Clouds and fog continue to plague the Treasure Valley from Boise east. The temperature in Boise touched 42° and most valley locations west of Boise stayed just below 40°. The sun was shining brightly from southeast Boise to the Magic Valley with many of these locations reaching 50°+!
A Dense Fog Advisory remains in effect for much of the valley from Boise east through 11 am Thursday.
Winter officially arrives Thursday evening as the winter solstice occurs at 8:27pm MST! While the season starts on a mild note, a strong cold front brings a blast of more seasonable air for the weekend.
The cold front will move across the valley between 8 and 11pm Friday night accompanied by a burst of rain and some wind. As colder air settles in behind the front, rain showers will end as snow flurries before sunrise Saturday. I do not expect any snow accumulation in the Treasure Valley with 2"-5" possible in the mountains.
With the passage of the cold front Friday night I expect blue skies to return. If you are headed to The Great Idaho Potato Bowl at Albertsons Stadium at 1:30pm it will NOT snow and will actually be bright and sunny.
That sunshine will be short-lived as another inversion will develop by the morning of the 25 th meaning low clouds will be back each morning with sunshine developing in some areas later in the day.
This time of year it is very difficult to keep sunshine in the valley as the sun is at its lowest angle so daytime heating of the ground is not sufficient enough to warm the air over the valley. This allows moisture to stay trapped in the valley causing low clouds and fog anytime there is not a storm system nearby to stir up the valley air.
Stay connected right here or to my Facebook Page for updates to my forecast for your holiday travel plans.
