National Weather Highlight for 10 / 2 / 09: Heavy snow to become likely for Idaho mountains

October 2, 2:44 PMCoastal Carolina Weather ExaminerGannon Medwick

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Stanley, in Idaho's central mountains, stands to receive significant snowfall over the weekend of 10 / 3 - 4.

The same cold, stormy weather pattern that I highlighted in my recent post Storm heralds arrival of cold air in Oregon will lay the foundation for a heavy snow event in parts of Idaho during the weekend of 10 / 3 and 10 / 4.  The National Weather Service has issued Winter Storm Watches headlining the likelihood for said snow in the following statements only slightly modified by me:

FIRST STATEMENT from NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO, ID

SHORT STATEMENT: ANOTHER STORM WILL BRING RAIN AND SNOW TO EASTERN IDAHO OVER THE WEEKEND. A WINTER STORM WATCH FOR HEAVY SNOW IS IN EFFECT FROM LATE SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING.

VALID FOR: SAWTOOTH MOUNTAINS, BIG AND LITTLE WOOD RIVER REGION, and LOST RIVER / PAHSIMEROI, including the communities of STANLEY, CLAYTON, HAILEY, KETCHUM, BELLEVUE, ARCO, CHALLIS, and MACKAY

EXPANDED STATEMENT: RAIN AND SNOW WILL BEGIN ACROSS THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS OF IDAHO SATURDAY EVENING AND LAST INTO SUNDAY NIGHT. THE BULK OF THE ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL OCCUR AT OR ABOVE 6000 FEET. CURRENT FORECASTS CALL FOR SNOWFALL TOTALS TO RANGE FROM 5 INCHES TO 15 INCHES, WITH THE LARGEST AMOUNTS ON HIGHER PEAKS. WARMER TEMPERATURES BELOW 6000 FEET WILL HELP KEEP SNOW ACCUMULATIONS LOWER.

SECOND STATEMENT from NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOISE, ID

SHORT STATEMENT: AN EARLY SEASON WINTER-LIKE STORM WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA THIS WEEKEND. A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM LATE SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING FOR THE SOUTHWEST HIGHLANDS, OWYHEE MOUNTAINS, AND SOUTHERN TWIN FALLS COUNTY.

VALID FOR: SOUTHWEST HIGHLANDS, OWYHEE MOUNTAINS, and SOUTHERN TWIN FALLS COUNTY

EXPANDED STATEMENT: A DEVELOPING STORM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE AREA THIS
WEEKEND. COLD AIR WILL DEVELOP LATE SATURDAY NIGHT AND ESPECIALLY SUNDAY IN THE WATCH AREA. MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE MOUNTAINS ABOVE 5500 FEET WITH MODERATE AMOUNTS IN THE HIGHLANDS SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. A RAIN SNOW MIX IS LIKELY AT THE VALLEY FLOORS INCLUDING THE MCCALL AREA.

SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE POSSIBLE STARTING LATE SATURDAY NIGHT AND CONTINUING THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. SNOW LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO START OFF AT BETWEEN 6000 AND 7000 FEET SATURDAY EVENING AND THEN FALL TO AROUND 4500 FEET BY SUNDAY MORNING AS COLDER AIR SETTLES INTO THE AREA.

For more information on today's National Weather Highlight, visit the National Weather Service Pocatello, ID home page or the National Weather Service Boise, ID home page.