Instead of a white Christmas, Boise nears record-high temperatures this week

The Treasure Valley’s dreams of a white Christmas look unlikely after temperatures almost reached record highs on Sunday.

Boise reached 61 degrees, just three degrees short of the former record of 65 set in 1964, according to the National Weather Service’s Boise office. The normal high for the area this time of year is only 36 degrees.

McCall broke records with a 47 degree high, barely surpassing the previous high of 46.

It is not the first day this winter that perhaps feels a little warmer. The first day of winter, Dec. 21, kicked off the season with a high of 50 degrees, marking the warmest first day since 1982.

As the days close in on Christmas, the forecast looks grim. Historically, Boise has a 25% chance of at least one inch of snow on Christmas based off of data collected over the last 140 years.

After a snowless 2018 Christmas, NWS meteorologist Josh Smith says that the Treasure Valley is in for a repeat.

“The only chance of snow will be tomorrow morning, but even that will be less than a tenth of an inch,” Smith said. “We are not looking at any snow on the ground for Christmas.”

However McCall, where there’s already about 5 inches on the ground, is looking at an additional quarter of an inch over the next day.