Will Boise have a white Christmas after rainy, warmer weather this week? What to know
The week before Christmas is usually when most people reserve time for last-minute shopping. But in the Treasure Valley, it’s also going to be a time for bundling up and trying to stay dry.
That’s because a rainy weather system started to move through the Boise area on Monday, Dec. 16. It will continue through next week. Boise has already gotten well over half an inch of rain so far this month, according to online weather data from NOAA.
The normal amount of rain during December is 0.79 inches, according to NOAA, but Boise has already had 0.86 inches as of the last update on Dec. 16.
The rest of this week’s rain is expected to drop an additional 0.3 inches, according to Dave Groenert, a meteorologist from the National Weather Service in Boise.
Temperatures this week and into the weekend are expected to stay in the 40s and 30s, according to NOAA. Thursday and Friday night will go below freezing, into the high 20s. Saturday and Sunday nights will be warmer, getting into the 30s and 40s.
Next week, temperatures will mostly fluctuate between the high 40s to low 30s, according to the 10-day forecast from the Weather Channel. Christmas Eve day is forecast to be in the low 50s.
Was Boise this warm for Christmas 2023?
Groenert said that the forecast for this week is noticeably warmer than last year at this time, but the temperatures are not record-breaking.
“We’re slightly above normal, in the upper 30s and lower 40s,” Groenert said. “It certainly can be [above normal temperatures] when you get these storms through here, and they’re coming off the Pacific with a milder air mass.”
In addition to the storm system, the meteorologist said the warmer weather is also a result of the elevation in the Treasure Valley. This is also why most of Idaho is experiencing light snowfall, while Ada County is still experiencing rain, according to NOAA’s graphical forecast.
“We had some warmer air here in the Valley from Boise to Ontario,” Groenert said. “As you get east of Boise, the elevation rises just enough to start receiving snow.”
What is Boise’s weather forecast this week?
Boise already got 0.39 inches of rain on Monday, Dec. 16, according to the NWS in Boise.
The NWS says by the evening of Tuesday, Dec. 17, it will become mostly cloudy with a low around 36 degrees. Areas of fog are expected to roll in after 11 p.m.
The fog is expected to remain into Wednesday, Dec. 18, with the forecast showing partly sunny conditions and a high near 49 degrees with a southeast breeze. During the evening, the low temperature will be around 30 degrees.
Fog will continue in the morning on Thursday, Dec. 19, and later in the day it will be partly sunny with a high near 38 degrees. There will continue to be areas of fog and it will be mostly cloudy into the evening with a low of 28 degrees.
It will be mostly cloudy with some fog on Friday, Dec. 20, with a high of 37 degrees. The low in the evening will be around 28 degrees.
Will it snow on Christmas in Boise?
While Christmas is still a week away, Groenert said Boise is not expected to get snow on Tuesday, Dec. 24, or Wednesday, Dec. 25.
“For the time the temperature looks to be in the mid 40s, in the outlook it shows above normal temperatures with above normal chances of precipitation,” Groenert said. “It’s certainly not looking good at this time for the Valley to receive a white Christmas.”
The Weather Channel predicts a high of 52 degrees with a 65% chance or rain on Dec. 24, with temperatures dropping to 34 degrees at night. On Christmas Day, the forecast calls for a high of 44 degrees, with a low of 35 and a 15% chance of rain.
