057
FXUS66 KOTX 030219 AAA
AFDOTX
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
ISSUED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
719 PM PDT SUN AUG 2 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ON SUNDAY.
- BREEZY NORTHERLY WINDS DOWN THE OKANOGAN VALLEY SUNDAY NIGHT
INTO MONDAY MORNING.
- COOLER TEMPERATURES FOR SUNDAY INTO MONDAY THEN WARMING BACK
TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.
SYNOPSIS
TEMPERATURES COOL BY NEARLY 10 DEGREES ON SUNDAY, THOUGH
LINGERING BREEZY WINDS WILL KEEP FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ELEVATED. WARM, DRY CONDITIONS RETURN FOR NEXT WEEK.
DISCUSSION
TODAY: IN THE WAKE OF THE COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE YESTERDAY,
TEMPERATURES TODAY WILL BE 8-10 DEGREES COOLER THAN NORMAL FOR THIS
TIME OF YEAR. HIGHS WILL BE IN THE MID TO HIGH 70S. WIND GUSTS
REMAIN BREEZY THROUGHOUT THE BASIN (20 TO 25 MPH) AND GUSTY IN THE
CASCADE GAPS (30 TO 35 MPH). THOUGH THESE WINDS ARE WEAKER THAN
YESTERDAY, WHEN PAIRED WITH RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES OF 20 TO 30
PERCENT, RESULT IN ENHANCED FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS TODAY. MAIN
IMPACTS WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR NEW AND ONGOING FIRES TO SPREAD
RAPIDLY DUE TO THESE WINDS. ADDITIONALLY, IN THE CASCADE GAPS,
BLOWING OBJECTS AND DRIVING MAY BE DIFFICULT, ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH
PROFILE VEHICLES. THIS EVENING, A TROUGH WILL SWING DOWN THROUGH THE
AREA, SHIFTING WINDS TO MOSTLY FROM THE NORTH. THESE NORTHERLY WINDS
WILL FUNNEL DOWN THE OKANOGAN VALLEY AND INTO THE DEEPER BASIN AND
WATERVILLE PLATEAU AREAS, WHICH WILL SEE WIND GUSTS LAST INTO MONDAY
MORNING. WINDS IN THE SPOKANE/COEUR D'ALENE AREA AND SOUTHWARD WILL
DECREASE AFTER MIDNIGHT. THE TROUGH WILL RESULT IN SOME INSTABILITY,
BUT LITTLE IF ANY RAIN WILL REACH THE GROUND DUE TO THE DRY AIR MASS
USHERED IN BY THE COLD FRONT. STILL, THE POTENTIAL FOR SPRINKLES HAS
BEEN INTRODUCED TO THE FORECAST FOR TONIGHT.
MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY: ONCE THE TROUGH MOVES OUT OF THE AREA, DRY
NORTHWEST FLOW WILL MOVE IN AS A RIDGE BUILDS ALONG THE PNW COAST.
NEARLY 100 PERCENT OF CLUSTERS SUPPORT RIDGING THROUGH AT LEAST
MIDWEEK. THIS WILL RESULT IN DRY CONDITIONS WITH MOSTLY WEAK WINDS,
AND WILL LEAD TO WILDFIRE SMOKE AND HAZE ISSUES DURING THE WEEK.
ADDITIONALLY, TEMPERATURES WILL WARM BACK INTO THE 90S BY WEDNESDAY
AND MUCH OF THE REGION SEEING A RETURN OF MODERATE HEATRISK ON
THURSDAY. WINDS ALONG THE CASCADE GAPS WILL BE SEASONABLY BREEZY,
WITH GUSTS 15-20 MPH EXPECTED EACH AFTERNOON AND EVENING. NEAR THE
END OF THE WORKWEEK AND INTO NEXT WEEKEND, THE RIDGE WILL FLATTEN
AND A SURFACE LOW DROPPING INTO MONTANA WILL STRENGTHEN THE PRESSURE
GRADIENT ACROSS THE CASCADES. THIS WILL BRING STRONGER WINDS TO THE
CASCADE GAPS ON THURSDAY, AND MORE WIDESPREAD WINDS TO THE BASIN AND
FORECAST AREA FRIDAY. WITH WIND GUSTS 20-25 MPH ANTICIPATED AND
LOCALIZED WIND GUSTS 30-35 MPH, FRIDAY IS THE NEXT DAY BEING EYED
FOR ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS. THERE IS A NEAR ZERO CHANCE FOR
ANY PRECIPITATION WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK FOR ALL AREAS EXCEPT THE
CASCADE GAPS, SO EXPECT LITTLE TO NO RELIEF FROM DRY CONDITIONS. /AS
AVIATION
03Z TAFS: VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL FOR MOST AREAS THROUGH
THE TAF PERIOD, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF TERMINALS IMPACTED FROM
SMOKE DUE TO AREA WILDFIRES. SMOKE WILL CONTINUE TO BRING
PERIODS OF MVFR, AND EVEN LOCALIZED IFR, VISIBILITIES TO KGEG,
KSFF, AND KCOE THROUGH MONDAY. WINDS ARE CURRENTLY PREDOMINANTLY
WESTERLY THIS EVENING, BREEZY AT TIMES, WITH GUSTS MAINLY TO 20
KT FOR MOST TERMINALS (THOUGH KEAT CONTINUES TO SEE GUSTS TO 30
KT). WINDS WILL EASE AND BECOME LIGHT TONIGHT INTO MONDAY
BEFORE TRANSITIONING FROM MORE WESTERLY TO NORTHERLY DURING THE
MID TO LATE MORNING HOURS.
FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: MODERATE TO HIGH
CONFIDENCE IN TIMING AND SPEEDS OF WINDS. MODERATE CONFIDENCE
FOR SMOKE IMPACTS BRINGING MVFR TO IFR VISIBILITIES FOR KGEG,
KSFF, AND KCOE.
-----------------------
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 50 80 50 86 54 91 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
COEUR D'ALENE 49 79 51 85 55 89 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
PULLMAN 42 76 44 83 47 88 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
LEWISTON 53 82 54 89 58 94 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
COLVILLE 42 81 42 87 47 93 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
SANDPOINT 43 77 46 83 49 89 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
KELLOGG 47 74 49 81 52 87 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
MOSES LAKE 52 83 52 89 55 94 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
WENATCHEE 55 84 59 90 63 95 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
OMAK 50 84 54 91 58 95 / 0 0 0 0 0 0
OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
WA...AIR QUALITY ALERT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE FOR CENTRAL CHELAN
COUNTY-LOWER GARFIELD AND ASOTIN COUNTIES-MOSES LAKE AREA-
NORTHEAST BLUE MOUNTAINS-NORTHEAST MOUNTAINS-OKANOGAN
HIGHLANDS-OKANOGAN VALLEY-SPOKANE AREA-UPPER COLUMBIA
BASIN-WASHINGTON PALOUSE-WATERVILLE PLATEAU-WENATCHEE
AREA-WESTERN CHELAN COUNTY-WESTERN OKANOGAN COUNTY.
ID...AIR QUALITY ALERT UNTIL NOON PDT MONDAY FOR CENTRAL PANHANDLE
MOUNTAINS-IDAHO PALOUSE-LEWIS AND SOUTHERN NEZ PERCE
COUNTIES-LEWISTON AREA.
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