Evening weather forecast Feb. 28: Mostly sunny, warmer today increasing clouds, a chance of showers

High pressure extends across the interior West, centered mainly south of Idaho, putting the Gem State in a southwesterly flow pattern for the next few days. Another atmospheric river of moisture from the Pacific is aimed into the Northwest, with the bulk of the moisture staying north of our region. However, it is close enough for clouds and occasional showers to reach southwest Idaho. Along with the moisture, much milder air is flowing into Idaho and pushing temperatures well-above normal into the upper 50's and 60's in the valleys through midweek. That is also boosting snow levels to near 6000 feet. While valley areas will see a chance of rain showers at times, mountain areas will see a rain/snow mix around 5000 feet, and snow generally above 6000 feet. March comes in like a lamb tomorrow, as the Spring-like weather pattern continues. By Thursday, a cold front and low pressure trough will sag into the region and pull down temperatures and snow levels. Treasure Valley temperatures will return to near or slightly below normal readings by Friday and into next weekend, into the mid to upper 40's, along with drier weather. February is ending up being the driest on record for Boise. We've had only 0.08" for the entire month, which is the driest February ever since records began at the Boise Airport in the 1940's. Prior to airport records, the previous driest February was in 1889 with 0.04". The overall dry conditions from January through February have done little to improve our drought situation. Snowpack and snow water equivalent numbers have dropped from over 100% a month ago to only 82 percent for the Boise and Payette River drainage basins. Share weather photos using Near Me in the KTVB app and you can also share them in our Idaho Weather Watchers Facebook group.