Storms, high winds and lightning may be headed to Boise area on Memorial Day
Those hoping for some outdoor fun this Memorial Day had better keep their eyes on the skies. Experts warn that stormy weather may be on the way.
Monday is likely to be unseasonably hot with a predicted high of 92 degrees — close to Boise’s May 25 record of 96 degrees set in 1961, according to Stefanie Henry, National Weather Service meteorologist. She said highs for this time of year usually sit around 75 degrees.
But a “really strong cold front” could bring scattered showers and thunderstorms, as well as high winds between 35 and 55 mph, to southwest Idaho on Monday afternoon into the evening, Henry said. Models predict the weather change will begin around 2 p.m. or 3 p.m.
The cold front coming in off of the Pacific Ocean will mainly impact southwest Idaho, but could also affect those in higher altitude areas like McCall and Stanley, according to Henry.
“That will potentially impact any outdoor recreation for the Boise area, so anyone (on) lakes, hiking, that kind of thing, we are worried about really strong outflow wind gusts,” Henry told the Idaho Statesman by phone. “Even if they don’t have a lot of precipitation with them, they could produce a lot of wind, blowing dust and, of course, cloud or ground lightning.”
Temperatures could fall by nearly 30 degrees on Tuesday, with highs in the mid to upper 60s.
Experts predict the low-pressure system is likely to hang around the western United States for several days, keeping temperatures cool through the week, and could continue to bring scattered showers.
“We will start to warm up a little bit on Thursday, but Friday we’ll see another drop in temperatures,” Henry said.
