Skiers, rejoice! More than a foot of snow forecast for Bogus Basin, Idaho mountains
Idaho skiers can finally rejoice, as major snowfall is expected this weekend after an unseasonably warm winter so far, according to the National Weather Service.
Jay Breidenbach, warning coordination meteorologist for NOAA, said precipitation this week is expected to fall Wednesday evening, with showers through Thursday. Friday is expected to be the “calm before the storm,” and snowfall will begin on Saturday, he said.
Preliminary estimates in the Treasure Valley are for 2-3 inches of snow over the weekend, including in Boise, Meridian, Caldwell, Nampa and Eagle. In the mountains and at Bogus Basin, more than a foot of snowfall is expected.
Any areas at 5,000 feet or higher will be measuring snowfall in feet, Breidenbach said.
Temperatures will be in the 20s and 30s through the weekend, mostly staying below freezing, the National Weather Service said, with afternoon highs maybe reaching the mid-30s.
Travel is expected to be difficult in the mountains, according to a notice from NWS.
“It’s a major pattern change from what we’ve seen so far this year,” Breidenbach said on Wednesday morning.
He noted that to date this year, snowpack is far below normal, so the snowfall will be beneficial. Across most of Central Idaho, snowpack is 60%-70% of normal, and in the Boise area, it’s only 68% of normal, Breidenbach said. The snowpack is needed to avoid drought in the summer.
For the latest forecast updates, visit weather.gov/boi. For travel updates, call 511 or visit 511.idaho.gov.
