TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX) – Whether you like snow or not, you can likely expect more of it this weekend.

photoBeard/ThinkStock
photoBeard/ThinkStock
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The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for parts of the Gem State, including south-central and eastern Idaho.

A storm with warm air moving in from the Pacific Ocean could trigger snowfall, periods of freezing rain, and a mix of icy rain and snow by Sunday afternoon.

The fun likely will start at a slow pace Saturday afternoon, according to the NWS office in Pocatello, and will mostly affect the Wood River Basin and Sawtooth Mountain Range. By Saturday now, however, snow could spread across central and eastern Idaho with a chance of freezing rain in eastern Magic Valley on Sunday.

The NWS explains:

With extremely cold air currently at the surface in the Snake River Plain and the valleys to the south of the Snake River that drain into the Snake, the initial push of very warm air may create a warm layer of air over the extremely chilly air at the surface. This will mean the precipitation can melt in the warm layer as it falls, and then re-freeze as it enters the cold layer at the surface. This can be mean ice building upon the road and sidewalk surfaces in a freezing rain situation.

Freezing rain is an extreme hazard, not seen very often in this part of the country. Snowfall in the higher elevations, above 7,000 feet, will be on the order of 10 inches in the southern and eastern highlands, to 1 to 2 feet in the central mountain. In the Snake River Plain, 2 to 7 inches are expected, with the heavier amounts on the northwest side of the Snake River Plain and northern half of the Magic Valley.”

Above-freezing temperatures are expected during daytime hours next week.

For Twin Falls residents, the city issued a declaration of emergency urging residents to take precautions in case of flooding that the warmer temperatures could cause. The city of Jerome also issued a declaration of emergency because of the predicted weather and the chance of flooding.

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