263
FXUS66 KOTX 061155
AFDOTX
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
455 AM PDT MON APR 6 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- UNSEASONABLY WARM WITH TEMPERATURES 15 TO 20 DEGREES ABOVE
NORMAL. NEAR RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES ACROSS NORTH-CENTRAL
WASHINGTON TODAY.
- GUSTY WINDS AND DRY CONDITIONS TUESDAY WITH ELEVATED GRASS
FIRE POTENTIAL IN THE LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON.
SYNOPSIS
WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TODAY. TEMPERATURES
WILL WARM ABOVE NORMAL WITH HIGHS IN THE UPPER 60S TO THE UPPER
70S. TEMPERATURES COOL BACK TO NEAR NORMAL TUESDAY WITH A DRY
COLD FRONT PASSAGE, ALONG WITH BREEZY CONDITIONS. THE INLAND
NORTHWEST LOOKS TO BE UNSEASONABLY DRY THROUGH THE NEXT WEEK.
DISCUSSION
TODAY AND TONIGHT: A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE REGION
WILL BEGIN TO FLATTEN AS LOW PRESSURE IN THE GULF OF AK DROPS
SOUTHEAST. THE SHIELD OF HIGHER CLOUDS WILL BEGIN TO THIN
THROUGH SOME THIS MORNING TO EARLY AFTERNOON, BUT MIDDLE CLOUDS
ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE IN THE AFTERNOON. THE AREA IS EXPECTED
TO REMAIN PRECIPITATION-FREE UNTIL TONIGHT, WHEN SOME RAIN
CHANCES PUSH UP TO THE CASCADE CREST AND DEVELOP OVER FAR
NORTHEAST WA INTO FAR NORTHERN ID TONIGHT. PRECIPITATION
AMOUNTS, IF ANY LOOK LIGHT. WINDS WILL BE RELATIVELY LIGHT THIS
MORNING, THEN SPEEDS START TO INCREASE OUT OF THE SOUTHWEST THIS
AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT. SPEEDS OF 10-15 MPH WITH GUSTS 20-30 MPH
POSSIBLE. THE HIGHEST ARE EXPECTED OVER THE WATERVILLE PLATEAU
THROUGH UPPER COLUMBIA BASIN. TODAY IS EXPECTED TO BE THE
MILDEST DAY OF THE NEXT WEEK, WITH HIGHS IN THE UPPER 60S TO
70S, WITH A FEW SPOTS IN THE DEEPER COLUMBIA BASIN POSSIBLY
REACHING THE LOWER 80S. LOWS TONIGHT WILL LARGELY IN THE 40S.
TUESDAY: A COOLER, WINDIER DAY IS IN THE FORECAST. A COLD FRONT
PUSHES ACROSS THE AREA IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS, ADVANCING
TOWARD MONTANA TOWARD MIDDAY. SOME MOISTURE IF FOUND JUST AHEAD
OF THE FRONT WITH PWATS AROUND 150-170% OF NORMAL OR AROUND 0.50
INCH. PRECIPITATION CHANCES WILL CONTINUE OVER NORTH IDAHO INTO
THE CENTRAL PANHANDLE, LARGELY ALONG THE ID/MT BORDER. THIS
WILL START OFF LARGELY AS A CHANCE FOR RAIN THEN TURN TO
RAIN/SNOW OR HIGH MOUNTAIN SNOW RISK. HOWEVER PRECIPITATION
AMOUNTS LOOK LIGHT AND ANY SNOW IS NOT EXPECTED TO HAVE ANY REAL
IMPACTS, IF ANY ACCUMULATES.
THE FOCUS REALLY GOES TO THE WINDS. DRIER AIR COMES IN RAPIDLY
BEHIND THE FRONT LATER TUESDAY MORNING TO AFTERNOON, WITH PWATS
DROPPING TO 45-65% OF NORMAL OR 0.15 TO 0.25 INCHES. WITH THE
SHARP UPPER TROUGH DIVING IN, THE JET AXIS SLIDING SOUTH AND A
15 MB GRADIENT BETWEEN THE CASCADES AND MONTANA BORDER, THIS
WILL LEAD TO BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS. SPEEDS OF 15-25 MPH
WITH GUSTS OF 30-40 MPH ARE FORECAST. HIGHER GUSTS OF 40-50 MPH
ARE POSSIBLE AROUND THE WATERVILLE PLATEAU, NORTHERN COLUMBIA
BASIN AND BLUE MOUNTAIN INTO THE SOUTHERN PALOUSE. AREA NEAR THE
BLUE MOUNTAIN AND JUST DOWNWIND COULD SEE GUSTS NEAR 60 MPH.
