288
FXUS65 KPIH 081130
AFDPIH

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pocatello ID
430 AM MST Sun Feb 8 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Rain and snow begins this afternoon and continues through
  Monday night

- The first round of precipitation mainly impacts the central
  mountains and eastern highlands

- Cooler and occasional rain and snow lasts throughout the
  upcoming week

&&

.SHORT TERM /THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/...
Issued at 115 AM MST Sun Feb 8 2026

Early morning satellite imagery shows widespread mid to high
level cloud cover over eastern Idaho as Pacific moisture
infiltrates the region. While most areas remain dry through the
early afternoon, sufficient orographic lift will generate
snowfall across the higher terrain of central Idaho,
specifically along the spine of the Sawtooths and around Galena
SUmmit. Elsewhere, unseasonably warm conditions persist for one
last day, with afternoon highs continuing around 10 to 15
degrees above seasonal norms. Precipitation will overspread the
remainder of the region later this evening and especially
overnight, gradually pushing into the Magic Valley and Snake
Plain before reaching the eastern highlands by daybreak Monday.
With snow levels progged to remain above 6500-7000 ft for the
initial onset of precip today, winter headlines are not
anticipated, though some light accumulations in the Stanley
Basin and around Island Park can be expected over the next 24-36
hours. Snow levels gradually drop after daybreak tomorrow when
the bulk of the precip will be focused across the eastern
highlands where some light accumulations are possible below 6kft
but most the snow will be above this elevation. South to
southwesterly winds will begin to pick up later today and more
so during the day on Monday, mainly in the Magic Valley and
Snake Plain, and will run around 15 to 20 mph throughout the
lower elevation valleys.

&&

.LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...
Issued at 1227 PM MST Sat Feb 7 2026

It looks like another storm slides through later Tuesday and
Wednesday, with the rest of the week seeing occasional
precipitation as general low pressure settles in over the West.
There is really no skill in this type of pattern as smaller
embedded lows will determine when and where we see more rain and
snow. The Blend of Models is trending toward most of the
moisture across the South Hills/Albion Mountain, southeast and
eastern highlands Tuesday and Wednesday if there is any kind of
trend midweek. Keyes

&&

.AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z MONDAY/...
Issued at 429 AM MST Sun Feb 8 2026

VFR conditions currently prevail across all regional terminals
under  widespread mid and high level cloud cover. Conditions
will begin to deteriorate from west to east this afternoon as
Pacific moisture moves into the region. KSUN will be the first
to see impacts, with rain initially likely transitioning to a
rain/snow mix later tonight, likely dropping to MVFR/IFR
conditions later tonight. For the valley terminals (KBYI, KPIH,
KIDA), VFR CIGs will gradually lower through the evening though
the onset of precip is expected to hold off until after 06-08Z.
Precip type will be all rain but a brief period of MVFR
CIGs/VSBYs is certainly possible. KDIJ will likely remain VFR
for most of the TAF period but anticipate a transition to
MVFR/IFR conditions after 09-11Z on Monday. Winds will increase
out of the south/southwest later this afternoon and continue
through the TAF period in the 10-15 kt range with higher gusts
possible at all terminals outside of KSUN where more of the
traditional upvalley/downvalley wind regime should hold.

&&

.PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
None.

&&

$$

SHORT TERM...McKaughan
LONG TERM...Keyes
AVIATION...McKaughan