297
FXUS66 KOTX 132043
AFDOTX
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
143 PM PDT MON APR 13 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- A ROBUST COLD FRONT TO DELIVER VALLEY RAIN, MOUNTAIN SNOW, AND
GUSTY WINDS TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.
- DRIER AND WARMER WEATHER RETURNS FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND.
SYNOPSIS
A COLD FRONT PASSAGE TUESDAY AFTERNOON INTO WEDNESDAY WILL
BRING LOWLAND RAIN, MOUNTAIN SNOW, AND BREEZY TO WINDY
CONDITIONS. SOME SNOW WILL MAKE IT DOWN TO THE LOWLANDS
WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING ON THE TAIL END OF THE
MID- WEEK SYSTEM.
DISCUSSION
MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING: MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL
FEATURE BREEZY WESTERLY WINDS THROUGH THE CASCADE GAPS AND
ACROSS THE COLUMBIA BASIN INTO THE CENTRAL ID PANHANDLE. IN
ADDITION TO THE WINDS, THUNDERSTORM CHANCES (15 TO 25 PERCENT)
WILL LINGER OVER NORTHEASTERN WA (NORTH OF A LINE FROM ROSALIA
TO WAUCONDA) AND ACROSS NORTH ID. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE WIDELY
SCATTERED AND SHORT-LIVED, SIMILAR TO WHAT WE'VE SEEN THE PAST
COUPLE OF DAYS. THE MAIN THREATS WITH ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP
WILL BE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN, GUSTY AND ERRATIC WINDS, AND PEA-
SIZED HAIL.
TUESDAY TO THURSDAY: LOW PRESSURE DROPS SOUTHWARD FROM THE GULF
OF AK THROUGH THIS PERIOD, ENVELOPING THE INLAND NORTHWEST IN
COLDER AIR AND BRINGING RETURNING CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION.
RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW CHANCES INCREASE THROUGH TUESDAY AS THE
LOW APPROACHES, THEN STICK AROUND THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT (FOR
THE CASCADES AND EASTERN WA) AND THROUGH THURSDAY (FOR THE ID
PANHANDLE). THE EXCEPTION WILL BE OVER CENTRAL WA WHERE RAIN
SHADOWING DUE TO STRONG WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL KEEP POPS
LOWER, BETWEEN 20 AND 40 PERCENT.
SNOW LEVELS WILL START OUT BETWEEN 3500-4500 FEET (LOWEST NEAR
THE CASCADES) TUESDAY AFTERNOON, THEN WILL DROP TO BETWEEN
1000-1500 FEET BY THURSDAY MORNING. LOOK FOR MOUNTAIN SNOW AND
LOWLAND RAIN TO START, FOLLOWED BY A TRANSITION TO A RAIN/SNOW
MIX OR EVEN ALL SNOW FOR SOME LOWLAND AREAS OVERNIGHT WEDNESDAY
INTO THURSDAY MORNING. PRECIPITATION CHANCES START TO WANE BY THEN,
BUT THERE WILL STILL BE POTENTIAL FOR SOME LOWLAND ACCUMULATIONS
DURING THAT TIME FRAME.
THE BIGGEST SNOW IMPACTS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE MOUNTAIN PASSES.
HERE ARE SOME 48-HOUR SNOW PROBABILITIES OF 2 INCHES, 4 INCHES,
6 INCHES, 8 INCHES, AND 12 INCHES FROM TUESDAY MORNING
TO THURSDAY MORNING:
2 4 6 8 12
STEVENS PASS 100% 100% 100% 75% 25%
SNOQUALMIE PASS 100% 90% 80% 50% 10%
LOOKOUT PASS 98% 80% 55% 40% 10%
SHERMAN PASS 75% 45% 25% 15% 1%
THE CHANCE FOR 0.1 INCHES OF SNOW AT SELECT LOWLAND LOCATIONS
FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY AM:
PULLMAN 55%
SANDPOINT 60%
SPOKANE 20%
WINDS WILL REMAIN GUSTY THROUGH THIS TUESDAY-THURSDAY PERIOD.
TUESDAY'S WINDS WILL BE SOUTHWEST 15-20 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 25-40
MPH. WINDS TURN MORE WEST-NORTHWEST WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY,
WITH SIMILAR SPEEDS BUT GUSTS AROUND 20-30 MPH.
FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY: CONDITIONS TREND WARMER AND DRIER FRIDAY
INTO THE WEEKEND AS A WEAK RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN
BEHIND THE EXITING LOW.
AVIATION
18Z TAFS: IFR TO MVFR CONDITIONS FOR KGEG-KSFF-KCOE-KPUW WILL
TREND TOWARDS VFR THIS AFTERNOON AS PRECIPITATION SHIFTS EAST.
GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE INTO THE EARLY AFTERNOON IN
THE INLAND NORTHWEST GUSTING AROUND 20-30 KT. THERE IS A 10-20%
CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM 21Z-03Z FOR KGEG-KSFF-KCOE.
CONFIDENCE IS TOO LOW FOR THUNDERSTORMS IN THE TAF.
FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS:
MODERATE CONFIDENCE IN VFR CONDITIONS LATER MONDAY AFTERNOON TO
EVENING.
-----------------------
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 37 51 38 47 30 49 / 10 40 90 80 40 30
COEUR D'ALENE 37 51 38 45 30 46 / 20 50 100 90 60 60
PULLMAN 35 51 39 45 29 44 / 10 20 90 100 70 60
LEWISTON 37 59 44 52 34 49 / 10 10 90 90 60 50
COLVILLE 35 53 35 50 27 52 / 30 70 90 70 40 30
SANDPOINT 37 45 36 40 29 42 / 60 80 100 90 70 70
KELLOGG 37 46 38 43 29 41 / 50 50 100 100 70 90
MOSES LAKE 37 58 40 55 31 57 / 0 20 20 40 10 0
WENATCHEE 42 55 39 52 34 55 / 0 40 50 30 10 0
OMAK 38 50 36 47 29 51 / 0 50 50 30 10 0
OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
WA...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 11 AM TUESDAY TO 5 PM PDT
WEDNESDAY FOR OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS.
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 11 AM TUESDAY TO 5 AM PDT WEDNESDAY
FOR WESTERN CHELAN COUNTY.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 11 AM TUESDAY TO 5 AM PDT
WEDNESDAY FOR WESTERN OKANOGAN COUNTY.
ID...NONE.
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