Will we have snow on Thanksgiving?

POCATELLO — Temperatures have been unseasonably warm during the daytime this week, and it’s possible it will continue.

“Looking at the next two weeks going into Thanksgiving, we are in an El Niño pattern. So during El Niño, the odds tend to favor warmer than normal conditions,” said Kevin Smith, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Pocatello.

There have been slightly warmer and dryer than normal conditions, he said. According to a forecast posted by NWS for the week, temperatures have consisted of the higher 40s, 50s, and 60s in eastern Idaho.

“Right now, our temperatures are running quite a bit above normal. Our temperatures today are running about 10 to 15 degrees above normal for this time of year, although we have not set any high-temperature records lately,” Smith said.

It is a little early to say for sure, but Smith says it’s possible a storm system could come through on Thanksgiving and the following Friday with either rain or snow.

This time last year, eastern Idaho had seen lots of snow already.

“We have already seen 9.9 inches of snow for the season as of today, last year, in Pocatello. We saw a little bit (of snow) in October last year, and we saw much more in early November last year,” Smith said. “So far this season, we have seen 1 inch of snow on Oct. 28 here in Pocatello.”

Smith says it’s beneficial for everyone to continue to monitor the forecast.

“We all know that the weather changes. I would just encourage everyone to continue to monitor the forecast if you do have Thanksgiving travel plans as we approach the holiday,” he said.

Click here to view the weather forecast in your area.