It is a warm, wonderful Saturday in the Treasure Valley with temperatures climbing into the low to mid 60s. The day has been filled with beautiful, sunny skies, although high clouds will stream into northern areas like McCall during the evening.
Cloud cover will increase from north to south ahead of a cold front, which will be followed by a larger system coming in from the northwest. Scattered rain and snow showers are expected to begin as early as Sunday afternoon in the mountains, while the Treasure Valley will continue to enjoy unseasonably warm and sunny weather.
As a strong low-pressure system approaches from the northwest, precipitation remains mainly as rain for areas below 5000-5500 feet initially, with a gusty southwest breeze developing. However, a cold front moving from north to south on Monday will bring snow levels down. Accumulations of 2-5 inches are expected in mountain valleys by Monday evening, and 5-10 inches above 6000 feet. A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for the Central Mountains, the Boise Mountains and Camas Prairie for the potential of slick road conditions due to heavy and blowing snowfall.
The cold front is expected to reach the Treasure and Magic Valleys sometime Monday afternoon, bringing heavy rain and strong wind gusts. Gusts up to 40mph are possible for the valley. A Wind Advisory is in effect for the Owyhees, western Magic Valley, the southern Highlands, and Malheur and Harney counties in Oregon from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday, with gusts possibly exceeding 50mph. The wind will be out of the northwest behind the cold front, so use caution if traveling with high profile vehicles on west-east oriented highways. A High Wind Warning is in effect for eastern Magic Valley, Cassia county, and eastern Idaho from 5:00 AM Monday to 5:00 AM Tuesday for the potential of wind gusts exceeding 60mph.
A drier airmass settles in behind the cold front, with rain and snow giving way to scattered showers, but breezy conditions will continue into Tuesday. Temperatures in the Treasure Valley will dip into the 20s by Tuesday morning with a slight chance for snow showers. A warming trend is expected for the remainder of the week, so any snow changes back to rain in the valleys. Meanwhile, snow showers will continue to accumulate in the mountains, creating excellent skiing conditions as we kick off March.
Keep checking back in to Idaho News 6 for more updates on the incoming storm throughout the weekend!
