031
FXUS66 KOTX 042320
AFDOTX
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
420 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
00Z TAFS: VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED AT ALL TAF SITES. AFTERNOON
CLOUDS DISSIPATE WITH THE LOSS OF HEATING. A DRY COLD FRONT
MOVES IN FROM THE WEST FRIDAY, WITH MORE CLOUDS BUT DRY WEATHER
EXCEPT FOR THE CASCADE CREST. BREEZY CONDITIONS THIS EVENING
SUBSIDE AFTER 02-03Z. WINDS INCREASE AGAIN 12-16Z FRIDAY,
PEAKING FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING (18Z FRIDAY-04Z SATURDAY)
WITH GUSTS OF 20-30KTS POSSIBLE. LOCALLY HIGHER GUSTS OF
35-40KTS POSSIBLE NEAR THE CASCADES GAPS AND KLWS.
FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS:
HIGH CONFIDENCE IN VFR CONDITIONS. MODERATE CONFIDENCE IN THE
TIMING OF WINDS.
-----------------------
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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