Following a cold frontal passage, a tight pressure gradient and strong winds aloft resulted in strong winds at the surface. The strongest winds were in south central Idaho.
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The episode as NWS BOI wrote it up.
Following a cold frontal passage, a tight pressure gradient and strong winds aloft resulted in strong winds at the surface. The strongest winds were in south central Idaho.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Boise, ID wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 14, 11:24 AM MST, 2 hours 21 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Boise ID
1224 PM MDT Sat Mar 14 2026
.UPDATE...Updated aviation discussion.
&&
.KEY MESSAGES...
- Strong, locally damaging, winds today along and behind a cold
front. Strongest winds are expected in the central Snake River
Basin and south to the Idaho/Nevada border.
- Much colder tonight and Sunday, with sub-freezing low
temperatures in all areas, then rapid warming Monday.
- An early season heat wave will bring record high temperatures
area-wide Tuesday through Friday.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Issued 1005 AM MDT SAT MAR 14 2026
begins to break allowing for stronger flow aloft to reach the
surface. Seeing signs of the cold front entering Baker County
this morning with showers bringing gusts to 40mph. Winds aloft
are 30-40 kt through 10kft MSL and will increase along/ahead of
the front this afternoon. This is on track with the forecast
which puts southern areas in the area of maximum wind gusts.
High resolution models are mostly unchanged with the timing
(mid-late afternoon) and intensity (40-60 mph) of wind/gusts
across areas currently under the High Wind Warning. Strongest
winds in the Treasure Valley will be across higher terrain
east/south of Boise. Current forecast is on track so no update
for this morning.
&&
.SHORT TERM /Through Monday Night/...
Issued 339 AM MDT SAT MAR 14 2026
A cold front, supported by a very strong impulse aloft from the
north Pacific, will pass through our CWA today. Strong or even
damaging winds are expected along and behind the front as it
passes through eastern Oregon late morning and western Idaho
midday and early afternoon. Strongest winds are expected this
afternoon and early evening in the Snake River Basin east of
Boise and south to the Idaho/Nevada border where sustained
west/northwest winds will reach 30 to 40 mph with gusts 50 to
60 mph. All other zones in our CWA will be under a Wind Advisory
for sustained winds 25 to 35 mph and gusts to 50 mph. The
southwest Idaho Highlands was added to High Wind Warning. The
Boise Mountains, West Central Idaho Mountains, and Upper Weiser
River zones were added to the Advisory for sporadic winds strong
enough to blow down trees during heavy rain showers with the
cold-frontal passage. Brief but heavy rain and snow showers are
expected in northern areas, but even southern areas will have
rain showers for an hour or two as the front passes.
Much colder air will come in behind the cold front tonight through
Sunday. The snow level will lower all the way to valley floors
overnight but by then most of the showers will have ended.
Light snow showers or flurries will linger only in the central
Idaho mountains.
The cold weather will be brief, with the upper trough exiting
rapidly southeast Sunday evening and replaced by an upper ridge
building inland across the western US. This ridge will bring
rapid warming to our CWA beginning Sunday night and continuing
Monday leading to record high temperatures as early as Tuesday.
A warm front late Sunday night/ Monday morning will bring 1-2
inches of snow to northern mountains, clearing later Monday.
&&
.LONG TERM /Tuesday through Saturday/...
Issued 339 AM MDT SAT MAR 14 2026
The long term is consistently hot and dry as strong upper level
ridge brings an early heat wave. Tuesday will be 15 to 20
degrees above normal, as following days rise to 20 to 25 degrees
above normal. Locations in the valleys will see afternoon high
temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s. Temperatures in desert
highlands will be a few degrees cooler, and much cooler in the
mountains of Central Idaho down to the upper 50s and lower 60s.
In fact, some parts of the Snake River Canyon will see afternoon
temperatures approaching the 90 degree mark late in the week.
Daily high temperature records will be threatened at all sites
each day in the long term. Not only will we threaten daily
records, but we will also challenge the warmest maximum
temperatures ever recorded for the month of March. We may even
see our earliest 80 degree day in Boise. For historical context,
the warmest day in March for Boise, Idaho, was 82 degrees set
on March 26th 1877, and the earliest 80 degree day was March
19th 1997. Winds remain mild, and skies will stay partly cloudy.
Afternoon relative humidity values are expected to range from
20 to 30% in the lowlands and 30 to 50% in the mountains.
&&
.AVIATION /18Z Saturday through Sunday/...
Issued 1223 PM MDT SAT MAR 14 2026
A cold front is bringing a band of showers through the area,
moving from NW-SE, through early evening. Localized MVFR
conditions in precipitation and blowing dust. Showers remain
into mid evening behind the front over the West-Central Idaho
mountains. Less than a 10% chance of lightning in showers along
the front. Snow Levels: 4-6 kft MSL, lowering to valley floors
behind the front this evening. Surface winds: W-NW 15-30 kt with
gusts to 25-50 kt, strongest near KTWF/KJER. Winds aloft at
10kft MSL: W-NW 35-55 kt
KBOI...Light to moderate rain in showers along the front,
clearing by mid-afternoon. Surface winds: NW 20-30 kt with
gusts up to 40 kt. Winds decrease in strength after sunset.
Sunday Outlook...VFR under mid-high clouds. Ceilings lowering
and showers returning to E Oregon and the central ID mtns late
Sun/PM. Surface winds: variable 5-10 kt, with W-NW gusts to 20
kts near KTWF/KJER.
&&
.BOI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...Wind Advisory until 9 PM MDT this evening for IDZ011>013-029-
033.
High Wind Warning until 9 PM MDT this evening for IDZ014>016-
028-030.
OR...Wind Advisory until 9 PM MDT /8 PM PDT/ this evening for
ORZ061>064.
&&
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AVIATION.....CH
DISCUSSION...DG
SHORT TERM...LC
LONG TERM....JMThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
An Idaho Transportation Department mesonet station, located north of Jackpot, Nevada along Highway 93, measured a gust to 60 mph.
Sustained winds of 40 mph lasted for longer than an hour at Jerome Butte. Sustained winds of at least 40 mph were also observed at Gooding and Jerome Airports. Gusts in the area were between 50-58 mph for much of the day.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, March 2026
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1310435, 1322811.