Don’t be caught off guard by big winter weather change this week

Eastern Idaho has been spoiled with mild temperatures across the Snake River plain for most of October.

But a breeze in the air, and raindrops over the past few days, are just a taste of the weather change on its way.

“It’s a big deal,” said First Alert Meteorologist Liz Cosgrove.

That “big deal” Cosgrove mentioned is snow. It’s right around the corner, and we’re not quite ready for it.

“First off, we haven’t seen a lot of leaves falling off the trees yet,” said Cosgrove.

Trees still laden with autumn leaves are an accident waiting to happen when snow and ice are thrown in the mix.

“Imagine if this tree were even taller — 40 to 60 feet in height,” said Cosgrove, as she motioned to a small tree in our station backyard. “If snow fell on this, and this branch fell down, we could see road closures, and if it fell on a power line we could lose power throughout a whole neighborhood.”

Falling branches aren’t the only cause for concern in a snow storm.

“(What) I’m more concerned about than anything else is seeing black ice on the roads,” said Cosgrove.

With regional lows nearing freezing into Monday and Tuesday, Cosgrove said commuters may be waking up to icy streets this work week.

“My main advice especially Monday morning and Tuesday morning is to give yourself enough time,” said Cosgrove. “Maybe give yourself a half an hour in advance to get to work.”