POCATELLO - Those considering a trip into higher elevations Friday evening and all day Saturday would be better off staying in town, a weather forecaster said Thursday.

Dan Valle, a senior forecaster with the National Weather Service in Pocatello, said a winter storm warning is in effect for the Snake River Plain late tonight and into Saturday.

"The snow will probably end by mid-day in town, but we are going to see some pretty windy conditions, which means the snow will be blowing around," Valle said. "Those considering a trip into higher elevations would better off avoiding the trip and just staying in town."

Snowfall amounts are expected to be about 2 to 4 inches in Pocatello and up to 6 inches on the benches. Hgher elevations, such as the Malad pass, where Valle said it likely will continue to snow throughout the day, could see as much as nine inches of snow.

Temperatures are also expected to fall as a cold front comes through in the early morning hours Saturday. Valle expects lows on Friday in the mid-20s, but highs on Saturday should peak in the high-20s.

"With the wind chill, it will feel like the low teens," he said. "Lows on Saturday will probably be down to about 16 degrees, but it will feel like it's in the single digits with the wind chill."

Valle expects the heavy winds to continue into Sunday. He said the purpose of forecasting the winter storm warning is to let people know conditions will be unsafe.

"We are really trying to urge people to remain close to town during this storm and not go out into the middle of nowhere," he said.