The heat is on this afternoon as temperatures have risen to around 90° in the Treasure Valley, and low 90s are expected for the rest of the evening. Thunderstorms are bubbling up in far southeastern Oregon and along the Idaho-Nevada border, with heavy rain and gusty winds. This activity will continue through midnight and tends to stay well to the south of I-84. However, gusty outflow winds may impact the Magic Valley late this evening.
Saturday will be the hottest day of this recent warm stretch, with highs reaching the mid to upper 90s. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible towards the afternoon and evening, and possibly continuing overnight. It is unlikely that we will see severe weather, but heavy downpours and brief gusts of wind are possible in any thunderstorms that develop.
The greatest coverage of showers and thunderstorms will arrive on Sunday as a cool front pushes through the area. The Storm Prediction Center has placed the Magic Valley and southeast Idaho under a marginal risk for severe thunderstorms, but there is enough instability for stronger thunderstorms throughout the entire area. High temperatures will only hit the mid to upper 80s and will hold steady there into next week.
As of now, storm chances appear to diminish as unseasonably warm temperatures persist next week. However, as southwest flow increases towards the end of next week ahead of an approaching low-pressure system, the storm threat will ramp up again. Long-range models indicate cooling temperatures by next weekend.
