School Closures Possible As Blizzard Approaches Southern Idaho

UPDATE: The National Weather Service has upgraded the Winter Storm Watch to a Blizzard Warning. The warning covers South Central and Southwest Idaho from 5 PM Thursday evening and 5 AM, Saturday morning.

Blizzard conditions are expected including hazardous road conditions and low to no visibility. Snow accumulations could be as high as 8 inches and wind gusts could hit 60 miles per hour. While the warning is scheduled to end on Saturday morning, there is still more snow in the forecast through Saturday which will continue to impact road conditions.

Southern Idaho has already experienced a Winter Storm Warning, a Wind Advisory, and school closures this week, but we aren’t done. There’s a new Winter Storm Watch in effect for most of Southern Idaho.

Winter Storm Watch Issued in Southern Idaho

I was just as surprised as my kids when school wasn’t canceled Wednesday in Twin Falls. They even convinced me they could stay up later than normal because we thought the cancellations were inevitable. Instead, we got a light dusting of snow and a regular day of classes. The next storm will likely have my kids hoping for school closures again, and they are definitely possible with the chance of heavy snow Thursday night into Friday. Boise and Twin Falls don’t currently have a guess on how much snow will fall but cities between Burley, Pocatello, and Blackfoot could get up to 13 inches between Thursday and Saturday and Sun Valley is looking at 20 inches in the valley, and 37 inches of new snow in the mountains.

What Does a Winter Storm Watch Mean

You’ll hear about a weather ‘Watch’, ‘Advisory’, or ‘Warning’ often in Idaho and they each mean something different.

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The Winter Storm Watch means that upcoming conditions are conducive to a storm that could cause damage to property or people, but the storm is either far off or not guaranteed.

When a Winter Storm Warning is issued it means the storm is already happening or is coming soon and as guaranteed as possible, with the understanding that weather forecasts are a guess and anything can happen. A warning also indicates an expectation of snow or ice to cause damage to property or danger to lives.

The weather advisories are issued when freezing rain or an amount of snow is expected and it will cause an inconvenience to residents of the area.

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So, with the current Winter Storm Watch it will most likely turn into a Winter Storm Warning as it gets closer to our area.

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