Want to hear something cool, Boise? How do high temps in the 70s and rain sound?
After a sweltering, smoky July and early August, Boise may finally get some relief at the end of this week.
Weather forecasters say much cooler temperatures and possible rain showers are headed toward the Treasure Valley. The average high for this time of year is 88 degrees, but Boise will see temps at least 15 degrees below that, according to Dave Groenert, a Boise-based National Weather Service meteorologist.
Boise has spent most of the summer sitting in a dry, southwest airflow after a high-pressure system that settled over the Four Corners area of the Southwest in late June brought a record heat wave to Idaho.
Now, a low-pressure system that began in Alaska has been moving down the British Columbia coast before turning inland over the Pacific Northwest, Groenert said. That change is expected to bring temperatures from the upper 90s down to a high of 82 on Friday, 72 on Saturday and 76 on Sunday.
Groenert said there will be clouds with the system and a high chance of rain in the mountains, as well as a slight chance of showers in the Valley on Saturday — in the neighborhood of 30%.
So, do these cooler temperatures mean autumn weather is here to stay?
“I wish,” Groenert told the Statesman by phone. “But it’s still August. Once that (weather) leaves on Sunday, we do start to trend warmer. There are some models showing we will probably be back into the 90s by Wednesday of next week. So it’s a brief break and back to summer.”
On the bright side, this weekend’s weather could help with wildfire issues. Groenert said that if the rain develops, it can tamp down wildfires and clear Idaho skies.
“Anytime you get precipitation, it certainly helps clear out the air,” Groenert said. “So the smoke conditions should improve across much the area.”
This story was originally published August 20, 2024 at 2:10 PM.
