More smoke and haze with a pattern change this weekend
Warm and dry conditions will continue for Thursday, before an area of low pressure moves through. We'll look for gusty winds for Friday, before a cold front pushes through. Look for scattered showers and gusty winds for Saturday.
Thursday, Haze and areas of smoke, with a high into the upper 80's and lower 90's.
Friday, more smoke and haze with highs into the mid 80's. Gusty winds with showers late.
Saturday, Showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high into the mid 60's. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
The National Weather Service in Pocatello has issued a Red Flag
Warning for gusty winds, low relative humidity, a Haines
Index of 6, and poor overnight humidity recovery for all of
southeast Idaho, which is in effect from 1 PM Thursday afternoon
through 9 PM Friday evening. The Fire Weather Watch has been
upgraded and thus is no longer in effect.
- AFFECTED AREA…Fire Weather Zone 410 covering the Upper Snake
River Valley/Idaho Falls BLM, Fire Weather Zone 411 covering the
Centennial Mountains and Snake River Range/Targhee NF, Fire
Weather Zone 413 covering the Caribou Range/Caribou NF, Fire
Weather Zone 422 covering the Sawtooth Range/Northern Sawtooth
NF, Fire Weather Zone 425 covering the Middle Snake River
Valley/Twin Falls BLM north of the Snake River, Fire Weather
Zone 427 covering Goose Creek and Raft River Valley/Southern
Sawtooth NF/Twin Falls BLM south of the Snake River, Fire
Weather Zone 475 covering the East Salmon River Mountains/Salmon
NF, and Fire Weather Zone 476 covering the Lemhi and Lost River
Range/Challis NF. - WINDS…South to southwest 10 to 15 MPH with gusts up to 25 MPH
Thursday, and south to southwest 15 to 20 MPH with gusts up to
30 MPH Friday. The strongest winds will likely occur each
afternoon and evening. - RELATIVE HUMIDITY…Minimum values of 9 to 18 percent Thursday,
and 12 to 20 percent Friday. Overnight humidity recovery will
remain very poor at mid to upper slopes, likely not rising above
25 percent in many areas. - HAINES INDEX…6 (High).
- IMPACTS…While winds may hold shy of formal Red Flag criteria
for many areas Thursday, especially east of the I-15 corridor,
and humidity values may hold shy of criteria for some areas
Friday, the OVERALL COMBINATION of continued dry conditions,
increasing winds over the two days, a Haines Index of 6, poor
overnight humidity recovery, very dry fuels, and recent fire
behavior suggest critical fire weather conditions will be in
place Thursday and Friday. New and preexisting fires may spread
rapidly.