Snow in Boise at Christmastime? Ha. Try record warm temperatures, and rain
Boise broke two temperature records in the days leading up to Christmas, and forecasters with the National Weather Service’s local office said another could be tied on Christmas Day as unseasonably warm weather continues.
Boise set a new temperature record on Tuesday, when it hit 61 degrees, breaking the previous record of 57, which was from 1885. The area also saw a new record of 60 on Christmas Eve, breaking the record of 59, also from 1885.
Jay Breidenbach, a Boise meteorologist for the National Weather Service, told the Idaho Statesman that temps had tied the 1885 record on Wednesday before the sun even came up. He called the recent days “a pretty amazing run of warm weather.”
The Treasure Valley also saw strong winds Wednesday.
“A lot of this extraordinary warmth we’re seeing today is being driven by those strong southeasterly winds blowing through the area,” Breidenbach said.
The wind was expected to die down by Christmas Day, according to the National Weather Service, leading to a slight dip in temperatures. The weather agency said in a social media post that Boise could tie yet another 140-year-old record for Dec. 25, though Breidenbach said it’s looking unlikely now.
The record high for Christmas is 60, but the meteorologist said forecasts are calling for temperatures between 57 and 60 in Boise.
“There’s about a 10% chance we reach 60 tomorrow,” Breidenbach said. “It’s not out of the question, but it’s unlikely.”
The meteorologist said the region could see rain on Christmas, even in mountain areas that typically see snow for the holiday. A recent National Weather Service analysis of historic holiday data showed Boise has had no snow on the ground or new snow on Dec. 25 for the majority of Christmases dating back to 1955.
Of the 70 years the agency analyzed, 48 had no existing or new snow, 3 had only new snowfall, 11 had 1 to 3 inches of snow and eight had more than 3 inches of snow.
Extended forecast shows cooldown, then warming
Cooler weather will come to the Boise area Friday, with snow possible at elevations as low as 4,500 feet, Breidenbach said. He noted valleys still will see rain or, at the very least, will not see any accumulating snow.
Following the brief weekend cold snap, an upper-level ridge of high pressure will bring more above-average temperatures back to the Treasure Valley, according to NWS forecasts.
“We could potentially get into a temperature inversion where it remains cold into the valley, maybe with fog,” Breidenbach said.
While the season has been warm — more typical of temperatures Boise sees in October, according to weather graphics — Breidenbach said it’s not a sign of an overall trend for the season.
“Winter is still young,” he said. “We have a long ways to go through January, February and even into March. There’s still time for the weather pattern to change into a more typical wintry pattern.”
