963
FXUS66 KOTX 102129
AFDOTX
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
229 PM PDT WED SEP 10 2025
KEY MESSAGES
- SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY IN THE MOUNTAINS, SOUTHEAST
WASHINGTON, AND THE IDAHO PANHANDLE THIS WEEK.
- AREAS OF SMOKE AND HAZE THROUGH THE WEEKEND, ESPECIALLY NEAR
WILDFIRES.
SYNOPSIS
ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE
REGION WILL CONTINUE THROUGH LATE WEEK. AREAS OF SMOKE AND HAZE
ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH AT LEAST THE WEEKEND,
ESPECIALLY NEAR WILDFIRES.
DISCUSSION
TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT: A CLOSED LOW OVER NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE SOUTH-SOUTHEAST FLOW ACROSS
EASTERN WA/N IDAHO INTO THURSDAY. THE LOW WILL TRACK INTO
SOUTHEAST OREGON ON THURSDAY. THE POSITION OF THE LOW WILL FAVOR
THE HIGHEST SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORMS COVERAGE OVER SE
WASHINGTON, THE LEWISTON-CLARKSTON AREA, CAMAS PRAIRIE, AND
CENTRAL PANHANDLE MOUNTAINS. SURFACE BASED CAPE OF 500-1000 J/KG
WILL LEAD TO ADDITIONAL SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT
THROUGH THE AFTERNOON ACROSS NE OREGON AND THE CLEARWATERS, WITH
THE SOUTHEAST FLOW TRACKING SOME OF THIS ACTIVITY INTO SE
WASHINGTON THE THE SOUTH ID PANHANDLE THIS EVENING. CONVECTION
IS EXPECTED TO WEAKEN AS ACTIVITY MOVES INTO NE WASHINGTON AND
THE N IDAHO PANHANDLE DUE TO FURTHER PROXIMITY FROM THE LOW AS
WELL AS THE LOSS OF DAYTIMG HEATING BY THE TIME CONVECTION HAS A
CHANCE TO MOVE INTO THESE AREAS. YET ISOLATED SHOWER AND
THUNDERSTORMS ACTIVITY WILL PERSIST OVER THE AREA MOUNTAINS
PRIOR TO THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING. ON THURSDAY A NEAR REPEAT
IS EXPECTED, EXCEPT THAT PRECIPITATABLE WATER INCREASES FURTHER
TO NEAR 180% OF NORMAL. THIS WILL MEAN THE POTENTIAL FOR
HEAVIER RAINFALL WITH STORMS. THE WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER IS
CARRYING A MARGINAL RISK (5% CHANCE AT A POINT WITHIN A 25 MILE
RADIUS) FOR FLASH FLOODING FOR ALL OR PORTIONS OF WHITMAN,
GARFIELD, ASOTIN, NEZ PERCE, LEWIS, LATAH, BENEWAH, KOOTENAI, BONNER,
AND SHOSHONE COUNTIES. YET THE PROBABILITY OF STORMS PRODUCING
FLASH FLOODING IS TOO LOW TO ISSUE FLOOD WATCHES AT THIS TIME GIVEN
HREF PROBABILITIES OF 0.50"/AN HOUR LESS THAN 30%, AND THE
CURRENT DROUGHT ACROSS THE REGION. OTHER CONCERN WITH STORMS ON
THURSDAY IS GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS. THE HRRR, FV3, AND ARW MODELS
ARE GENERATING 25-40 MPH OUTFLOW GUSTS FROM CONVECTION IN IDAHO,
AND PROPOGATING THESE GUSTS OUTWARD OVER LARGE DISTANCES INTO
THE SPOKANE AREA AND PORTIONS OF NE WASHINGTON THAT COULD
INFLUENCE REGIONAL FIRES.
FRIDAY: THE LOW STARTS TO PULL AWAY FROM THE AREA AS A SHORT
WAVE RIDGE NOSES INTO CENTRAL WA. RESIDUAL INSTABILITY IS
EXPECTED TO BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO
THE IDAHO PANHANDLE WITH A 20-30% CHANCE OF SHOWERS ACROSS
EASTERN WA.
SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY: ON SATURDAY AN UPPER RIDGE IS
CENTERED OVER THE REGION FOR WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS. THE
FORECAST GETS MORE UNCERTAIN HEADING INTO SUNDAY AND MONDAY WITH
AN UPPER TROUGH THAT APPROACHES AND WHERE IT GOES. ROUGHLY HALF
OF THE ENSEMBLES DEVELOP A CLOSED LOW AND TRACK IT SOUTH OF THE
AREA FOR LITTLE IF ANY PRECIPITATION FOR EASTERN WA/NORTH ID.
THE OTHER HALF EITHER HOLD THE TROUGH TOGETHER, OR DEVELOP A
CLOSED LOW OVER THE AREA FOR COOLER TEMPERATURES AND
PRECIPITATION. AT THIS TIME THE NBM IS GOING FOR A 20-40% CHANCE
OF SHOWERS AND SUBTLE COOLING. ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY
INDICATIONS ARE THAT AN UPPER RIDGE AGAIN BUILDS FOR WARMER AND
DRIER WEATHER.
SMOKE/HAZE: AIR QUALITY ALERTS ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF
ECOLOGY REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE FOR CHELAN, FERRY,
STEVENS, AND PEND OREILLE COUNTIES. PRECIPITATION OVER THESE
COUNTIES IS EXPECTED TO BE SPOTTY THIS WEEK WITH ANY
PRECIPITATION ISOLATED IN NATURE. THIS WILL LIKELY ALLOW FOR
CONTINUED ACTIVE SMOKE PRODUCTION FROM WILDFIRES. THE SITUATION
COULD IMPROVE EARLY NEXT WEEK IF THE COOLER/WETTER SCENARIO
PLAYS OUT SUNDAY/MONDAY BUT AS MENTIONED ABOVE CONFIDENCE IS
LOW. JW
AVIATION
18Z TAFS: SOME AREAS SEEING REDUCED VISIBILITY (BUT GREATER
THAN 6SM) DUE TO HAZE/SMOKE FROM WILDFIRES. EXPECT HAZE/SMOKE TO
PERSIST AND BECOME MORE PROMINENT FROM CQV/OMK/MWH AND TO A
LESSER EXTENT DEW/GEG AND SOUTHWARD THROUGH THURSDAY 18Z.
SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP AFTER 23Z TODAY
NEAR LEWISTON AND PULLMAN, AFTER 05Z NEAR COEUR D'ALENE AND
SPOKANE. CONDITIONS WILL BE AT VFR LEVELS THROUGH THE TAF
PERIOD.
FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS:
CONFIDENCE IS LOW FOR THUNDERSTORM TIMING AND DEVELOPMENT AT AN
AIR FIELD NEAR LWS/PUW/COE/SFF/GEG, WITH THE BEST TIME PERIOD
03Z THROUGH 10Z FROM SOUTH TO NORTH, THEREFORE DID NOT INCLUDE
TS IN THE CURRENT TAF PACKAGE EXCEPT KLWS WHERE THE CHANCE OF A
THUNDERSTORM IS 30%. CONFIDENCE IS MODERATE THAT VISIBILITIES
WILL NOT BE IMPACTED BY SMOKE/HAZE AND WILL MAINTAIN
VISIBILITIES ABOVE 6SM WITH THE ELEVATED WINDS AND SHOWERS. JW
-----------------------
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:/WEATHER.GOV/OTX/AVNDASHBOARD
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS
SPOKANE 58 84 57 82 56 83 / 10 20 20 20 20 10
COEUR D'ALENE 59 84 57 80 56 82 / 20 30 30 20 20 20
PULLMAN 53 77 52 76 51 78 / 50 30 50 40 30 20
LEWISTON 62 83 61 82 61 85 / 60 40 60 40 30 20
COLVILLE 46 87 46 83 47 83 / 0 10 10 20 20 20
SANDPOINT 53 83 51 78 51 79 / 10 30 30 40 30 30
KELLOGG 59 81 57 76 58 77 / 40 50 60 50 50 40
MOSES LAKE 56 85 55 84 54 84 / 10 10 10 10 0 0
WENATCHEE 64 87 62 85 60 84 / 0 10 10 10 0 0
OMAK 60 91 58 88 58 86 / 0 10 10 10 10 0
OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
WA...AIR QUALITY ALERT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE FOR CENTRAL CHELAN
COUNTY- NORTHEAST MOUNTAINS-OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS-WENATCHEE AREA-
WESTERN CHELAN COUNTY.
ID...NONE.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
Main Text Page