778
FXUS66 KOTX 312231
AFDOTX
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
328 PM PDT TUE MAR 31 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- SNOW OVER PASSES WILL IMPACT TRAVEL ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY.
- RISES ON SMALLER CREEKS AND STREAMS ON THE PALOUSE WEDNESDAY
AND THURSDAY.
- LOWLAND RAIN WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY REGIONWIDE.
SYNOPSIS
TUESDAY WILL HAVE QUIET WEATHER WITH COOLER AFTERNOON HIGHS AND
BELOW FREEZING OVERNIGHT LOWS. UNSETTLED WEATHER RETURNS TO THE
REGION WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY WITH LOWLAND RAIN, MOUNTAIN
SNOW, AND BREEZY CONDITIONS. WEATHER TRENDS WARMER AND DRIER
FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND.
DISCUSSION
TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY: THE STORM APPROACHING THE NORTHWEST
WILL BEGIN IMPACTING THE INLAND NORTHWEST BY EARLY WEDNESDAY
MORNING WITH ADDITIONAL PRECIPITATION FROM THE CASCADES TO
NORTHERN IDAHO. MOUNTAIN SNOW AND LOWLAND RAIN WILL ENCOMPASS
THE WEDNESDAY THROUGH LATE THURSDAY PERIOD. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS
ABOVE 4,000 FEET IN THE CASCADES WILL RANGE FROM 4 TO 10 INCHES
WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS BEING NEAR THE CREST LOCATIONS. THE
OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS, THE NORTHERN IDAHO PANHANDLE MOUNTAINS
INCLUDING LOOKOUT PASS WILL SEE 4 TO 8 INCHES. A WINTER WEATHER
ADVISORY WAS ISSUED FOR THE CASCADE CREST ZONE TO HIGHLIGHT THE
ACCUMULATING SNOW ABOVE 4,000 FEET.
ONE TRICKY PART OF THIS FORECAST PERIOD WILL BE THE FLUCTUATING
SNOW LEVELS. AS PRECIPITATION MOVES INTO THE AREA EARLY
WEDNESDAY, SNOW LEVELS WILL BE SLIGHTLY WARMER (HIGHER OR
RISING) AND THUS MAKING IT MORE DIFFICULT TO ACCUMULATE SNOW ON
ROADWAYS. THEN, OVERNIGHT INTO THURSDAY THE SNOWLEVELS WILL
DECREASE (LOWER, COOL) ALLOWING ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION TO TAKE
PLACE. ACROSS THE REGION, LOWLAND RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL RANGE
FROM 0.25 INCHES TO 0.75 INCHES OVER THE SPAN OF 36 HOURS OR SO.
RISES ON SOME CREEKS AND RIVERS IS EXPECTED, BUT NO FLOODING IS
ANTICIPATED FOR OUR MAJOR RIVERS. THE WASHINGTON AND IDAHO
PALOUSE LOOKS TO HAVE A 50-60% CHANCE FOR RECEIVING NEAR 0.75
INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FOR THE COMING DAYS, WHICH WILL RESULT
IN RISES ON LOCAL RIVERS AND CREEKS IN AN ALREADY MOIST SOIL
BASE.
OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURES DIPPING INTO THE MID TO LOW 30S AND
DAYTIME HIGHS IN THE UPPER 40S AND LOW 50S WILL MAINTAIN MILD
ENOUGH CONDITIONS TO PREVENT MOST PLACES FROM SEEING SNOW
ACCUMULATE ON AREA ROADWAYS EXCEPT AT THOSE HIGHER ELEVATION
MOUNTAIN PASSES. WINDS WILL BEGIN TO INCREASE EARLY THURSDAY
WITH THE SURFACE FRONTAL PASSAGE, FOCUSING ON THE SOUTHEAST
CORNER OF WASHINGTON AND THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. THE RIDGETOPS OF
GARFIELD AND ASOTIN COUNTY CARRY A 60% CHANCE OF SEEING WIND
GUSTS OVER 40 MPH. ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE VALLEYS OF CENTRAL AND
EASTERN WASHINGTON AND THE CENTRAL IDAHO PANHANDLE WIND GUSTS UP
TO 25-30 MPH WILL BE COMMON ON THURSDAY. /DEWEY
FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY: A RIDGE PATTERN WILL BUILD INTO THE
REGION BEHIND THE EXITING LOW. A PERIOD OF DRY, WARMING
CONDITIONS IS EXPECTED. ENSEMBLES ARE SHOWING THE NEXT CHANCE
FOR PRECIP WILL BE LATE MONDAY AND TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. ANOTHER
DEEP LOW MOVING INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. HIGHS WILL CLIMB
FROM THE 50S INTO THE 60S AND LOW 70S. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL BE IN
THE 30S TO LOW 40S. /JDC
AVIATION
00Z TAFS: SCATTERED SHOWERS WILL LIFT OFF THE WASHINGTON CASCADES
AND NORTHERN BLUE MOUNTAINS AROUND 7-9Z, BECOMING NUMEROUS ACROSS
CENTRAL AND EASTERN WA AND INTO THE IDAHO PANHANDLE BY 16Z. FOR ALL
TERMINALS, PRECIPITATION WILL BE RAIN. CONDITIONS DETERIORATE SLOWLY
THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY MORNING AND WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. FOR KGEG AND
KCOE, VISIBILITY LESS THAN 5 SM AND 3 SM ARE 50% AND 30%
RESPECTIVELY. LIKEWISE THE CEILINGS HAVE A 40 TO 70% CHANCE OF
DEVELOPING BELOW 3000 FT AND A 20 TO 30% CHANCE 1000 FT OR LESS.
71/PDT
-----------------------
CONFIDENCE DESCRIPTORS:
LOW - LESS THAN A 30 PERCENT CHANCE
MODERATE - 30 TO 70 PERCENT CHANCE
HIGH - GREATER THAN A 70 PERCENT CHANCE
FOR ADDITIONAL PROBABILISTIC INFORMATION FOR NWS SPOKANE
AIRPORTS,PLEASE REFER TO THE AVIATION DASHBOARD ON OUR
WEBPAGE: HTTPS:/WWW.WEATHER.GOV/OTX/AVNDASHBOARD
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS
SPOKANE 35 49 36 48 32 53 / 10 90 100 60 10 0
COEUR D'ALENE 36 49 36 45 34 51 / 30 90 100 80 30 10
PULLMAN 36 50 34 44 33 52 / 20 90 100 80 20 10
LEWISTON 39 55 40 51 37 57 / 20 80 100 50 20 0
COLVILLE 29 47 36 53 32 55 / 10 90 90 80 10 0
SANDPOINT 33 45 36 43 34 49 / 30 90 100 90 40 20
KELLOGG 37 50 35 40 34 48 / 40 90 100 90 60 30
MOSES LAKE 34 53 36 58 32 60 / 10 80 90 30 0 0
WENATCHEE 36 48 37 53 36 58 / 10 80 80 30 0 0
OMAK 33 48 39 58 34 58 / 10 80 90 60 0 0
OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
WA...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 11 AM WEDNESDAY TO 11 PM PDT
THURSDAY FOR WESTERN CHELAN COUNTY.
ID...NONE.
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