THESE LATTER AREAS WILL BE MONITORED FOR ANY NEED FOR
HIGHLIGHTS. SOME IMPACTS COULD BE TREE DAMAGE, DIFFICULTY FOR
HIGH-PROFILE VEHICLES, AND UNSECURED OBJECTS AIRBORNE. ALSO,
WHILE WE ARE NOT IN FIRE SEASON, AS IT IS EARLY APRIL, THE
COMBINATION OF WINDS AND LOW RH VALUES COULD COMBINE TO CREATE
HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS FOR ANY CONTROLLED BURN OPERATIONS. LASTLY,
SOME PATCHY BLOWING DUST CANNOT BE ENTIRELY RULED OUT OVER THE
COLUMBIA BASIN, BUT CONFIDENCE IS LOWER AT THIS TIME. SPEEDS
DECLINE TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING.
TEMPERATURES WILL BE NOTABLY 10-15 DEGREES COOLER ON TUESDAY
COMPARED TO MONDAY, WITH HIGHS IN THE 50S TO MID-60S. LOWS
TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY AM ARE FORECAST TO BE IN THE UPPER
20S TO MID-30S.
WEDNESDAY TO SUNDAY: THE INLAND NW WILL BE A MORE PROGRESSIVE
PATTERN, WITH DRY WEATHER MIDWEEK CHANGING TO SOME RAIN AND
MOUNTAIN RAIN/SNOW CHANCES THIS WEEKEND. THE REGION REMAINS IN A
NORTHWEST FLOW WEDNESDAY, WITH A SECONDARY SHORTWAVE DROPPING
BY. IT IS NOT EXPECTED TO DO MUCH EXCEPT PERHAPS INCREASE WINDS
A BIT DOWN THE OKANOGAN VALLEY DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE DAY.
THE PATTERN REMAINS THE SAME THURSDAY THEN GRADUALLY SHIFTS TO
WESTERLY WITH A WEAK RIDGE BUILDING IN AHEAD OF THE WEEKEND
SYSTEM. CONDITIONS REMAIN DRY WITH A GRADUAL INCREASE IN CLOUDS
TOWARD THE END OF THE WEEK. THEN BY THE WEEKEND THE NEXT LOW
MOVES IN WITH SOME INCREASED MOISTURE. THIS WILL INCREASE CLOUDS
AND THE AFOREMENTIONED PRECIPITATION CHANCES. THE HIGHER RISK
REMAINS AROUND THE MOUNTAIN ZONES SATURDAY, BUT DOES EXPAND OUT
ACROSS THE COLUMBIA BASIN THROUGH LATER SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY THE
BEST CHANCE FOR WETTING RAIN WILL BE AROUND THE MOUNTAIN ZONES,
WHILE THE BASIN AND SPOKANE AREA AND PALOUSE AND L-C VALLEY
WILL LARGELY SEE RAIN LESS THAN A TENTH OF AN INCH. MOUNTAIN
SNOW LOOK LIGHT AT GENERALLY LESS THAN AN INCH, IF THAT. BREEZY
WINDS ARE FORECAST FOR SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AFTERNOON, WITH GUSTS
OF 15-25 MPH; THE HIGHEST ARE FORECAST FOR THE WATERVILLE
PLATEAU TO UPPER COLUMBIA BASIN AND BLUE MOUNTAINS. TEMPERATURES
WILL BE TREND WARMER THROUGH THE END OF THE WORK WEEK, WITH
HIGHS IN THE 50S TO MID-60S WEDNESDAY RISING TOWARD THE 60S TO
MID-70S FRIDAY. TEMPERATURES COOL BACK TOWARD THE 50S AND
MID-60S HEADING INTO SUNDAY. LOWS WILL BE IN THE 30S TO LOWER
40S. /SOLVEIG
AVIATION
12Z TAFS: VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD
WITH VARIABLE MIDDLE TO HIGH CLOUDS. PRE-FRONTAL SOUTHWESTERLY
WINDS WILL INCREASE IN THE AFTERNOON TODAY WITH GUSTS UP TO
15-18 KTS IN THE LEE OF THE CASCADES AND ACROSS EXPOSED AREAS OF
THE COLUMBIA BASIN (KEAT/KMWH/KGEG/KSFF). WINDS THEN REMAIN
BREEZY OVERNIGHT. A VIGOROUS COLD FRONT WILL PUSH ACROSS LATER
IN THE MORNING TOMORROW BETWEEN 12-18Z ON TUESDAY. WESTERLY
WINDS WILL INCREASE SHARPLY WITH FRONTAL PASSAGE AND SHIFT NORTH
TO NORTHWEST.
FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS:
HIGH CONFIDENCE IN VFR CONDITIONS. /SVH
-----------------------
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 71 44 55 32 58 34 / 0 10 0 0 0 0
COEUR D'ALENE 69 44 55 32 56 33 / 0 10 0 0 0 0
PULLMAN 68 46 55 32 56 35 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
LEWISTON 72 49 63 36 62 37 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
COLVILLE 74 41 57 30 61 32 / 0 10 10 0 0 0
SANDPOINT 67 44 52 32 55 32 / 0 10 20 0 0 0
KELLOGG 68 45 52 33 54 35 / 0 10 20 0 0 0
MOSES LAKE 78 44 62 33 64 36 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
WENATCHEE 77 42 58 36 62 40 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
OMAK 77 41 60 35 62 37 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
WA...NONE.
ID...NONE.
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