Winter Storm Warning Issued For Parts of Southeast Idaho

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE POCATELLO ID
412 AM MST SAT JAN 7 2017

...COMPLEX AND MOIST WINTER STORM ARRIVES LATE THIS AFTERNOON...

.A MOISTURE-LADEN STORM WITH A MILD AIR MASS WILL MOVE INTO SOUTH
CENTRAL IDAHO THIS AFTERNOON. AT FIRST, IT WILL BRING SNOW TO THE
WOOD RIVER BASIN, THE SAWTOOTH REGION, THE EASTERN MAGIC VALLEY,
AND THE SOUTH CENTRAL HIGHLANDS. BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY
THIS EVENING, THE SNOW WILL SPREAD NORTHWARD AND EASTWARD TO THE
MONTANA AND WYOMING BORDERS. THE WARM AIR WILL FIRST MOVE IN ABOVE
THE VERY COLD AIR SITTING IN THE SNAKE RIVER PLAIN AND OTHER LOW
ELEVATIONS SOUTH OF THE SNAKE RIVER. IN AREAS SOUTH AND EAST OF
POCATELLO, THERE IS A RISK OF FREEZING RAIN TONIGHT THAT WILL MAKE
ROADS TREACHEROUS AS AN ICY LAYER DEVELOPS ON THEIR SURFACES. THE
SNOW WILL LET UP LATER TONIGHT OR EARLY SUNDAY MORNING, THEN
INTENSIFY. EXPECT HEAVY SNOW ABOVE THE 7000 FOOT ELEVATION, AND
MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW FOR ELEVATIONS BELOW 7000 FEET. THE ONE
EXCEPTION WILL BE THE EASTERN MAGIC VALLEY ALONG THE SNAKE RIVER
AND PORTIONS OF THE LOWER SNAKE RIVER PLAIN ALONG THE SNAKE RIVER
THAT ARE SOUTH AND EAST OF AMERICAN FALLS. THIS AREA WILL SEE RAIN
ON SUNDAY MORNING, OR AT WORST A RAIN AND SNOW MIXTURE. LOWER
ELEVATIONS IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL HIGHLANDS WILL ALSO SEE RAIN, SUCH
AS THE GOOSE CREEK VALLEY AND RAFT RIVER VALLEY. THE RAIN AND SNOW
WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT.

MORE RAIN AND SNOW WILL ARRIVE ON MONDAY, WITH EVERY DAY IN THE
UPCOMING WEEK LIKELY HAVING SNOW OCCURRING OVER EASTERN AND
CENTRAL IDAHO.


UPPER SNAKE HIGHLANDS-CARIBOU HIGHLANDS-
CACHE VALLEY/IDAHO PORTION-WASATCH MOUNTAINS/IDAHO PORTION-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF ST. ANTHONY, ASHTON, ISLAND PARK, DRIGGS,
VICTOR, HENRY, SODA SPRINGS, DOWNEY, LAVA HOT SPRINGS, PRESTON,
AND MONTPELIER
412 AM MST SAT JAN 7 2017

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AM
MST MONDAY...
...WINTER STORM WATCH NOW IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH
MONDAY EVENING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN POCATELLO HAS ISSUED A WINTER
STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW, WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS
EVENING TO 6 AM MST MONDAY.

* IMPACTS...ACCUMULATING SNOW MAY CREATE HAZARDOUS DRIVING
  CONDITIONS SATURDAY EVENING THROUGH MONDAY MORNING.

* TIMING...LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOWFALL WILL DEVELOP SATURDAY
  EVENING. DURING SUNDAY MORNING, THE SNOW WILL INTENSIFY AND
  GENERATE HEAVY SNOWFALL AMOUNTS.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...1 TO 6 INCHES TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR THE
  VALLEYS, 6 TO 18 INCHES TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR THE MOUNTAINS. ON
  SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT, RAIN IS EXPECTED IN THE BEAR LAKE
  VALLEY AND CACHE VALLEY FLOOR, AND 6 TO 18 INCHES IN THE
  MOUNTAINS FROM MACKS INN TO THE BEAR RIVER RANGE.

* CONFIDENCE...HIGH CONFIDENCE IN SNOWFALL AMOUNTS ABOVE 6000 FEET
  MSL. LOW CONFIDENCE BELOW 6000 FEET MSL DUE TO RISING SNOW
  LEVELS THROUGH THE PERIOD.

* LOCATIONS...ISLAND PARK...DRIGGS...SWAN VALLEY...SODA
  SPRINGS...MONTPELIER.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT
SNOW ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR
THE LATEST FORECASTS.

A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW
ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. ONLY TRAVEL IN AN
EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL, KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT, FOOD AND
WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.