THE HIGHER PEAKS OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND ALONG THE WYOMING BORDER. BY TOMORROW MORNING...2 TO 6 INCH AMOUNTS WILL BE COMMON FOR THE EASTERN AND SOUTHEASTERN MOUNTAINS. FOR THE SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS...1 TO 4 INCHES IS POSSIBLE. THE LOWEST VALLEYS WILL SEE SNOW AMOUNTS LIMITED DUE TO WARM TEMPERATURES LEADING TO A MIX OR COMPLETE CHANGEOVER TO RAIN LATER TODAY. THOSE AREAS MAY SEE LESS THAN INCH. FOR THE SNAKE PLAIN AND EASTERN MAGIC VALLEY...EXPECT 1 TO 3 INCHES. THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS WILL NORTH OF I-84 IN THE MAGIC VALLEY AND ALSO ALONG AND EAST OF I-15 FROM FORT HALL TO NORTH OF IDAHO FALLS. WARMER DAYTIME TEMPERATURES WILL ALSO LIMIT SNOWFALL ESPECIALLY ALONG THE I-84/86 CORRIDOR. FOR THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS...THE SOUTHERN AND WESTERN PORTIONS WILL SEE 3 TO 6 INCHES IN GENERAL WHILE FARTHER NORTH 2 TO 5 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE.

MUCH DRIER WEATHER WILL RETURN BEGINNING WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BEGINS TO BUILD ACROSS THE REGION. SNOW WILL BE ENDING FROM NORTH TO SOUTH. THE CHANCE OF MOUNTAIN SNOW SHOWERS WILL BE SLIM TO NONE THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. SLIGHTLY COOLER AIR WILL ARRIVE WITH NORTHWEST FLOW...BUT THE MODELS ARE NOW KEEPING ANY REALLY COLD SURGE OF AIR WELL TO OUR NORTH AND EAST. THE THREAT OF STRATUS AND/OR FOG WILL NEED TO BE FOLLOWED WITH THIS SETUP. KEYES