Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Pocatello, ID
Issued by NWS Pocatello, ID
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000 FXUS65 KPIH 222038 AFDPIH Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pocatello ID 138 PM MST Sat Nov 22 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - More patchy dense fog expected tonight into Sunday morning. - Remaining dry through the weekend before Monday cold front. - Continued unsettled pattern and turning colder through the Thanksgiving weekend. && .SHORT TERM /THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... Issued at 136 PM MST Sat Nov 22 2025 This morning`s patchy dense fog and low stratus continues to slowly erode from the south and you can find some sunshine at times. Those of us who make it out from underneath the stratus blanket will warm into the upper 40s to even near 50 degrees, and the rest will remain in the low to mid 40s. Look for more of the same tonight as some patchy dense fog and low stratus keep hanging around until we can get Monday`s cold front to blow it out of here. Any patchy dense fog tonight doesn`t look too widespread, so not anticipating another Dense Fog Advisory at this time. Models are showing a thin band of fog from Burley along the interstate up towards Pocatello and Blackfoot where we are seeing some of the most clearing, along with some fog out across the Arco desert. The HREF gives it about a 30 to 40 percent chance of visibility dropping below a half mile at times tonight within that band of fog, but that seems heavily weighted by the HRRR while the NAM shows visibility closer to 1 to 2 miles and the NBM only gives a 10 percent chance of visibility blow a mile. There`s about a 20 percent chance for fog to work its way into Idaho Falls, too. So still expect to drive into some patches of dense fog early Sunday morning if you are out and about and be alert and cautious. Sunday afternoon will be nearly a repeat of today. Late Sunday night our next cold front will begin to move into the area. More on that below... && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... Issued at 136 PM MST Sat Nov 22 2025 Fast moving shortwave drives across Idaho with cold front passage during the day Monday. Impacts are still expected to remain minor with light precipitation and snow accumulation focused mainly over the higher terrain. Winds increase along and behind the front, with speeds still expected to reach 25-30 mph and gusts around/over 40 mph especially across the Upper Snake Plain. There is still uncertainty headed into the Thanksgiving holiday travel period, as the ensemble clusters show signs of the next intermountain ridge breaking down by Thanksgiving. By Friday, half of the clusters depict a trough shifting into the western states while the other half maintain a ridge over the coastal states or intermountain west. Either way, they all show some sort of a trough across or already through the western states by the weekend, with nearly half of the clusters depicting a deep trough similar to the operational GFS. It is also fair to note that the slower or less amplified clusters appear to favor the EC ensembles. The pattern stays somewhat unsettled and trending colder into the weekend and early next week. There is potential for a much colder airmass early next week on the periphery of the polar chill that may be headed for the north- central states. && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SUNDAY/... Issued at 1040 AM MST Sat Nov 22 2025 Satellite imagery shows broad swath of stratus throughout much of the Snake Plain this morning, extending into the Teton and Wood River Valleys. Edges of the stratus shield are showing signs of eroding this afternoon, with conditions already improving at DIJ/BYI/PIH. Will take a little longer for edge of stratus and clearing to reach IDA, and even longer for erosion at SUN as moisture continues to be pushed up the Wood River Valley. But, by late afternoon or early evening, anticipation is for all sites to return to VFR CIGS. There is still moisture present for the development of stratus and fog overnight, but at this time the coverage appears to be patchier in spread. Trended the Snake Plain terminals BYI/PIH/IDA toward MVFR conditions after 06Z tonight, and left wiggle room to trend either way in later forecast updates. && .PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ SHORT TERM...AMM LONG TERM...DMH AVIATION...DMH