FXUS65 KPIH 201733 AFDPIH Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pocatello ID 1133 AM MDT Fri Mar 20 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - More record highs expected this afternoon. - Breezy afternoon winds with gusts of 25-35 mph through Saturday. - Slight cool down Saturday and mountain precipitation chances return with more significant cooling Sunday. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 154 AM MDT Fri Mar 20 2026 Well, yesterday was another 5 for 5 on our climate sites setting new record highs and we'll likely do it again today! Under the high pressure ridge, we'll remain warm and dry with many of us in the mid 70s to low 80s. Records are expected to shatter again today with a 90 to 100 percent chance of highs reaching 80 in Pocatello and Burley and about a 50 percent chance of the same in Idaho Falls. Pocatello - 72 (1999) / 80 Idaho Falls - 68 (1999) / 76 Burley - 72 (2015) / 81 Challis - 70 (1928) / 75 Stanley - 59 (1997) / 64 It will be a couple of degrees cooler on Saturday and things begin to change just a bit as the day goes on. An area of low pressure moves through parts of southern Canada and will be enough to flatten the ridge ahead of a cold front passing through in the second half of the day. Precipitation with this cold front looks to stay in the higher elevations of the Central Mountains and Eastern Highlands while we stay dry down in the valley locations. Wind gusts will increase with the frontal passage, into the 30 to 35 mph range for many. With afternoon RHs in the Snake River Plain and South Hills around 20 percent, we'd probably be taking a harder look at issuing a Red Flag Warning for Saturday if it was July 20th instead of March 20th. This cold front will drop our highs into the low and mid 60s for Sunday afternoon. We begin to warm up right away again and are back into the 70s by Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon. There remains plenty of uncertainty about precipitation chances in the middle of next week, but better agreement exists that temperatures will drop again by Thursday, into the 60s and 50s. && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/... Issued at 1119 AM MDT Fri Mar 20 2026 Will have continued VFR conditions through Saturday morning. Wind gusts this afternoon around 20 knots at IDA, DIJ and PIH. Skies clear to few to scattered cirrus this afternoon and overnight. Winds will increase significantly after 18Z on Saturday at all sites. && .PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ DISCUSSION...AMM AVIATION...GK