101
FXUS66 KOTX 042045
AFDOTX
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
145 PM PDT THU JUN 4 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- OCCASIONAL MOUNTAIN SHOWER CHANCES AND COOLER LATE THIS WEEK
INTO THIS WEEKEND.
- WIND GUSTS 30 TO 40 MPH POSSIBLE FRIDAY AFTERNOON.
SYNOPSIS
DRY, STABLE CONDITIONS EXPECTED TODAY FOLLOWED BY WINDS ACROSS
THE BASIN ON FRIDAY. FOR THE WEEKEND, COOLER AND SHOWERY
CONDITIONS RETURN, WITH PERIODIC BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS.
ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS EXPECTED MIDWEEK.
DISCUSSION
TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY: A LOW IN THE GULF OF ALASKA IS MOVING
SOUTHEAST TOWARDS THE STATE OF WASHINGTON. LINGERING SHOWERS NEAR
NORTHEAST WASHINGTON AND NORTHERN IDAHO ARE VISIBLE ON RADAR AND
WILL CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS. ELSEWHERE, EXPECT DRY AND NEAR
NORMAL TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE REST OF THE DAY. LOWS TONIGHT WILL
BE IN THE MID 40S TO LOW 50S. WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS MOVING ACROSS
THE CASCADES WILL RESULT IN BREEZY CONDITIONS WITH GUSTS 20-25MPH
THROUGH THE EVENING. TOMORROW, THE LOW WILL MOVE INTO THE FORECAST
AREA, AND A TIGHTENING PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL LEAD TO GUSTY WINDS
REGIONWIDE. THIS WILL BE THE PRIMARY WEATHER CONCERN FOR TOMORROW.
WINDS WILL GUST TO 25-30 MPH THROUGH MUCH OF THE BASIN AND
SPOKANE/CDA AREA, BUT IN THE WENATCHEE AND WATERVILLE PLATEAU AREAS
HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO GUST TO 35-40 MPH. COMBINED WITH LOW RELATIVE
HUMIDITIES, MAIN CONCERNS WILL BE FIRE WEATHER RELATED, ESPECIALLY
FOR ANY NEW FIRE STARTS. IN AREAS WITH THE HIGHER WINDS, PATCHY
BLOWING DUST IS POSSIBLE. DRIVING IN AREAS WITH STRONGER WINDS COULD
BE CHALLENGING, ESPECIALLY IN HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES. NO SHOWER
ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED.
SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY: THE LOW CONTINUES TO PASS SLOWLY THROUGH
THE AREA ON SATURDAY, BRINGING MOSTLY DRY CONDITIONS APART FROM THE
CASCADES AND NORTHERN MOUNTAIN AREAS. 850MB TEMPERATURES OVER THE
CASCADES SUPPORT LIGHT SNOW FOR THIS PRECIPITATION, THOUGH NO
ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED. ELSEWHERE, PRECIPITATION TYPE WILL BE
RAIN. A COUPLE HUNDRED JOULES OF CAPE WILL RESULT IN 10-20% CHANCE
OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREAS RECEIVING PRECIPITATION.
WINDS TOMORROW REMAIN GUSTY THROUGH MUCH OF THE BASIN AND PALOUSE
AREAS, WITH GUSTS 20-25 MPH ANTICIPATED. SUNDAY WILL REMAIN DRY
APART FROM SOME LIGHT SHOWERS IN THE IDAHO PANHANDLE. THE INCOMING
LOWER HEIGHTS WILL LEAD TO COOLING TEMPERATURES, WITH SATURDAY
ANTICIPATED TO BE THE COOLER DAY. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE
LOW TO MID 60S, NEARLY 10 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. SATURDAY NIGHT INTO
SUNDAY, TEMPERATURES DROP INTO THE HIGH 30S. SHOULD TEMPERATURES
CONTINUE TO TREND THIS WAY, FROST ISSUES MAY BE SEEN EARLY SUNDAY
MORNING.
MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY: ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL IMPACT
THE AREA AT THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT WORK WEEK, AND IS EXPECTED TO
BRING A ROUND OF WIDESPREAD BENEFICIAL PRECIPITATION TO THE FORECAST
AREA. TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO TREND A FEW DEGREES BELOW
NORMAL. LONG TERM MODELS SUPPORT 50-150 J/KG OF CAPE AND A LOW
CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH THIS RAIN, BUT WILL NEED TO KEEP AN EYE
ON TRENDS. CURRENT PRECIPITATION ESTIMATES SHOW THE COLUMBIA BASIN
SEEING 0.25 INCHES OF RAIN OR MORE TUESDAY THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY
NIGHT, WITH DEEPER BASIN AREAS SEEING LESS AT 0.10-0.25 INCHES.
MOUNTAIN AREAS COULD RECEIVE UP TO 0.50 INCHES. /AS
AVIATION
18Z TAFS: VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD.
MAIN IMPACTS WILL BE GUSTY WINDS IN THE COLUMBIA BASIN AT
TERMINALS GEG, SFF, COE, AND PUW BETWEEN NOW AND 00-02Z.
CEILINGS WILL REMAIN SCATTERED AT 3000-5000 FT AGL AROUND 02Z,
THEN CEILINGS WILL RISE ABOVE 10K FT AGL. WINDS WILL PICK UP
AGAIN ACROSS MOST AREAS AROUND 12-15Z AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT
ACROSS THE CASCADES STRENGTHENS. WIND GUSTS THROUGH 18Z WILL BE
21-25KTS AT MOST, BUT EARLY INTO NEXT FORECAST PERIOD LOOKS TO
INCREASE TO 25-30KTS.
FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS:
HIGH CONFIDENCE IN VFR CONDITIONS TO PREVAIL THROUGH THE
FORECAST PERIOD. LOW TO MODERATE CONFIDENCE IN TIMING OF WINDS
INCREASING TOMORROW. /AS
-----------------------
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 47 69 44 63 39 65 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
COEUR D'ALENE 47 68 46 61 40 63 / 0 0 0 10 0 10
PULLMAN 43 67 43 60 38 62 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
LEWISTON 50 76 51 68 45 69 / 0 0 0 10 0 10
COLVILLE 43 71 37 65 32 67 / 0 0 0 40 10 10
SANDPOINT 46 67 44 60 38 62 / 0 0 0 20 10 10
KELLOGG 45 68 45 60 39 61 / 0 0 0 20 0 10
MOSES LAKE 46 73 42 68 37 72 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
WENATCHEE 52 70 48 66 45 72 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
OMAK 50 73 43 65 38 71 / 0 0 0 60 10 0
OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
WA...NONE.
ID...NONE.
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