Here comes the snow

Snow was falling in eastern Idaho on Thursday afternoon as the first winter storm of the season moved into the state.

On Thursday morning, Arctic air shattered records all across the region, including Pocatello, where temperatures dropped to 1 degree breaking the record of 6 degrees set back in 1978.

Jackson, Wyoming, which dropped to minus 18 degrees, shattered the old record of minus 8 set back in 1975.

Now, as Pacific moisture moves into our area, our attention shifts from the bitter cold to the accumulating snow we are going to see over the next couple of days. It will all start as snow as temperatures are below freezing across the board.

On Friday morning, however, temperatures will climb above freezing for the Lower Snake River Plain from Blackfoot toward Pocatello and into the Magic Valley. This will allow for a short period of freezing rain and sleet potential early in the morning, which could make for icy conditions on the roadways.

Roads and highways will quickly be accumulating snow over the next two days, making for very slick conditions throughout eastern Idaho and western Wyoming. Be sure to give yourself plenty of extra time to get to and from your destinations and drive cautiously especially coming across slick spots. Click here for tips on driving safely in the snow.

Snow will begin to taper off Saturday morning, and then another round of Arctic air will be moving into the Northern Rockies for the weekend with more subzero temperatures and record lows.