Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Boise, ID
Issued by NWS Boise, ID
081 FXUS65 KBOI 070349 AFDBOI Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Boise ID 849 PM MST Sat Dec 6 2025 .DISCUSSION...Latest models suggest Sunday`s warm front will not be as wet as forecast, especially in southeast OR, and PoPs have been generally lowered 10-20 percent in southern zones through Monday to better match QPF forecasts. Even Monday night`s PoPs could have been lowered but model uncertainty makes changes dubious that far out. We also generally lowered snow levels 200-400 feet through Monday to better match latest model consensus. The impact will be minimal, however, as the lower snow levels will occur with less pcpn. Wind, temperature, and weather (rain, snow, fog) forecasts still look good from the afternoon package. No changes there. && .AVIATION...Patchy fog overnight. Rain and snow coverage increasing along/north of KBNO-KMUO-KSUN line Sunday morning, then moving toward NV border by evening. MVFR/IFR and local LIFR in precip and low clouds. Mtns obscured through Sunday. Snow levels: 4k-5k feet MSL Sun AM, then 5k-7k feet Sun PM. Surface winds: variable 10 kt or less overnight, then SE-SW 5-15 kt Sunday. Winds aloft at 10kft MSL: W to NW 20-30 kt, increasing to 30-40 kt by Sun/15Z. KBOI...VFR overnight. Periods of rain and MVFR conditions Sun/15Z through Mon/05Z. Foothills obscured. Surface winds: SE 5-10 kt. && .PREV DISCUSSION... SHORT TERM...Tonight through Monday night...Unseasonably warm conditions continue through the entire forecast period. Temperatures are already above guidance. A record high has been set today at Ontario OR with 56 degrees as of 2pm MST. Westerly flow continues to bring scattered snow showers over the mountains through this evening with minimal accumulations. A weak warm front moves over the area on Sunday, keeping temperatures slightly cooler than today, with precipitation during the daytime heating hours. Then temperatures continue to warm on Monday with another warm frontal passage late. Rain arrives Monday afternoon, generally north of a line from Burns OR to Twin Falls ID. Temperatures on Monday reach the low to mid 50s across the Snake Basin and eastern OR lower elevations with unusual vertical mixing persisting. LONG TERM...Tuesday through Saturday...The long term remains mostly wet and active as an atmospheric river continues to supply warm tropical moisture over a strong eastern Pacific ridge. The flow in the moisture plume reaches a staggering 50-80 knots at 500mb in the middle of next week, and with PWs near record levels for this time of year moisture flux will be significant. Precipitation chances every 6 hours Tuesday through Thursday morning are around 80-100% north of a line from Ontario, to Boise, to Fairfield, centered primarily in the high terrain of eastern Oregon and west central Idaho. South of that line, precipitation chances are still elevated at 40-60%. The very strong advection of warmer air brings snow levels to the moon, 7-9 kft MSL. This is still low enough for the very highest peaks to see snow, but many low mountain ranges and mountain valleys are likely to see predominantly rain through the event. Summits that see snow could see 1-2 feet of snow, but below 8000 ft any snow that falls will be wet and followed by periods of rain. North of the Ontario, Boise, Fairfield line in the high terrain; rainfall/liquid equivalent totals at 1.0-2.5 inches. South of the line closer to 0.2-0.5 inches, with some portions of far SE Oregon only seeing a few hundredths of an inch. The strong winds aloft will mix down to the surface, bringing gusts of 25-45 mph to open areas, ridges, and highlands. Between Tuesday and Thursday morning the weather will be most significant on Wednesday as a shortwave supplements the pattern, bringing the strongest winds and highest rainfall rates. Late Thursday through Saturday the high pressure begins moving inland, pushing the moisture stream north and bringing drier weather. With the ridge overhead, valley inversions, low stratus, and fog are all possible. The warmer airmass in the atmospheric river and high pressure following will raise surface temps to nearly 20 degrees above normal throughout the long term. A possible inversion late in the week could trap colder air near the surface, raising uncertainty in temperature forecasts after Thursday. && .BOI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ID...None. OR...None. && $$ www.weather.gov/Boise Interact with us via social media: www.facebook.com/NWSBoise www.x.com/NWSBoise DISCUSSION...LC AVIATION.....SH SHORT TERM...KA LONG TERM....JM