Freezing Rain Advisory 2, NWS Pocatello, ID

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO ID
128 PM MST THU JAN 28 2016

.SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY.
WINTER STORM WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR MOUNTAIN AREAS TONIGHT
THORUGH SATURDAY MORNING IN THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND THROUGH
SATURDAY IN THE SOUTHERN AND EASTERN HIGHLANDS. TWO PACIFIC STORM
SYSTEMS WILL MOVE THROUGH EASTERN IDAHO. THE FIRST ONE WILL MOVE
THROUGH QUICKLY TONIGHT AND DROP 1 TO 4 INCHES IN HIGH ELEVATIONS
THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. EXPECT A BREAK UNTIL THE NEXT SYSTEM
QUICKLY SPREADS SNOW ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS AGAIN FRIDAY AFTERNOON
AND WILL CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY. SNOW LEVELS FRIDAY SHOULD RISE TO
5500 TO 6000 FEET AND EXPECT LOWER ELEVATIONS TO CHANGE TO RAIN BY
FRIDAY AFTERNOON. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR A PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN
IN THE POCATELLO AREA TONIGHT AS WELL. 10 TO 15 INCHES OF SNOW ARE
POSSIBLE ABOVE 6000 FEET THROUGH SATURDAY WITH 5 TO 9 INCHES
POSSIBLE AT LOWER MOUNTAIN ELEVATIONS. THE SNAKE RIVER PLAIN IS
EXPECTED TO GET ANYWHERE FROM A HALF INCH TO 2 INCHES THROUGH
SATURDAY MORNING AS RAIN WILL CHANGE BACK TO SNOW LATE FRIDAY
NIGHT TOWARD THE END OF THE EVENT. EXPECT SOME BLOWING SNOW IN THE
MOUNTAINS AS WELL ESPECIALLY OVER PASSES FRIDAY AFTERNOON INTO
SATURDAY MORNING WITH THE PASSAGE OF A STRONG COLD FRONT WITH
SOUTHERLY WINDS AHEAD OF THE FRONT SHIFTING TO WESTERLY BEHIND IT
FRIDAY NIGHT. INTERSTATE 84 WILL LIKELY EXPERIENCE EXTENSIVE
BLOWING AND DRIFTING. TEMPERATURES WILL TURN SHARPLY COLDER
SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY WITH THE STORM TAPERING OFF WEST TO EAST
SATURDAY WITH SNOW LIKELY CONTINUING IN THE EASTERN MOUNTAIN AREAS
NEAR THE WYOMING BORDER THEN ONLY SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS ON SUNDAY
WITH MINIMAL ACCUMULATIONS EXPECTED.
GK

.LONG TERM...LATE SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES
AND DROPPING SNOW LEVELS ARE EXPECTED MONDAY AND TUESDAY WITH LONG
WAVE TROUGH SETTING UP ACROSS THE CENTRAL US. NORTHERLY WINDS BEGIN
FILTERING THROUGH MONDAY AND CONTINUE FOR A FEW DAYS AND WILL THUS
CONTINUE BRINGING COOLER AIR THROUGH THE REGION. GRADUALLY WINDS TO
SHIFT MID-WEEK WITH ANTICIPATED HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE BUILDING IN...
GRADUALLY INCREASING TEMPERATURES. THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR MID-WEEK
SNOW SHOWERS AS WELL ESPECIALLY AT HIGHER ELEVATIONS. THIS IS NOT
EXPECTED TO BE A SIGNIFICANT EVENT HOWEVER AND WOULD BE QUICK LIVED.
NP/GK &&

.AVIATION...MIXED DISCUSSION OF PRECIPITATION TYPES OVER THE NEXT 24
HOURS. FOR THIS AFTERNOON EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS AT ALL LOCATIONS.
BEGINNING THIS EVENING PRECIPITATION IS FORECAST TO BEGIN AT ALL
LOCATIONS. AT THIS TIME...SNOW IS EXPECTED AT SUN VALLEY AND IDAHO
FALLS THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. AT IDAHO FALLS SNOW TO TRANSITION
TO RAIN FRIDAY MORNING BEFORE DISSIPATING. FOR POCATELLO...MODELS
ARE INDICATING POTENTIAL FOR FREEZING RAIN DEVELOPMENT THIS EVENING
WITH A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW OVERNIGHT. THE CONFIDENCE FOR THIS IS
AVERAGE. BY MID-MORNING EXPECT THE PRECIPITATION TO DIMINISH BUT
BE WARY OF ICE ACCUMULATIONS. AT BURLEY ALL PRECIPITATION WILL BE
RAIN TONIGHT. DURING ALL TIMES OF PRECIPITATION EXPECT LOWERED
CEILINGS AND REDUCED VISIBILITY THEREFORE EITHER MVFR OR IFR
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED. CEILINGS EXPECTED TO BREAK BRIEFLY
TOMORROW MORNING BEFORE THE NEXT SYSTEM APPROACHES EARLY
AFTERNOON. NP/GK

&&

.PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FLOOD WATCH FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON FOR
IDZ019-023-025.

WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 5 PM MST
SATURDAY FOR IDZ019-022-023-025.

WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 11 AM MST
SATURDAY FOR IDZ018-031.

&&