660
FXUS66 KOTX 030738
AFDOTX
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
1238 AM PDT FRI APR 3 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- WARMER AND DRIER FOR THE WEEKEND AND INTO NEXT WEEK.
- GUSTY WINDS TUESDAY.
SYNOPSIS
WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS RETURN BY THIS WEEKEND. TEMPERATURES
WILL WARM ABOVE NORMAL WITH HIGHS IN THE UPPER 60S TO THE LOW
70S SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. THE POTENTIAL FOR SHOWERS RETURNS BY
THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK WITH TEMPERATURES COOLING BACK TO NEAR
NORMAL AND BREEZY WINDS AT TIMES.
DISCUSSION
TODAY THROUGH MONDAY: QUIETER WEATHER IS EXPECTED THIS PERIOD
WITH WARMING TEMPERATURES. HIGH PRESSURE AMPLIFIES OVER THE WEST,
LEADING TO DRY WEATHER, BUT LOOK FOR PERIODIC AND VARIABLE CLOUD
COVER. THIS MORNING SOME LOW CLOUDS/STRATUS ARE EXPECTED ABOUT THE
UPPER COLUMBIA BASIN INTO THE SPOKANE AREA. PATCHY FOG IS ALSO
POSSIBLE THIS MORNING AROUND THE SHELTERED MOUNTAIN VALLEYS, NEAR
THE CASCADES AND NORTHERN MOUNTAINS. BY AFTERNOON LOOK FOR PARTLY
CLOUDY TO PARTLY SUNNY SKIES WITH SOME FAIR AFTERNOON CUMULUS AND
PASSING MIDDLE TO HIGHER CLOUDS, WITH LOW-END BREEZY CONDITIONS
(GUSTS NEAR 15-20 MPH). SIMILAR WEATHER IS EXPECTED SATURDAY,
WITH SOME PATCHY MORNING FOG IN THE NORTHEAST MOUNTAIN VALLEYS.
SOME THICKER MIDDLE TO HIGH CLOUDS COME INTO THE REGION SUNDAY
AND MONDAY AHEAD OF THE NEXT TROUGH, BUT DRY WEATHER CONTINUES.
TEMPERATURES WILL BE NEAR NORMAL TODAY. AFTER MORNING LOWS IN THE
MID-20S TO MID-30S, LOOK FOR HIGHS LARGELY THE UPPER 40S AND 50S.
THEN IT BEGINS TO WARM INTO THE 50S AND 60S SATURDAY AND 60S TO
MID-70 SUNDAY AND MONDAY. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL BE IN THE 30S
TONIGHT AND 30S TO 40S SATURDAY NIGHT, THE MOSTLY UPPER 30S TO
MID-40S SUNDAY NIGHT. MONDAY LOOKS LIKE THE WARMEST DAY.
TUESDAY TO THURSDAY: THERE REMAINS MODERATE TO HIGH CONFIDENCE IN
THE RIDGE BREAKDOWN, WITH THE NEXT TROUGH DROPPING IN FROM THE
GULF OF AK. THIS BREAKDOWN APPEARS TO START TUESDAY. HOWEVER,
MODELS DIVERGE OVER THE DETAILS OF THE TRACK AND STRENGTH OF THE
TROUGH. THE INCOMING WAVE DOES NOT HAVE MUCH DEEP MOISTURE. IN
FACT PWATS ARE HIGHER MONDAY THAN TUESDAY. THROUGH THIS PERIOD
PWATS AVERAGE 40-90% OF NORMAL. COOLER AIR COMES IN, WITH
TEMPERATURES TRENDING BACK CLOSER TO SEASONAL VALUES. HIGHS ARE
FORECAST TO BE IN THE 60S TUESDAY, THEN LARGELY THE 50S WEDNESDAY
AND THURSDAY EXCEPT FOR SOME 60S IN THE DEEPER BASIN. THAT MEANS
LOWERING SNOW LEVELS. SOME PRECIPITATION CHANCES ALSO RETURN, BUT
THEY ARE'T VERY SIGNIFICANT. TUESDAY THE MAIN PRECIPITATION
CHANCES WILL BE NEAR THE CASCADES CREST AND THE IDAHO PANHANDLE
MOUNTAINS, IN THE FORM OF RAIN OR A RAIN/SNOW MIX. CHANCES EXPAND
SOME WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY, WITH CHANCES ACROSS OF MOST OF IDAHO
AND THE FAR EASTERN THIRD OF WA. SNOW LEVELS AVERAGE NEAR 3000
FEET BY WEDNESDAY. HOWEVER MODELS ARE NOT GENERATING MUCH IN THE
WAY OF SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION SO IMPACTS LOOK LIMITED. HOWEVER
WINDS BE BREEZY AT TIMES, WITH TUESDAY SEEING THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT OF THOSE WINDS. PRECISE SPEEDS WILL CONTINUE TO BE
FINE-TUNED, AS WILL AFTERNOON MINIMUM RH VALUES, TIED TO THE
PRECISE TIMING AND STRENGTH OF THE SHORTWAVE. AS OF THE MOST
RECENT MODEL RUN, THE NBM SHOWS A 30-40% CHANCE OF GUSTS GREATER
THAN 30 MPH, UP TO 60-80% NEAR THE BLUE MOUNTAINS TUESDAY
AFTERNOON. THERE IS ABOUT 50-60% CHANCE OF WIND GUSTS OVER 40 MPH
NEAR THE BLUE MOUNTAIN AS WELL. HOWEVER, LOOKING AT THE 90TH
PERCENTILE, IF THE SHORTWAVE IS STRONGER THERE COULD BE MORE
WIDESPREAD GUSTS NEAR 40 MPH. /SOLVEIG
AVIATION
06Z TAFS: LOW PRESSURE WILL EXIT EAST. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD
IN. ISOLATED SHOWERS/SPRINKLES NEAR THE ID PANHANDLE DISSIPATE.
LOOK FOR CLOUDS TO ERODE FOR A TIME TONIGHT, BUT A DEVELOPMENT
OF LOWER STRATUS IS FORECAST LATER OVERNIGHT INTO FRIDAY AM,
WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS NEAR TO NORTH OF PUW
AND TOWARD THE UPPER COLUMBIA BASIN AND SPOKANE AREA. BEST
CHANCES 11/12Z TO 18Z. OTHERWISE LOOK FOR VFR CONDITIONS.
FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS:
MODERATE CONFIDENCE IN MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS OVERNIGHT/EARLY
FRIDAY AT GEG/SFF/COE. LOW TO MODERATE CONFIDENCE IN MVFR/IFR
CONDITIONS AT PUW/LWS OVERNIGHT OVERNIGHT/EARLY FRIDAY.
-----------------------
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 52 32 61 37 66 41 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
COEUR D'ALENE 51 33 59 37 66 40 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
PULLMAN 52 34 60 40 66 43 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
LEWISTON 58 38 65 42 70 45 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
COLVILLE 54 29 61 34 68 38 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
SANDPOINT 47 32 56 35 62 38 / 10 0 0 0 0 0
KELLOGG 49 33 57 37 65 41 / 10 0 0 0 0 0
MOSES LAKE 60 34 66 40 73 44 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
WENATCHEE 59 38 64 43 68 47 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
OMAK 59 35 65 40 70 44 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
WA...NONE.
ID...NONE.
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