Enjoy the summer weather while it’s here, Boise. Here’s what’s in store for us next week
It feels like summer has finally arrived in Boise, and it will stick around for at least a couple more days until more spring-like temperatures return.
This past weekend, temperatures reached 80 degrees for the first time in 2024, and the National Weather Service in Boise expects to hit that mark again on Wednesday and Thursday.
Summer weather in Boise
The Weather Service forecasts a high of 80 degrees on Wednesday and 85 degrees on Thursday before a weak cold front moves in on Friday morning. Temperatures are about 10 to 15 degrees higher than usual for this time of year, Weather Service meteorologist Sophia Adams told the Idaho Statesman.
To make things feel even more like summer, Idahoans may smell smoke in the air or see a slight haze in the sky. Fortunately, there are no active wildfires in Idaho, but multiple prescribed burns are occurring between Boise and McCall. A single prescribed burn is also happening southwest of Boise in the Owyhee Mountains.
“To our knowledge, there are no ongoing wildfires,” Weather Service meteorologist Jackson Macfarlane said. “The smoke so far has been primarily confined to mountain valleys, but we think the potential for haze is high enough to warrant inclusion in the forecast.”
A windy end to the week
But the summer-like weather won’t last forever.
“A dry and weak cold front will move in on Friday morning,” Adams said, “and westerly winds will increase substantially behind the front, with the highest winds anticipated in the Magic Valley and Camas Prairie.”
The highest wind gusts in the Magic Valley could reach up to 50 mph.
Treasure Valley residents can expect Friday to be the windiest day, with sustained winds between 19 and 24 mph and wind gusts up to 33 mph. Wind gusts around 33 mph are considered a near gale and can cause some inconvenience when walking in them.
Temperatures will also drop when the cold front comes in, with Sunday’s high forecast to be 68 degrees.
Rain moves into Idaho next week
The bad weather news keeps coming because it won’t warm up immediately once the cold front moves through this weekend.
Temperatures will remain around the 70-degree mark, but Adams said a deep upper-level trough is expected to move through Idaho next Wednesday and Thursday, bringing rain to the area.
The Climate Prediction Center, an arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, gives most of western Idaho a 33-40% chance of above-average rainfall within the next 6-10 days.
